LARIMORE, N.D. -- Motivation hasn't been hard to find for Carson Anderson on the golf course. It was always one grade behind him.
In Larimore High School's golf lineup, a friendly rivalry has emerged between Anderson, a sophomore, and teammate Daniel Landman, a freshman.
"Last year, it was always Daniel who was our No. 1 golfer," Anderson said. "This year, he started as our No. 1, but I moved ahead of him at the end of the season.
"He's always beaten me. That's made me a little more motivated, staying after practices and working extra to make my game better. You don't want to get beat by the younger guy."
Together, Anderson and Landman have provided a solid combination at the top of the lineup for the Polar Bears team that will make its eighth straight appearance at the North Dakota Class B boys state tournament, which will be held Tuesday and Wednesday at Jamestown.
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For the third straight season, Landman is a state qualifier individually and with the Larimore team. Anderson qualified for state with the Polar Bears team as a seventh-grader, and now has qualified individually for the third straight year with top-10 finishes at the region meet. This week, he's going to state as the Region 3 individual champion.
Larimore coach Mike Opdahl said seventh- and eighth-graders qualifying for the state tournament with top-10 region finishes are the exception rather than the rule.
"You don't see it a lot," Opdahl said. "Usually, if they get there, they piggyback in as the fifth or sixth man on a good team. But these two were top-four scorers on our team at young ages.
"In our community, we've had young kids who have played a lot of golf through the years. When you put in the rounds, you progress rapidly. And if you play a lot of golf in Class B, you'll have a nice career."
Success came early because both Anderson and Landman developed their short game at an early age. As they've grown physically stronger, their long game also has gotten stronger.
While both experienced the state tournament at an early age, neither worries about becoming complacent about it.
"It's still a big deal to get to the state tournament," Landman said. "Unless I'm guaranteed that I'll get first there -- which I'm not -- it will always be a big deal.
"You set high goals. I want to be all-state. If I get all-state, I'll want to get in the top five. Eventually, my goal will be getting first at state. There's no point to golf if you don't have goals. And you can always get better."
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Landman just missed all-state status last season. The top 10 finishers gain all-state recognition -- he was 12th, two strokes behind the 10th-place scores. Anderson, on the other hand, has struggled at the state tournament, not making the top 50 last season after finishing third in the regional. He's been a top-four finisher in the region for three straight seasons.
"I love golf. We both do," Anderson said. "Just trying to get better keeps you motivated. And I want to win more region championships and make all-state."
That could be close at hand.
"There's no doubt they both could be knocking on the door for a top-10 finish at state," Opdahl said.
"I've wondered sometimes, when does it become old hat for them. But I don't think that will happen. They have pride in their games -- they want to be up there with the best golfers in the state, and I think there's a lot of pride in what our team has done."
DeVillers reports on sports. Reach him at (701) 780-1128; (800) 477-6572, ext. 128; or send e-mail to gdevillers@gfherald.com .
N.D. Class B
state golf
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When: Tuesday-Wednesday.
Where: Girls at Carrington; Boys at Jamestown.
Defending champions: Hazen won both the boys and girls titles in 2008.
