A strong second round was not enough for Austin's Adam Plotts to cover the ground he needed to advance to the Class AA state tournament from Tuesday's Section 1 finals at Bellwood Oaks in Hastings.

The rain held off long enough for Plotts to finish with a 5-over par 78 on the final day of play, but his placing was not in the top five. His two-day total of 84-78--162 missed the cut by nine strokes for the chance of advancing to state.

"Adam played a great round," said Packer coach Corey Haugen. "It would have been nice to make a return trip to state, but the 84 in Winona made it tough to make the cut.

"There were a number of times he made shots happen that were close to impossible. He never gave up and it was a great round of golf."

Red Wing's Patrick Herzog -- ranked fourth in the state with a scoring average below 74 -- shot a 5-under 68 at Bellwood Tuesday to ease into the overall top spot with a 77-68--145. Faribault's Mike Fiedler finished fourth (77-72--149), and Owatonna's entire team earned a trip to state with the top spot in the final standings.

"The field was incredible," Haugen added. "Shooting a 5-under par 68 is tough for anyone to compete with. Our section is going to be well represented and should prove to be very tough competitors at the state tournament."

"He had a good run at it," Haugen said of Plotts. "He shot well, but that 84 from the previous day didn't help out his cause any.

"He came around and had some fun with it."

Call Ross Thede at 434-2234 or e-mail him at :mailto:sports@austindailyherald.com.

Results:

At Winona Country Club and Bellwood Oaks, Hastings

(par 71-73--144)

Individual -- 1. Patrick Herzog, Red Wing, 77-68--145, 2. Derek Bauer, Eagan, 80-69--149, 3. Mike Fiedler, Faribault, 77-72--149, 4. Adam Johnson, Red Wing, 80-72--152, 5. Brain May, Rosemount, 75-78--153.

Team standings -- 1. Owatonna 320-296--616, 2. Eagan 319-299--618, 3. Red Wing 322-297--619, 4. Faribault 323-299--622, 5. Albert Lea 315-309--624, 6. Century 323-307--630, 7. Rosemount 325-309--634, 8. Winona 327-328--655.