Shanley Golf’s Skarperud Looks to End Senior Season With State Title

Was EDC's senior athlete of the year

June 3, 2022

Site Staff,

FARGO, N.D — As a four-year captain for the Shanley boys golf, Jake Skarperud will represent his school one last time at state.

Going in as the the EDC senior athlete of the year, the state’s top qualifier in stroke average and winner in five of the eight tournaments played the mentality is simple.

“The biggest thing is just to win. That’s my goal every tournament I play in,” Skarperud said. “I want to do the best I can and hopefully play well so that the team can compete as well..

Even with having success to this point, the shorter season took a toll on his game that’s now peaking at the right time.

“At the beginning of the season, I was putting up decent scores but just wasn’t clicking really with my whole game,” Skarperud said. “I can start to feel everything coming together right now and good timing for the state tournament next week.”

The state tournament is at a familiar course in Rose Creek where the EDC just held its tournament earlier in the week, proving beneficial to golfers from the conference like Jake.

“More than the normal person might think because it gives you some things you’ve already seen unlike last year for us east guys having to go to Bismarck to only play one practice round,” Skarperud said. “That’s not really the best scenario so to be able to make up in your own bed and get up just like any other tournament in town will be good.”

When all is set and done, title or not, Skarperud continues playing collegiately at North Dakota State where he’ll fit right in to the winning culture that has seen a regional both as a team and individually.

“It says a lot about the program because a lot of these guys come in and their good players and then keep elevating every single year,” Skarperud said. “You see some player at some schools coming in as a top guy and never see them get better but at NDSU there is a pattern about them getting better and better every year. They want to compete and get better.”