State just the beginning: Rene, Lux kick off busy summer of golf

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For eighth-grader Austin Rene and sophomore Jakobi Lux the 36-hole state tournament is not the end of the season, in many ways it’s only the beginning.

At least that is what Jamestown High School golf coach Dean Kraft hopes.

Rene and Lux, who qualified individually for today and Wednesday’s meet at Heart River Golf Course in Dickinson, represent the Blue Jay contingent among the top golfers in Class A.

“Ideally, this is the first event in a big summer,” said Kraft, who is an adamant supporter of summer competition. “(The summer) is when you learn to become a golfer. You play different places against good competition and you start to figure out what it takes to compete at a higher level.”

Few know the importance of summer golf better than Kraft. His daughter Laura, a 3-time state champion who just finished up her first season playing at the University of Missouri, played extensively in the summer and both credit those experiences in her stellar career.

Rene and Lux both also possess some of the same “gym rat,” qualities Laura has.

“Both Austin and Jakobi love golf. They watch golf on TV. They love the whole atmosphere of a state-tournament type setting,” Kraft said. “They’re going to do it up. They’re going to dress the part.”

Lux qualified by finishing within eight strokes at the individual-qualifier May 26 at Tom O’Leary Golf Course in Bismarck. Rene punched his ticket by tying for ninth at the West Region meet May 30 on the same course they’ll play today.

Rene has the lower scoring average of the two (87.3 to 89.7) and has more firepower in the bag, but the game plan for both is similar.

“Golf-wise it’s just a matter of not getting ahead of yourself and trying to figure out a way to beat the golf course,” Kraft said. “When you look at the big picture, you don’t want to say this is gravy, but it’s a great learning experience in how you approach any tournament and trying to figure out a way for each of them to be successful.

“It’s really a matter of focusing, blocking out the extraneous stuff and seeing how well you can execute. … It should be a great experience for both of them and we’re looking forward to seeing how it goes.”

Sun sports editor Dave Selvig can be reached at (701) 952-8460 or by e-mail at dselvig@jamestownsun.com

Tags: sports, jays, golf