HARRISBURG – Aberdeen Central’s Olivia Braun opened her season in spectacular fashion, winning the Harrisburg Invitational with a 3-under round of 68 Thursday afternoon. That medalist effort spurred the Golden Eagles to a second place finish in the team race, one stroke back of Mitchell.

It was a strong start to a season with high expectations for the Golden Eagles.

“Olivia’s game speaks for itself,” said Central coach Kim Zimmerman. “We know what Olivia is capable of doing and how much time and hard work she puts into her game. It goes to show right off the bat, she goes and shoots a 3-under-par. It’s pretty amazing what she’s capable of doing. She just keeps getting better and better.”

Braun’s round included six birdies, including three straight on the back nine. The junior was six strokes ahead of second place finisher Maddie Childs of Mitchell.

Still, one round, stellar though it may be, does not a team trophy take. In addition to Braun’s winning round, the Golden Eagles got top-seven finishes from Emma Dohrer and Kylie Wirebaugh. Dohrer checked in in fifth place, while Wirebaugh was seventh. The two were separated by just one stroke.

“I thought Emma and Kylie really played well on the back nine today,” Zimmerman said. “They struggled a little bit starting on the front nine, which we all thought was a little easier than the back nine. Then the wind picked up on the back nine. … It really goes to show, it’s a testament to their game, they really stuck with it. They probably didn’t have the best front nine but they came back on the back nine and really played well and really kept us in contention for the most part.”

Chloe Vikander was Central’s fourth finisher, coming in at 24th overall.

As a team, the Golden Eagles carded a round of 315, one stroke back of the Kernels’ 314. That nip-and-tuck finish portends a season rife with similar battles, Zimmerman said.

“I don’t foresee that changing throughout the year,” he said. “I foresee us battling them meet in and meet out. Now there could be other teams that step up. I’m not going to say that won’t happen, but if today is any indication of what the year is going to be like, it’s going to be a battle.”

Central will break for the Easter weekend before returning to the links next Tuesday in Huron.

Complete results: https://www.golfgenius.com/pages/11553945170332374662