Alyssa Raghuveer and Lauren Chambs. Photos: Chris Emeott
Alyssa Raghuveer and Lauren Chambs are named to Minnesota’s inaugural junior golf team.
Aspiring young golfers in the state have a new opportunity for training and competition. As part of the new U.S. National Development Program (USNDP), Team Minnesota is the state’s first junior golf team, created to identify and provide critical development to elite high school golfers.
Eighteen-year-old Alyssa Raghuveer—a recent graduate of Benilde-St. Margaret’s—says that of the 24 athletes on the inaugural roster, she’s already familiar with the 11 other girls on the team. “I’ve been playing with them for the last four years in high school,” Raghuveer says. “I know them all really well just from playing and just being in the same tournaments.”
Raghuveer, who plans on attending the University of St. Thomas in the fall, says that Team Minnesota is set up well for players who intend to proceed to Division I golf. “You have your team, and you’re all practicing together, but then you’ll go into your separate tournaments and compete,” she says. “I think it sets you up really well for players that do want to play in college.”
Team Minnesota gives student-athletes an opportunity to elevate their golf game.
The team has met for equipment fittings and participated in regular team training and a multiday performance summit following the USNDP’s elite training framework. “Second Swing was very generous and got everyone fitted for golf clubs,” eighteen-year-old Lauren Chambs—a recent graduate of Wayzata High School—says. “That was a super fun day.” Since then, the team has met at the Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska for drills together.
Chambs, who plans to continue playing golf at North Dakota State University, says Team Minnesota is an excellent way to illustrate the team aspect of the sport. “Team Minnesota is a really great way to showcase that and get a team vibe around girls who don’t necessarily go to my school, but I see in summer tournaments,” she says.
“It’s not like a traditional team … where you’re practicing every day together,” says Holly Noble, captain of Team Minnesota and Minnesota Golf Association women’s golf manager. “It’s a little bit more elevated, higher-level resource, providing and making sure that these athletes have all of the tools that they need to elevate their game and perform at the highest level.”
Both Raghuveer and Chambs note that they’re excited for upcoming summer tournaments in which state teams face off on a national stage. “That’s definitely a goal for me, just to be able to compete with the other teams from the other states,” Raghuveer says. Other than that, she says she looks forward to using the team’s resources to improve both on and off the course.
Team Minnesota
Instagram: @teammngolf
