Emily St. Aubin, four-time North Dakota state champion, among hidden talent in National High School field

Emily St. Aubin will be one of 110 girls and 250 boys competing in the High School National Golf Invitational in Pinehurst, North Carolina.

Emily St. Aubins won her first North Dakota State High School Class B Championship title in 2016 as a seventh grader on the South Border Mustangs golf team. In rural North Dakota, the Mustangs are a co-op team put together from two schools 26 miles apart.

To St. Aubins, it wasn’t all that surprising. Her dad Jeremy isn’t even sure his daughter understood what a monumental accomplishment she had achieved when she won that title. Remarkably – and perhaps because of that ability not to dwell on it – she continued to defend for three more years.

“I honestly really don’t think about that because once you get your head wrapped into everything outside the golf course – I think the game is hard enough,” Emily said of her streak, which is a North Dakota record.


Tee times, scoring: High School Golf National Invitational


They’ve all been different, Jeremy remembers. There have been tough competitors, often older than Emily, comebacks, big putts, you name it.

This past spring, as a junior, the North Dakota High School Activities Association canceled the spring golf season, just like many state activities associations. An independent tournament was held in its place, and Emily won that too.

While unofficial, this year’s event brought a different kind of perk: It’s what qualified her for this week’s High School National Golf Invitational in Pinehurst, North Carolina. She’ll be one of 110 girls and 250 boys competing in the second annual 54-hole event at Pinehurst Nos. 6, 8 and 9.

Even as a baby, nothing soothed Emily like being on a golf course. Her mom and dad figured out early that when they took their daughter along to Ashley Country Club in Ashley, North Dakota, she would stop crying.

“We took her to the golf course because we love to walk,” said Jeremy. “Pretty soon I was modifying the golf cart so I could have a car seat in there if I wanted to go play extra holes.”

The St. Aubins could be at the golf course for hours, and Emily was enamored.  Time passed quickly, from Emily wanting a golf club of her own to swing around to eventually tagging along with dad, the South Border golf coach, to high school golf practice. More than anything, Jeremy thinks, those early days as a third- or fourth-grader, tagging along with the high school girls, all of them positive role models, shaped the way his daughter played the game.

“For her to be around those kids when she was growing up like that was a big lesson and a big piece for her to become who she is now,” Jeremy said.

Emily qualified for the Optimist International and the Big I Junior Classic, two national junior events, in 2017. She played the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals in 2018. Otherwise, her golf career has mostly consisted of in-state competition. Pinehurst is something new, and the pine straw and sand is certainly a change from the familiar flat landscape of North Dakota golf.

“I haven’t ever performed well at a national tournament, I would say,” Emily said. “I’m just hoping to play well. I’m coming off a few pretty good tournaments so I’m hoping to keep my momentum going. . . . It’s not every day you get to come and play Pinehurst.”

Emily plays volleyball in the winter. She slows down her golf game considerably when the weather gets cold, working on putting and playing over Christmas break when her family makes an annual trip to Scottsdale, Arizona.

Ashley is a town of less than 800 people, and the nine-hole Ashley Country Club is as relaxed as you might expect. Emily can walk on and play whenever she wants to with whoever happens to be there. Jeremy isn’t sure she’s had 10 formal golf lessons her whole life.

Interestingly, Emily also has been certified to work on the ambulance squad and more recently, has worked at the local hospital as a COVID screener.

“I’ve loved doing that because I’m thinking about going into the medical field so it’s kid of some good practice to be around that stuff,” she said.

With the past year so in flux amid a global pandemic, Emily hasn’t really had a chance to think about college, much less college golf. She does know she’d like to play it. With recruiting in flux, too, this could be a week a coach discovers a hidden talent – someone like Emily St. Aubin.

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St. Edward’s shutters golf teams despite big effort; coach moves on

St. Edward’s head men’s golf coach will move to high school golf at Georgetown High School after school’s fundraising efforts fell short.

Chris Hill, head golf coach at St. Edward’s University since June 2018, has spent the past few weeks rallying all the support he could in an attempt to save the Hilltoppers’ golf program from budget cuts. Ultimately, the number was just too big. As the golf programs shutter at the NCAA Division II school in Austin, Hill is moving on but not moving far.

Hill has coached at every level of college golf. After stints at Division I, II and III schools, he’s taking on a new challenge in high school golf. Hill has accepted a position as the head men’s and women’s golf coach at Georgetown (Texas) High School just north of Austin, which competes at the Class 5A level.

“I think it’s going to be a lot of fun,” Hill said. “I might be a trendsetter.”

The St. Edward’s men’s and women’s golf teams were among six programs slated for elimination, the university revealed on April 15. Hill and head women’s coach Jennifer McNeil – who has been the only coach in the 16-year history of the women’s program – lobbied for the opportunity to save their teams through fundraising.

The university — a private school with a student population of 3,680 undergraduates — agreed, but set a steep goal. The coaches were asked to come up with pledges totaling more than $2 million per sport by the end of May to ensure the programs will be reinstated for five years.

Hill said he and McNeil “made up significant ground” on that number but ultimately couldn’t reach it. He remains in contact with his players and will continue to help the men who are looking to pursue their college golf careers at other schools.

As for Hill, his transition into high school athletics brings his coaching life full circle. His father spent more than 30 years as a high school basketball coach, turning down an opportunity to coach at the college level because he wanted to be a dad.

“I think this transition is at a perfect time for my family,” Hill said. “My boys are almost 5 and almost 7 and they’re playing golf and playing hockey. I think there’s a bigger plan going on for me that I’m meant to be at Georgetown and help really mold and impact all these golfers.”

Hill will coach both the men’s and women’s teams at Georgetown. He’ll enter a teaching certification program, too. In Texas, high school golf is played year-round.

Hill brings big experience to a high school team looking to grow.

“It’s a true blessing that all this worked out the way it did.”

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Coronavirus: HS golfer battled tumor and won — but lost her senior season

Shaelynn Feuerstein already made history last year. The New Holstein golfer became the first girl to be named second-team all-Eastern Wisconsin Conference for boys golf after reaching sectionals as a junior. She plays on the boys team because New …

Shaelynn Feuerstein already made history last year.

The New Holstein golfer became the first girl to be named second-team all-Eastern Wisconsin Conference for boys golf after reaching sectionals as a junior. She plays on the boys team because New Holstein doesn’t offer a girls team.

Heading into her senior year, the three-sport athlete had dreams of making state and first-team all-EWC, but Feuerstein realized quickly in fall it might not be so easy.

While playing volleyball to start the school year, Feuerstein became fatigued easily and knew something was wrong.

After seeking an answer, it was discovered Feuerstein had developed an insulinoma, a form or tumor, on her pancreas which caused her blood sugar to drop to dangerous levels.

The condition normally presents in people in their 40s or 60s. Feuerstein’s blood sugar, which should be around 100-140, dropped to 20-30.

New Holstein, Wisconsin, golfer Shaelynn Feuerstein will compete next year for the Carroll University women’s golf program. (Photo: Courtesy of Shaelynn Feuerstein)

Feuerstein, who missed almost all of volleyball and played one game in basketball under strict supervision, had her eyes focused on golf in the spring.

“My mentality was golf was my favorite sport and has been my whole life,” Feuerstein said. “I wanted to overcome what happened to me and still succeed.”

Feuerstein underwent surgery to remove the tumor over Thanksgiving break and didn’t return to school until after Christmas break.

The bright side was doctors told her she could resume athletic activity in April, right when golf season was set to begin.

That plan was thrown for a loop due to the COVID-19 pandemic as the spring sports season was first put on hold before later being canceled.

“It’s pretty sad because of my health problems I wasn’t able to play my other sports,” Feuerstein said.

Golf runs in the Feuerstein family, with her brother and father having both played for the Huskies and the golf bags the team uses being donated after Feuerstein’s grandfather’s death.

“My dad taught me how to golf,” Feuerstein said. “When my grandpa passed away we donated golf bags with his initials so it’s always been about the Huskies team.”

While it was a setback, Feuerstein understood it was for the best. She is more susceptible to the coronavirus because of her recent surgery.

“I had hope we could compete but obviously better to get through this with limited contact,” Feuerstein said.

New Holstein golf coach Peter Hofmeister remembered when Feuerstein first joined the team.

He played Feuerstein, who was the only girl on the team when she started as a freshman, in a varsity event as a sophomore but wasn’t worried.

“Her eyes were as wide as dinner plates but she took it on,” Hofmeister said. “She wasn’t afraid despite being a girl on a boys team. Helped she beat a lot of them, too.”

Feuerstein wasn’t about to let fear stop her from reaching her goals.

“It’s very intimidating at first but after the first hole it gets easier,” Feuerstein said of playing with boys. “The boys might not think I can succeed but I put my mind to the task.”

“She has a unique sense of determination,” Hofmeister said. “She has a fire, which is the first syllable of her last name so it’s fitting. (The boys) respected her because she was good enough and earned it.”

Turns out it’s even a bit inspiring, as there were to be three girls on the New Holstein team this season, Hofmeister said.

Next year Feuerstein will compete for NCAA Division III Carroll University, where her brother played, as part of the women’s team.

“I’m excited for the experience,” Feuerstein said. “Never played on a girls team before so will be a cool experience.”

Despite having never competed as a senior, Hofmeister holds Feuerstein in high regard.

“Anybody who has coached a select amount of time will have athletes willing to put in the work and really stand out, and she’s one of them,” Hofmeister said.

Tom Dombeck is a staffer for the Sheboygan Press and the Herald Times Reporter, both part of the USA Today Network.  Contact him at tdombeck@htrnews.com. Follow him on Twitter at @Tom_Dombeck.