FAIRMONT — Families that play golf together stay on course.

It’d be difficult to contradict that phrase after researching the history of the 10 area golfers competing on Tuesday and Wednesday in the Class AA and A state tournaments.

From Fairmont’s Bergen Senf and Bryan Grotte paving the way for their younger golf-playing siblings to Martin County West’s brother tandem of Dawson and Mitchell Weber following in their older siblings’ footsteps to success to half of Blue Earth Area’s six-player team representing a second generation of excellence, family ties are the prominent theme for this year’s state qualifiers.

Senf and Blue Earth Area’s boys golf lineup of Caleb Beeler, Ashton Lloyd, Gaven Bruellman, Braden Gudahl, Hunter Spencer and Manning Lane hit the tee box first for the area contingent at Ridges @ Sand Creek golf course in Jordan on Tuesday in the Class AA state meet.

The Cardinals’ sophomore standout and the Bucs’ team both are looking to improve upon last year’s performances in Jordan. Blue Earth Area sets its sights on climbing the ladder in the team competition after netting the eighth and final spot with a two-day score of 666, while Senf looks to better a share of 25th place after carding a 175 in 2017.

“Bergen is definitely goal-oriented. She’ll tell you, ‘Here’s what I want to do,’ and then she’ll work her tail off to achieve it,” said Fairmont head coach Brad Haugen. “Her goal is to be in medal contention this year, and she knows it’s all about setting the tone in the first round on Tuesday.

“If she stays out of trouble and sticks to the calculated game plan, there’s no reason she can’t be in the running. Her golfing maturity is off the charts, and she’s a good role model for our younger players, including her sister Solveig (a seventh-grader on this year’s team).”

Bergen Senf, who captured second place at the Section 3 Meet by firing a two-day total of 150 at Oakdale Golf Course in Buffalo Lake, will tee off of No. 1 at 9 a.m. Tuesday in the the last individual foursome consisting of Minnewaska Area’s Madi McGinty, Crookston’s Ally Tiedemann and Lake City’s Ava Wallerich.

Meanwhile, Beeler represents the first of the six Blue Earth Area golfers competing in the team portion of the Class AA state meet in Jordan.

Beeler, a sophomore, trimmed six shots off of his Day 1 total in the two-day Section 2AA competition as the Bucs fended off St. Peter for the championship, 643-651, in New Prague last Monday.

Beeler, who’s making his state debut, tees off of No. 10 at noon Tuesday, while seventh-grade teammate Ashton Lloyd also makes his first state appearance only 9 minutes later off of the back nine.

Ashton Lloyd, whose father Jason played an integral role behind Blue Earth Area capturing the 1993 Class A state crown in St. Cloud, matched Beeler by shooting six strokes better than his opening-day total at the sectional meet last Monday.

“Our top four (Lane, Spencer, Gudahl and Bruellman) return from last year’s state lineup, and they know the routine, so they’ll help our other two adjust to the schedule,” said Blue Earth Area mentor Travis Armstrong. “We’ll have a practice round on Monday, the state banquet that night, stay overnight in a hotel, hopefully get some good sleep and then stay positive and focused before teeing off on Tuesday.”

Armstrong’s lineup will be honored at Monday night’s banquet for earning the Section 2AA all-academic award for its collective GPA.

Bruellman, who fired a two-day total of 175 to net 21st overall at last Monday’s sectional meet, tees off No. 10 at 12:18 p.m. Tuesday. Bruellman, a sophomore, topped the Bucs at the 2017 state competition by carding a 151 en route to a tie for 21st place individually.

“Gaven and Braden have averaged around 40 per nine holes this season, while Manning and Hunter both average about 39,” said Armstrong. “Our team stroke average is around 320, so give a little leeway for playing on that big of a stage, and I’d say if we shoot under 650, we should be good.”

Braden Gudahl, whose father Shawn proved a key scorer on both the Bucs’ 1993 and 1995 Class A state championship teams, will tee off No. 10 at 12:27 p.m. Tuesday.

Braden Gudahl, who penciled in a 166 to net 11th at the Section 2 Meet last Monday, tied for 83rd with a 174 at the 2017 Class AA state competition in Jordan. Ironically, Braden’s mother Shanna — who’s also Ashton Lloyd’s aunt — qualified for the Class A state golf meet in both 1995 and 1996 to continue the family trend.

Spencer, who captured fifth individually at New Prague with a two-day total of 158 at last Monday’s sectional meet, hits the fairways at 12:36 p.m. Tuesday off of No. 10 at Ridges @ Sand Creek in Jordan.

Spencer, a junior, carded a two-day score of 173 to share 78th place during the 2017 Class AA state meet.

Freshman Manning Lane, whose father Dusty topped the Bucs’ lineup in capturing the 1993 Class A state championship, rounds out Blue Earth Area’s opening-day tee times at 12:45 p.m. Tuesday off of No. 10 in Jordan. Lane will play in the same foursome as 2017 state champion Cecil Belisle of Red Wing.

Manning Lane earned the Section 2AA individual gold medal by carding a first-place total of 148 last Monday in New Prague.

Lane will look to improve on his tie for 75th place with a two-round score of 168 during last spring’s state meet.

“From looking at team stroke averages, we’re probably not the favorites to win state,” said Armstrong. “I’d say Holy Family Catholic is the odds-on favorite, while Jordan will likely be in the running since they likely play Ridges quite a bit and know the course.

“There shouldn’t be any pressure on us since there’s no advancement from this tournament. It doesn’t matter whether you shoot your worst or best, the (high school) season’s over after Wednesday.”

Bryan Grotte completes the area golfers hitting the fairways in the Class AA state meet on Tuesday in Jordan.

Grotte makes his state debut off of No. 1 at 1:21 p.m., joining Hill-Murray’s Benjamin Warian, Rochester Lourdes’ Kyle Hickey and Staples-Motley’s Beck Erholtz.

Bryan Grotte, who penciled in a two-round total of 151 to merit second place individually at the Section 3 Meet in Buffalo Lake, has blazed a trail for his brother Colby, a second-year varsity golfer as a freshman.

“The key aspect of playing in your first state tournament is maintaining your mental game,” said Haugen. “You need to forget a bad shot here or there and be able to be resilient and bounce back with a good shot.

“Bryan just needs to stay focused on the next shot on the next hole and take care of business, and he’ll be fine.”

Haugen also likes the fact that Grotte, similar to Senf, has one of the last two tee times.

“I definitely think there’s an advantage to it (second-to-last tee time). By the time you step to the tee box, you’ll know the course’s conditions after hearing whispers in the crowd about how fast or slow the greens are, the pin placements, what direction the wind is coming from, etc. All of those things factor into your approach.”

Seventy miles north of Jordan, Martin County West junior Dawson Weber and seventh-grader Mitchell Weber will continue their family’s rich golfing legacy in the Class A state meet at Pebble Creek Golf Course in Becker on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Mitchell Weber makes his state debut on the Red Course at 1:21 p.m. Tuesday, and will be joined by Fillmore Central’s Carter Nevalainen, Dawson-Boyd’s Tyler Lund and Walker-Hackensack-Akeley/Laporte’s Mason Schneider. Mitchell Weber earned a spot in the individual state competition by firing a two-day total of 163 to garner the fifth and final qualifying spot at the Section 2 Meet at North Links Golf Course in Mankato last Monday.

Only 9 minutes later, Dawson Weber, Mitchell’s brother, tees off of the Red Course with Park Christian’s Alex Iverson, Blooming Prairie’s Jake Ressler and Lakeview’s Jarrett Geihl. Dawson Weber captured third place overall at the sectional meet by penciling in a two-round score of 160 at North Links.

Mitchell and Dawson Weber follow in the footsteps of siblings Cordell, Logan and Jarvis in the prep sport at its highest level.

Cordell Weber qualified for the Class A state tournament five consecutive years — 2010-14. Cordell captured the individual state championship as a sophomore by shooting a 144 in 2012 before closing out his prep career as the state runner-up in 2014 with a 151. Cordell also placed sixth in 2013, 12th in 2011 and tied for 26th as an eighth-grader in 2010.

Logan Weber battled through injuries and a bout with Lyme’s disease to qualify three times for the Class A state girls golf meet, while Jarvis Weber also reached the state tournament three times during his outstanding career.

Jarvis Weber, who’s the current golf coach at Iowa Lakes Community College, placed third as a senior in the 2008 Class A state meet. He also tied for 34th and 57th in 2007 and 2006, respectively.

Logan shared 11th place by shooting a 176 as a sophomore during the 2014 state meet to go with a 24th-place showing as an eighth-grader in 2012 and a 44th-place performance in 2011 as a seventh-grader.