WEST FARGO — Zoe Keene and Payton Stocker’s high school golf careers at West Fargo Sheyenne officially ended last fall, but their final chapter wasn’t quite finished.
The duo led the Mustangs in one final tournament earlier this month at the 2026 PGA Girls High School Golf National Invitational.
And if the misconception still exists that North Dakota can’t produce elite golfers because of its flat terrain and long winters, Keene, Stocker and their Sheyenne teammates helped dispel it.
Battling against more than 200 of the nation’s top high school golfers, Keene and Stocker represented North Dakota and the Mustangs well, each earning a top-50 finish in the three-round, 54-hole national competition at the prestigious Pinehurst Resort in Pinehurst, North Carolina.
Sheyenne finished with an 81-over 937 at the three-day event, good for 14th place out of 36 top teams from across the country.
Keene led the charge with a 6-over 220 to tie for 34th place, followed by Stocker’s 11-over 225 to tie for 49th.
Two more Mustangs turned in top-100 performances, with Aubrey Sellheim placing 95th at 34-over 248 and Ava Keene tying for 98th at 36-over 250. Julia Melhus wasn’t far behind, placing 104th at 41-over 255 to round out the Sheyenne convoy.
“As a team, everybody chimed in,” Zoe Keene said. “I think we used everybody’s scores each of the days. All of us played well individually.”
The invite-only tournament features golfers who won either an individual or team state championship in their respective states the previous season, making for a deep field of the nation’s best.
Zoe Keene secured the North Dakota Class A individual crown last season
after two playoff holes,
while Sheyenne won the team title in record-breaking fashion to cap a historic unbeaten season.
Zoe Keene’s 34th-place finish at the national tournament was highlighted by a 2-under 68 in the second round at Pinehurst Course No. 1 — the resort’s original course, which opened in 1898 and is one of 10 courses on-site.
Stocker’s best rounds came on the tournament’s other host course, Pinehurst No. 5, where she shot a 2-over 72 in both the opening and final rounds.
“Going into it, in my head, I was thinking top-50 would be cool,” Stocker said. “But I had no idea what would happen. But I just remember seeing that I was tied for 49th and I was like, ‘Yes, I accomplished my goal.’
“It was definitely difficult, but I was very happy with being top-50.”
West Fargo Sheyenne golfer Payton Stocker watches to see where her drive lands at the Girls Golf Invitational Tournament on Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025, at Rose Creek Golf Course in south Fargo.
Chris Flynn / The Forum
Sellheim fired a 9-over 79 during the second round on Course No. 1. Ava Keene’s best round came in the final round on Course No. 5, where she carded an 8-over 80, while Melhus opened the tournament with a 10-over 82 on No. 5.
The Mustangs’ best team round was a 306 on Course No. 1 on day two. That effort was paced by Zoe Keene’s 68, Stocker’s 77, Sellheim’s 79 and Ava Keene’s 82.
“It’s really cool that we got to represent North Dakota as a state,” Zoe Keene said. “But it’s also really crazy and kind of sad that it’s our last year. That definitely wasn’t even the best that we could’ve done. Taking 14th with not our best rounds is really impressive.”
While Sellheim, Ava Keene and Melhus will return to the Mustangs’ stable as seniors this fall, Zoe Keene and Stocker will move on to begin their college journeys.
Zoe Keene will
continue both her golf and basketball careers
as a multisport athlete at Concordia College, while Stocker will
join the women’s golf program
at the University of North Dakota.
“I think that this was the best last tournament we could’ve had,” Zoe Keene said. “Playing at one of the most prestigious golf courses in the world with my favorite people and the best team that I’ve ever been on. It’s really cool that we could finish it at Pinehurst.”
West Fargo Sheyenne’s Zoe Keene competes in the first day of the North Dakota High School Activities Association Class A Girls Golf State Tournament on Monday, Sept. 29, 2025, at the Fargo Country Club.
Anna Paige / The Forum
Stocker said despite the tournament being over, it still hasn’t set in that Pinehurst was her final high school competition.
“It still hasn’t hit me yet,” Stocker said. “I think it’ll hit me when I’m at my first (college) tournament and I’m not warming up with Zoe right next to me. I think that’ll be weird just not seeing (my Sheyenne teammates) on the putting green and stuff like that. But it was so fun to be able to do it one more time.”
Zoe Keene capped her high school career with an individual state title, three all-state honors, three all-state tournament honors, and four all-East Region and all-East Region tournament honors. She also posted the second-lowest regular-season scoring average in Class A last season at 73.3.
Stocker finished her career with three all-state honors, four all-state tournament honors, and four all-East Region and all-East Region tournament honors. She won the East Region tournament in 2022 and 2024 and posted a 75.7 regular-season scoring average as a senior.
Both Zoe Keene and Stocker said it was their first time at Pinehurst. Neither had visited the resort prior, even for a casual round.
Pinehurst No. 2 hosted the U.S. Open in 2024 along with the U.S. Women’s Open in 2014.
“Watching the U.S. Open there and then being like, ‘Yeah, I’m going to Pinehurst,’ is crazy,” Stocker said. “…Being there in person and seeing it, it’s like a dream come true.”
West Fargo Sheyenne’s Ava Keene chips her ball out of the bunker during the first day of the North Dakota High School Activities Association Class A Girls Golf State Tournament on Monday, Sept. 29, 2025, at the Fargo Country Club.
Anna Paige / The Forum
One of the best perks of competing at the tournament was the chance to play with fellow state champions from other states.
“I thought it was a great opportunity to meet people from other places,” Zoe Keene said. “I played with a lot of high-level Division I commits and it was cool to see their different routines. Putting was a lot different and stuff like that. I learned a lot.”
Stocker said it was interesting to hear how players from other states approach the game differently from her usual North Dakota competitors.
“I played with this one girl from Texas who I really enjoyed playing with and I just learned so much,” Stocker said. “She committed to Bowdoin College in Maine. Seeing how (other players) hit each shot and even just hearing what they talk about as they swing … it’s crazy to see because you only know what you know in North Dakota. Seeing people from Texas and Georgia, it was cool to see.”
The duo hopes that North Dakota teams continue to represent the state on the national stage in the future.
“It’s mostly the ‘all year round,’ thing,” Stocker said. “‘Oh, you can’t golf year round.’ But we still beat half the country. That was really cool to me. I thought we really outperformed our standard expectations.”
Zoe Keene said climate limitations have been eased in recent years with indoor facilities and driving ranges such as Suite Shots popping up across the area.
“There were a lot of people in each group asking when the snow is done and how many months of the year there’s snow,” Zoe Keene said. “We honestly have really good facilities around here from indoor putting to simulators and everything like that.”
The biggest takeaway from the tournament for both Zoe Keene and Stocker wasn’t the golf itself, but the memories they made with their Sheyenne teammates one final time.
“It was really exciting,” Zoe Keene said. “We knew that if we could win state, we’d get the opportunity to go (to nationals). Just to have one more time to play with the team was really exciting.”
West Fargo Sheyenne’s players run onto the green to hug teammate Zoe Keene after she won the North Dakota High School Class A Girls Golf State Tournament on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025, at the Fargo Country Club.
Alyssa Goelzer / The Forum