FARGO — Mother Nature had other plans for last week’s 2026 PGA Boys High School Golf National Invitational, as persistent storms forced the cancellation of the tournament’s third and final round at the prestigious Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina.
Still, the weather did little to diminish the experience for the Oak Grove boys, who were making their second straight appearance at nationals after capturing their third consecutive North Dakota Class B team state championship this past spring.
“It was so fun,” recently-graduated Oak Grove senior Aidan Zuger said. “It’s obviously great being able to go to Pinehurst and being able to play a tournament there, but it’s even more fun getting to do it with all of your buddies.”
Those buddies include Grovers teammates Andrew Bilstad, Carter Paulus, Ryland Kietzer, William Olson and Mason Paulus.
Zuger, Bilstad, Carter Paulus, Kietzer and Olson qualified for the tournament as a team by winning the 2025 Class B team title. Mason Paulus also made the trip and competed as an individual after an extra spot became available.
“It’s usually five kids who get to go for our team,” Oak Grove head coach Dan Martinson said. “Of course, in (North Dakota), it’s six, so it’s difficult to not have a sixth player go.
“About three weeks ago, we had our team call and coaches meeting with the event people and I told them I’m going to bring a sixth golfer (Mason Paulus) as an alternate, and he’ll play practice rounds but not the event. It just so happened that somebody had a late cancellation and I said, ‘Well, I’ve got a player there who can play.’ So we got him in as an individual.”
The Fargo Oak Grove boys golf team recently competed at the PGA Boys High School Golf National Invitational at Pinehurst Resort in Pinehurst, N.C. The Grovers placed 35th out of 55 teams at the 36-hole, weather-shortened event.
Contributed / Dan Martinson
Representing North Dakota, Oak Grove finished 35th out of 55 teams in the weather-shortened, two-round tournament, a seven-spot improvement from last summer’s 42nd-place finish with the same lineup.
The Grovers finished with a 36-hole total of 48-over 624, opening with a 319 at Pinehurst No. 6 before closing with a 305 at Pinehurst No. 5.
Unlike previous years, the tournament introduced a 36-hole cut this year, with only the top 28 teams and the top 16 individuals not on advancing teams moving on to the final round.
Oak Grove’s primary goal entering the tournament was to make the team cut before weather washed out the final 18 holes.
“The team goal going into it was due to the new format, they wanted to make the cut,” Martinson said. “They were close. The courses obviously are not very easy, but they played pretty well.”
Bilstad led Oak Grove on the individual leaderboard, shooting a two-day total of 7-over 151 to tie for 104th place out of more than 300 of the country’s best prep golfers.
He was followed by Carter Paulus, who tied for 149th with an 11-over 155.
Zuger came home tied for 159th with a 12-over 156 while Kietzer tied for 208th with an 18-over 162.
Olson tied for 261st with a 27-over 171 while Mason Paulus carded a 28-over 172 to tie for 267th.
Oak Grove’s William Olson follows through on a drive on Wednesday, June 4, 2025, during the State B Boys Golf Championship at the Jamestown Country Club.
John M. Steiner / The Jamestown Sun
Bilstad finished tied for 218th in last year’s event, improving his placing by more than 100 spots. He said having played Pinehurst before gave him more confidence this time around, replacing much of the intimidation he felt a year earlier.
“Just knowing that I can play well on these tougher courses,” Bilstad said. “Even though the competition is still really good, I think that we can still perform at a pretty high level.”
Zuger quickly noticed the jump in competition, particularly from teams representing warm-weather states. North Carolina won the team title at 22-under 554, while seven other teams finished at par or better.
“Golf is way different down in the South,” Zuger said. “Those kids are playing year-round and I’m just going to be totally honest, they were a lot better than us, which I’m OK with that. There were some really, really good players from down south and it makes sense. They get to play year-round on harder courses and bigger tournaments.
“I think it was really cool getting to talk to some of those guys. I played with a kid from Texas and he was telling me about his high school golf experience and the tournaments he plays in. I thought it was really cool just how insanely good they are.”
Oak Grove’s Aidan Zuger follows his tee shot on No. 10 during the Fargo North Invitational on Saturday, May 2, 2026, at Edgewood Golf Course in Fargo.
Rob Beer / The Forum
With that in mind, Zuger said it made the experience even more special to represent North Dakota and Oak Grove on the national stage while the Grovers held their own against some of the best competition in the country.
“It’s such a privilege to be able to do that,” Zuger said. “I’m really proud of our guys. It’s obviously very difficult playing there, but I’m just really proud of how we’ve done.”
As outgoing seniors, Zuger, Olson and Kietzer depart an Oak Grove program they helped lead to three consecutive Class B team titles and the school’s eighth overall. Zuger will continue his golf career at Jamestown, while Olson will play collegiately at Augustana.
“It’s been hard,” Martinson said of his senior class. “You’ve been around these kids for a long time. For them, another one of their goals was that they wanted to win three state championships in a row and to have that opportunity, and they did.
“They’ve grown up a lot over that time frame. They’ve become real mentors for the younger kids and are examples of what you need to do to get better, and those kids see it.”
Martinson said Bilstad and Carter Paulus, both incoming seniors, will serve as team captains for Oak Grove next season, an opportunity Bilstad is excited for as the Grovers chase a fourth consecutive Class B title.
“Definitely looking forward to that,” Bilstad said. “Just trying to help the younger kids as much as I can and being the best leader that I can be.”
Oak Grove will return to Pinehurst next year for nationals after this year’s Class B title qualified the Grovers once again.
Bilstad said his biggest takeaway from this year’s event was that North Dakota and Oak Grove golf belong.
“The fact that we can compete,” Bilstad said. “It’s just a matter of putting some good rounds together. So hopefully next year, we do end up making the cut. As long as it’s three days.”
Oak Grove’s Carter Paulus digs out of the sand on Wednesday, June 4, 2025, during the State B Boys Golf Championship at the Jamestown Country Club.
John M. Steiner / The Jamestown Sun