StoneRidge Recap

Stillwater - the last MN event on the 2019 calendar. Bright sunshine and a light breeze made this the the best day all year for golf. 41 golfers from MN, AZ, IL, ND and WI competed in four flights.

Peter Heller wasted no time in letting the rest of the Palmer flight know he was back after a bit of a hiatus. He birdied the first and third holes to go 2 under through 3. Back to back bogey's on 4 & 5 brought him to even par and that's where he finished the front, 3 shots ahead of Steve Schubert and Chris Brom. Peter was still even, with 2 more birdies on his card, through 15 and 4 shots clear of Steve. Steve's bogey on 16 probably looked like it sealed the deal for Peter but while Steve finished with 2 pars Peter had trouble getting into the clubhouse, dropping 4 shots in the last 3 holes. His back side 40 to post a 76, was one shot better than Steve and 3 ahead of Bob Murphy.

Sarazen flight put up the next best winning score. David Slininger was cruising on the front. He opened with a birdie and was even through 6 holes before misfortune led to a quad on the tough par 3 seventh. Doug Bird was 4 back after the first hole and 7 shots back after the 5th. His birdie on the very difficult 8th brought him back into contention only 1 shot back of David at the turn. Jerome Olichwier and Barry Wadsworth were one more shot behind. Doug made birdie on the "Barn hole" to take the lead. 5 more pars led to a 39 on the back to post at 81, 5 shots in front of Jerome.

Robert Gardner chalked up another win for the "Seniors" as the lone Sr. Hogan player competing in the Hogan flight. Rob and Matt Harter got off to the hot start with birdies on the first 2 holes. Bryan Poetsch was 5 back of Rob after just 4 holes before he turned things around going 1 over for the last 5 holes on the front to turn at 41 and 2 shots clear of Rob, Matt, Jon Sanz and Aubrey Johnson. Rob made up those 2 shots quickly with pars on 10 & 11 while carnage happened on 11 to Matt and most of the rest of the field. Robs back nine 41 was good for an 84 and his 2nd win of the 2019-20 season, one shot in front of Bryan and 3 from Matt who rebounded from 11 with birdies on 13 and 17.

Pete Rojas was "feeling it" before the round after some recent good play but it was Amy Bauch who led after a first hole par 4 over Pete and James Olichwier with bogey's. Pete made par on 2 to Amy's double and then gave those 2 shots back on the 3rd hole. James meanwhile made bogey on 2 and par on 3 and matched Pete on 4 to lead Pete by 1. Pete settled down with 5 bogeys to finish the front in 47 followed by Amy at 51 and James at 52. Paul Alexander was 6 back at 53 but pars on 10 & 11 put him right in the mix only 2 back of Pete after a triple on 11. Pete made a bounce back birdie on 12 to Paul's seemingly round ending quad putting him 7 shots back. Paul's birdie on 14 to Pete's par briefly cut into that lead but he gave that stroke back on 15. Paul stood on 17 tee 7 shots behind which should have been insurmountable but in Snead flight you never know for sure. Paul put some pressure on Pete with a 6 - 6 finish to Pete's 7 - 9 making up four of those shots.  

Todd Klocke and Steve Schubert were closest to the pin.

Doug Bird was low net at 66.

David Slininger won $175 from the 50/50 drawing. The  season total stands at $420 giving us a great start on our 2020 donation. Thanks for your continuing support of Feherty's Troops First Foundation.  

We appreciate the Am Tour visitors that joined us at StoneRidge. Jeff and Jerome Olichwier from the Chicago Tour, Luke Schwantes from the Milwaukee Tour and Frank Mayfield from the AZ Tour. We look forward to seeing you again.

Special thanks, as always, to my Angels Deb Alexander, Val Loeffler and my bride Mary. They make things run smoothly and allow me to concentrate on the players and the course. 

I'll be working on the 2020 schedule this week. If you haven't responded to the "Courses" survey I sent out last week please do so ASAP. I appreciate your feedback.

Thanks for a GREAT 2019. We had 500 rounds played, $15,000 in gift cards and $3000 in trophies awarded. Thanks to your support and participation we've doubled the number of members and more than tripled the number of rounds played since 2013. Let's keep it going in 2020. Invite all of your golfing friends to join us for the next "BEST YEAR EVER" on the BEST Amateur Golf Tour! 

Baker Recap

Medina - the sun finally returned to make for a beautiful fall day in MN. The gusty wind was not ideal but it helped to dry out the course enough so we were able to use carts after an inch of rain on Saturday. We started on the 10th tee to give the lower front side a chance to dry out a bit more. 45 players began their 2020 Race to Nationals at Baker National golf course. But first a bit of 2019 business to take care of.

Congratulations to Joe Christy our 2018-19 Player of the Year. He played in 9 of 11 events on the MN Tour schedule winning 4 times in Sarazen flight. Joe finished T5 at our National Championship earning him a promotion to Hogan flight for the 2019-20 season. Honorable mention goes to Larry Caldwell who won 3 of 11 starts in Hogan flight and Steve Schubert with his 3 wins in 10 MN events in Palmer and a T11 at Nationals. 

Despite the conditions the Palmer flight showed it's strength of field with 3 of the top 5 scores on the day. Jeff Gallagher took the early lead shooting even par on the first nine holes (back nine) with 2 birdies and 2 bogey's. He held a commanding 4 shot lead over Steve Schubert and Anthony Hugelen at the turn. Steve made a charge making up all 4 shots going 2 under through the next 6 holes while Jeff went 2 over. Both made par on the 7th but Jeff's birdie on 8 gave him the 1 shot advantage going to the last hole. A par on the 9th was good enough for Jeff's victory at 1 over 73. Steve's 1 under on the second nine gave him a 75. Mike Kelley posted at 80 with 3 birdies and Anthony Hugelen wound up with an 81.

The Hogan flight had some pretty good competition as well. 6 of the 14 players were within 4 shots of the lead after nine holes. Bryan Poetsch opened with a birdie and turned at 41, two shots clear of Gary Braun and Nate Plagge who were all in different pairings. Bryan made par on the 1st hole to extend his lead over both. Dan Levasseur, visiting from KC, had a stretch of 5 pars on 4-8 to make a charge carding a 40 on the second nine along with Gary. Bryan also shot 40 to post an 81 and nip Gary by 2 and Dan by 4.

Sr. Hogan was a small and friendly group. Dan Barrett took the early 2 shot lead through 3 holes with 2 pars before misfortune struck with 4 "others" in a row. Robert Gardner limited the damage to bogey's and just one double to turn in 43 one shot clear of Ed Favorite who finished the first nine with 4 pars. Robert padded his lead with a par on 3. He and Ed traded strokes on 5 & 6 but Robert's birdie on 7 closed the deal giving him a 41 and a total of 84. Ed shot a second 44 to finish at 88.

Steve Buan got off to a terrific start in Sarazen flight also going even par through 3 holes. Doubles on 13 and 15 might have derailed his round but he added 3 more pars to turn at 41 one shot ahead of Barry Wadsworth and 3 ahead of David Slininger. David had the better second nine shooting 41 with a birdie on 8 but Steve played steady with only one double to shoot 43 and finish at 84 and a 1 shot victory over David. Barry held on for third at 87.

Sr. Sarazen saw similar scoring. 2 of the "O" boys, of Chicago, were tied after nine holes. Jerome Olichwier was even through 7 holes, featuring a birdie on 12, before a double and triple to reach the turn. Jack Olichwier put up 4 pars while limiting the damage to one double and 4 bogeys to match his brother at 42. Jerome gained 2 shots in the first 3 holes of the second nine but gave those back and 1 more on 4. He grabbed two back through 6 only to give up 3 more to Jack on the last 3 holes. Jack posted at 84 to Jerome's 87. Jack was also Low Net on the day. 

The Snead flight needed extra holes to determine a winner. Pete Rojas led at the turn with a fine 43 giving him a 2 shot advantage over Jeff McVay. Pete carded 4 pars in a 5 hole stretch in the middle of the first nine. Paul Alexander was 6 back and George Hardgrove 7. The second nine (front side) proved to be a lot more difficult for almost everyone. Pete led all but 2 players with a 55. Paul posted first with a 48 on the front for 97 and had to wait for George in the penultimate group. They had nearly identical scorecards with the only difference on 8 and 9. George was one shot better there to tie Paul at 97. George won on the first playoff hole.

Closest to the pin was Steve Buan on #2 and Robert Gardner on #7.

Bill Kelsey took home $195 from the 50/50 raffle. The rest goes to Feherty's Troops First Foundation. Thank you for your support.

Thanks to our visitors this week from other Tours. Jack and Jerome Olichwier from Chicago, Dan Levasseur from KC and Dino Liebe from Milwaukee.

Our next tournament is Sun. the 20th at StoneRidge. Registration deadline is this coming Saturday night. I hope you'll join us before we head into our winter hibernation.

MN Tour Championship Recap

Prior Lake - 39 players chased their respective Tour Championship trophies and, for many, a spot in our National Championships. We named 9 season long flight champions as well. 

 

Once again the low rounds of the tournament came from the Palmer flight on both days. Dean Sengstock, playing on his home course, sent a message that he was the player to beat with an opening round of 1 over par 73. 4 birdies nullified the quad on #10. Matthew Lavanger was 3 shots back while Mike Kelley and Bob Murphy were a couple more. Mathew grabbed 2 shots back in the first 3 holes on Sunday but gave them both back on the short 4th. Both turned in 38. The punch-counter punch began on the back nine. Dean's par on #10 was a 2 shot swing but Matt's birdie on #11 was 3 better than Dean. A birdie on the par five 12th settled Dean down and he finished with only 2 more bogies on the back for a 39 to Matt's 42. Dean's 2-day total was 6 over par 150. His first win of the season and earns him an invite to Nationals.

The Championship flight needed more than 36 holes to determine a winner. Jason Rhoades held the lead by 2 over Chad Onstot after the first 9 holes and Tyler VanHecke was three further back. Tyler played steady on the back side wth 7 straight pars for a 39 while Chad shot a 40 and Jason a 41 on 2 birdies. Sunday had all 3 off to a rough start with double on #1. Tyler closed to within 1 at the turn and caught Jason with a back side 39. Jason and Tyler played an extra 2 holes before a par by Jason gave him the win. This is Jason's 6th win of the season.

Steve Buan held the early lead in the Sarazen flight after a 37 front side but Doug Bird led by 4 shots after day 1 with a 79 and 3 birdies on the card. His back nine 37 was best among all 39 competitors. Sr. Sarazen player Ed Favorite, playing with the young guys, was tied with Steve at 83. The good scoring continued on Sunday with Ed going out in 38 to pass Steve and catch Doug. Ed's 3 birdies on the back nine offset a triple on #17 and allowed him to post a 78 for a 2-day total of 161 which matched the score of the Championship flight, albeit from a different set of tees. This was Ed's 4th win of the season. 

Home course advantage came through for Gary Braun in the Hogan flight but it took some 2nd round heroics to pull it off in the largest field of the tournament. His 42 on the front side Saturday had him in a good spot, T3, only 2 shots back of Aubrey Johnson but a back nine 48 pushed him back in the pack. Fredy Alvear was also T3 after 9 but his 40 coming in gave him the 5 shot overnight lead over Drew Dammen and Larry Caldwell. Gary got the start he needed on Sunday going 1 under in the first 3 holes, 3 bogies later he turned at 38 and had pulled to within 1 of Fredy. Gary's 2 bogies to start the final 9 holes sounds bad but it gave him the lead by 1. He went 1 under on the next 5 holes before a triple on #17 threatened to derail his charge. He steadied himself for a par on #18 to earn his first win of the season and a spot at Nationals.

Paul Alexander almost pulled off a similar comeback in Sr. Jones. Al Killinger, of the Orlando Tour, led Paul by 4 at the turn and extended that lead to 9 by days end on Saturday. Paul didn't let that challenge bother him apparently. He gained 2 shots on the front side Sunday. A 7 shot swing on the first two holes of the final 9 gave Paul a share of the lead with 7 to play. Paul dropped a shot on #13 while Al dropped shots on #14 & #15. Al pulled even on #16. No change on #17 meant they stood on the 18th tee with the tournament on the line, just as it should be. A good par by Al earned him the 1 shot win. This was Al's 3rd win of the season. I'm sure Paul will be looking forward to a rematch at Sr. Nationals. 

Pete Rojas got off to a hot start only 1 over through 4 holes in Snead flight. He turned in 48, 3 shots ahead of Jeff McVay. Pete then went one better on the back carding a 47 to put up a 95 on the leaderboard. Jeff was 2 back and Todd Klocke 2 more back. Todd climbed to within 1 of Pete after the front side on Sunday. Pete's par on #11 gave him a 4 shot cushion that he rode all the way into the clubhouse. This was Pete's 2nd win of the season and vaults him into 2nd place in the Race to Nationals earning him an invite. Pete also took home low Net honors.

Local Race to Nationals Flight Champions
The top point earners from our local tournaments were awarded in post round ceremonies. Pictured left to right.
Joe Christy-Sarazen, Todd Klock-Snead, Dan Barrett-Sr. Palmer, Paul Alexander-Sr. Jones, Rob Gardner-Sr. Hogan, Larry Caldwell-Hogan, Ed Favorite-Sr. Sarazen, Jason Rhoades-Championship, not pictured Steve Schubert-Palmer

31 MN Tour members (39%) have qualified and are eligible for our National Championships at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, FL next month. Congratulations to them all and Good Luck to those that compete. I'll send nightly updates from the National Championships.

Championship Flight

• Chad Onstot
• Jason Rhoades
• Tyler VanHecke

Palmer Flight

• Josh Bennett
• Sean Hazen
• Anthony Hugelen
• Mike Kelley
• Matthew Lavanger
• Steve Schubert
• Dean Sengstock

Sr. Palmer

• Dan Barrett Sr.

Hogan

• Fredy Alvear
• Gary Braun
• Larry Caldwell
• Matt Harter
• Bill Kelsey
• Jon Sanz

Sr. Hogan

• Robert Gardner

Sarazen

• Douglas Bird
• Joe Christy
• Jeff Loeffler
• David Slininger

Sr. Sarazen

• Ed Favorite - (promoted to Sr. Hogan)
• Warren Ferber
• Steven Holland

Sr. Jones

• Paul Alexander
• George Hardgrove

Snead

• Jeff McVay

Sr. Snead

• Amy Bauch
• Todd Klocke
• Stephen Oborn
• Pete Rojas

Russ Klein took home $210, and Darryl Williams (AZ Tour) $165 from the 50/50 raffles in support of Feherty's Troops First Foundation. Our total for the 2019 season is $2020. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Thanks to Am Tour visitors for joining us at The Wilds; 
Al Killinger - Orlando, Paul Smallwood - Orlando and Darryl Williams - AZ.

Special thanks to my Angels, Mary, Deb and Val for all of their support this season. 

Thanks to all our members for another great season. Our 2020 season begins in October. We have 2 great events scheduled. Baker National on Oct. 6 and StoneRidge on Oct. 20. Registration will open early next month. I'll send out a notice when I know the exact date.




 

Royal Recap

Lake Elmo - finally got the better day of the weekend (and I didn't have to spend Monday drying out signage). Players reaction to the redesign by Mr. Palmer and legend Annika Sorenstam was high praise. The course was in excellent shape and while quite busy moved along at a good pace. Lots of good scores as well. It was great to see Tim Palya out at Royal even if it was just as a caddie. He is recovering from a bicycle accident. We hope to see him back playing soon.

The best round of the day (respectively) was posted by Steve Holland in Sr. Sarazen flight. His unusually low round was 11 shots better than his nearest competitor. He carded 2 birdies on the front along with 6 pars to turn in 37. He added 4 more pars before a 3 hole stretch of 4 over. He finished with 2 more pars for a back side 39 to post at 76. This was Steve's first win of the season and earned him the Low Net plaque.

Once again the low round of the day came from the Palmer flight. Coming back off a hamstring injury that kept him out of the Northfork event, Anthony Hugelen took the early lead with a birdie on #1 and added another on #9 to turn in 38. One shot ahead of Jeff Gallagher, Steve Schubert and Bob Murphy. Bob took the lead at #10 with a birdie. Steve became co-leader with birdie on #11. Steve moved 1 ahead on #12. Anthony grabbed the lead back on #14 with birdie. Meanwhile Jeff's only blemish was on #10 which he followed with 5 pars to join Anthony in the lead on #15. Jeff's birdies on #16 & #18 gave him the win by one at 73 followed by Anthony at 74 and Steve at 78. This is Jeff's first win of the season.

Chad Onstot made a birdie on #9 in Championship to turn in 40, 4 shots clear of Daniel Rasmussen. 2 more birdies on #11 & #18 saw him post a 76 for his second win of the season. 

The Hogan flight trophy is headed south to KC in the trailer of Dan Levasseur.  Bill Kelsey led after 9 holes by one over Jon Sanz and 2 over Dan and Aubrey Johnson. Dan and Bill made pars on #10. Jon made pars on #11 & #12 to grab a share of the lead held by Dan after a birdie on #12 (the last hole Mr. Palmer put his design touches on). Dan went 1 under on the final 5 holes with a birdie on #17 to come home in 35 to post at 78. Bill Kelsey took 2nd with an 83 and Bryan Poetsch finished 3rd after a scorecard playoff with Jon (sorry Jon!). This was Dan's 2nd win of the season. We appreciate him joining us on his summer vacation. I'm sure we will see him at Nationals.

Snead flight was hotly contested with only 7 shots separating the 5 players. Pete Rojas added to the excitement with an eagle on the par 4 - 8th. He used "a PW from 122 yards, uphill, from the rough". Jeff McVay led Pete and Stephen Oborn by 2 at the turn. Jeff and Stephen matched cards on the back 9 giving Jeff the 2 stroke victory. His third of the season and now qualified for Nationals.

Only 4 shots separated 4 players in Sarazen. Steve Buan (thank him for the nice weather) had a 2 shot lead over Steve Springer heading to the back 9. Joe Christy was 1 shot further back. Steve S. grabbed the lead on #13. Steve B. joined him on #14. Joe was 3 back with only 4 to play. Joe got a 2 shot swing on both Steves with a par on #15 and then took the lead with a birdie on #17. Steve B made birdie on the final hole but it wasn't enough as Joe made par to capture the one shot win, his 4th.

Paul Alexander continues to flourish after moving up to Sr. Jones. He notched his 4th win of the season but Paul Smallwood didn't make it easy for him. A par on the 9th hole gave Paul A. a 1 shot margin after 9. He added to his lead at #10 & #11 but gave 2 back on #12. Paul S. evened things up on #17 with a par but once again Paul A. finished with a par to retain that 1 shot margin.

Bill Kelsey took home $175 from the 50/50 raffle in support of Feherty's Troops First Foundation. This brings our season total to $1650. Thanks for your continued support.

Steve Schubert and Paul Smallwood won closest to the pin.

Thanks to Deb and Val for pulling extra duty with Mary tending to grandchildren at the lake.
 
Our next event is the MN Tour Championship. If you're not playing why not stop by on Sunday late afternoon as we will be awarding Race to Nationals Flight Champions as well as Tour Championship winners.

Northfork Recap

Ramsey - a rainy day, lightning and a tornado warning caused two delays but still we got the tournament in and crowned 6 Champions. 3 more tickets punched for Nationals and the scores weren't bad either.

Steve Schubert, of the Palmer flight, continues his climb back to Championship flight by posting another low round of the day. This time it was a 1 over 73 featuring 4 birdies, 3 of those on the front to turn at 1 under.  Dean Sengstock showed he is returning to form with a 78 and winning a scorecard playoff for 2nd over recent Champion Matthew Lavanger. Steve earns his 3rd victory of the season and is now qualified for Nationals.

Jason Rhoades wins his 5th of the season with a one shot victory over Chad Onstot and Tyler VanHecke. Chad shot even on the front to lead Tyler by 1 and Jason by 5 after 9 holes. Chad's par run ended abruptly on 10 giving Tyler a 3 shot lead but he gave those back between 11 and 14. Chad and Tyler bogeyed in to the clubhouse from 15 to tie for runner up. Meanwhile Jason's 2 birdies and a lone double bogey were good enough for an even par back nine and the Championship flight win.

Another player finding form is Matt Harter with his first win of the season in the Hogan flight. Matt's birdie on the ninth hole for a front side 38 and a 4 shot lead over Bill Kelsey was probably enough to seal the deal but then he made 5 pars in a row to start the back side and leave everyone else scratching their heads. Bryan Poetsch finishes runner up at 87 in his first tournament since the spring opener. Current points leader Larry Caldwell finished 3rd at 89.

Steve Buan, fresh off his victory in the KC/MN Challenge, led after 9 holes by 1 over Fredy Alvear in Sarazen flight. They battled back and forth until Steve relinquished the lead with a 2 shot swing on 17. Fredy secured his 3rd victory by matching Steve's bogey on 18 to post at 83. Fredy is now qualified for Nationals.

Ed Favorite had a rough start on the first few holes before settling in and making 6 pars in a row to turn at 41 and 1 shot better than 2017 Player of the Year Steven Holland. Steven pulled even on 10 but then gave up 4 shots on the next 3 holes. Ed gained one more stroke over the last 5 holes for his 3rd win which qualifies him for Nationals.

Snead flight got most of the worst weather of the day. It looked really competitive with 3 players within 2 shots of Stephen Oborn's leading score of 49 at the turn. Then the tornado sirens went off as they were playing 10 so it was into the clubhouse for the second, but shorter, delay of the day. Todd Klocke shared the lead after 10 and Jeff McVay joined the leaders after 11. Stephen took the lead alone on 12 with a bogey and Pete Rojas joined the chasers one back. Jeff took the lead with a bogey on 15 and held on through 16. By then the rain was relentless and conditions were 'awful'. Stephen's bogey on the par 3 17th gave him a 3 shot cushion playing the last and his double on 18 in the downpour added up to a 7 shot margin of victory over Todd for his first win of the season.

Don't feel too bad for Todd though as he took home $135 from the 50/50 raffle in support of Feherty's Troops First Foundation. Our season total stands at $1475. Thanks for your continued support.

Closest to the pin prizes went to Dan Barrett and Ed Favorite.

Long time member Hobie VanValkeburg missed this weeks event due to a heart attack. His message to me says he's out of danger and on the mend but his golf season is over. We wish him well and a speedy recovery. Please keep Hobie in your thoughts.


Thanks to the Angels for putting in an extra long day. 

Thanks to all of you who put up with the weather and hung in to the finish. Especially new members Jim Andrews, Chris Benny and Brad Williams. Welcome to the Am Tour.

Our next tournament is at Royal Golf Club on the 11th. Registration deadline is this Saturday night. Don't miss our first event at this new course.

KC/MN Challenge Recap

POLK CITY - it was hot and humid but perfect for a day of golf. 22 MN Tour members made the trip down to the Des Moines area to play the Tournament Club of Iowa, an Arnold Palmer Signature course. There were 7 flights and the KC/MN Challenge Trophy at stake. They secured wins in 6 of the flights and kept a firm grasp on the Challenge trophy, winning by 16 strokes.

Let me first start by apologizing to those of you who have not been receiving the tournament recaps. I found a glitch in our mail system that I have corrected.

Chad Onstot posted the low round of the day at 73 in Championship flight. A lone bogey on the front left him 3 shots clear of Jack Buan who had 3 birdies in the first 5 holes. The 10th gave both players trouble. Chad bounced back with birdie on 11 and followed that with birdies on 14 and 18. Jack made eagle on 13 and another birdie on 17.  Chad's 6 shot victory is his 1st on Tour. 

Palmer flight is the only flight a MN Tour member didn't win. Steve Schubert took the early lead with a birdie on 1. A bogey on 6 brought him back to even par. Andy Bradshaw of the KC Tour was one better at 1 under with a birdie on 8. The back side was not as easy as all players shot in the 40s. Steve added a birdie on 13 but it wasn't enough to catch Andy who posted at 76.

Larry Caldwell also like the front side alot more than the back . A birdie and 3 bogeys gave him a 4 shot lead after nine holes. He gave 2 back on 10 and 2 more on 13 before steadying the ship with a birdie on 14 and 2 more pars. His 45 was good enough for a 3 shot win, his 3rd of the season in Hogan making him Nationals qualified.

The Sarazen flight leaderboard would lead you to believe MN didn't win but the leader was a guest playing in the event from KC. Steve Buan carded a 39 front with a birdie on 3. The back was 10 shots tougher where he managed a 49 to post an 88. This was Steve's first win of the season. David Slininger made a run at Steve with a 43 on the back with a birdie on 16 to post at 90.

Another stark difference between front and back was seen in Sr. Sarazen. Ed Favorite was 1 under through 5 with birdies on 1 and 4 to card a 39 front side. A stretch of 23 strokes on the first 3 holes of the inward nine saw his 5 shot lead dwindle to 1 but 2 over on the last 6 secured the 5 shot victory, His 2nd of the season.

Paul Alexander has punched hit ticket to Sr. Nationals with a 3rd win of the season, his 2nd in Jones. He led by 4 after 9 holes over Hobie VanValkenburg. Hobie made a run at him on the back but fell 2 short. 

Pete Rojas of Snead flight had a nightmare start going 8 over on the first 2 holes but then made par on 5 of the last 7 to turn with a 7 shot lead. He added a par and a birdie on the back to hold of KC Tour member Paul Barnett and win by 2 for his 1st win of the season.



Mr. Alexander also took home a bit of cash after winning $155 in the 50/50 raffle. Our season total now stands at 1,340. Thank you for supporting Feherty's Troops First Foundation.

Thanks to all who made the trip. Special thanks to Delbert and Dierdra Kinchlow, KC Director, and our very own Deb Alexander for running another great tournament.

White Eagle Recap

North Hudson - Picture perfect day to cap off the long holiday week. It's been a few years since we were last at White Eagle and "oh my" what a change. A beautiful, and large, clubhouse greeted the players and course conditions were wonderful.
The competition continues to be hot as once again it took extra holes to complete 2 flights.

Todd Klocke needed just one extra hole to better Stephen Oborn in Snead flight. Todd was even with Jeff McVay on the outward nine at 46 while Stephen was 4 back. Stephen made pars on both back side par 3s and another on #15 to come home in 49 to post 99 matching Todd. Stephen's round was all the more impressive as he was paired with Sr. Jones players and held his own there falling only one shot short of the lead in that flight. This makes back to back wins for Mr. Klocke who will be looking to earn that Sr. National automatic qualification the next time he tees it up.

Championship flight also needed extra holes. Jason Rhoades, Paul Schubring and Tyler VanHecke turned at 2 over 38. Jason ran off 7 straight pars before a double on 17. Paul's par run was interrupted by bogies on 13 and 18. Both carded 38s on the back to post at 76. It took 3 extra holes for Jason to close the deal. This was Jason's 4th victory of the season.

Perennial Palmer favorite Steve Schubert held the lead by 2, over Matthew Lavanger and Dan Barrett (Sr. Palmer), after nine holes. Steve made birdie on 4 and Dan followed with birdie on 5. Three players were at 42 including veterans Jeff Gallagher and Mike Kelley as well as new member Jeremy Peterson playing in his first event. Steve made a double on 11 while Jeff and Matthew made birdies and the chase was on. Jeff made another birdie on 13 after hitting his tee shot to 4 feet but he followed that up with an unfortunate triple on 14 after trying to play a shot from the water. Matthew made birdie on 15 and was one over on the final 3 holes to shoot 37 on the back and post at 78 for his first Am Tour win. Sean Hazen rode 5 pars to a back nine 40 for 3rd place.

Paul Alexander earned a 2nd win of the season but it wasn't easy. Paul Smallwood (Orlando Tour member but Mpls resident) matched Paul A. at 49 on the front. Paul A. gained strokes on Paul S. on each of the first two holes on the back and on 13-16 before a triple on 17 gave half of the lead back. With only one hole left to play it was a stress free 18th hole. 

Larry Caldwell held a 2 shot lead at the turn in Hogan flight and never looked back. His lone birdie on the front came on the difficult 6th hole, site of plenty of carnage on the day. He made birdies on 11 and 18 to post at 82 and seal the 7 shot victory over Erik Jordahl.    

Warren Ferber carded 4 pars and a birdie on 9 for 40 on the front and looked like he might capture his 3rd win in a row in Sarazen flight. He led Fredy Alvear by 3 at the turn. Fredy made birdies on 10 and 13 along with 4 pars and 3 bogies for a 37 on the back to post at 80. David Slininger had 4 pars along with a birdie on 18 to move up to 2nd spot. This is Fredy's 2nd win of the season and he now sits at 12.1 index so we expect he'll be playing in Hogan by August.

First time ever that nobody hit the green for the closest to the pin contest in Sarazen/Jones/Snead. Greg Gebert took home CTP for Champ/Palmer/Hogan.

Jeff Gallagher ended an 8 year drought when his ticket was pulled in the 50/50 drawing for $135. Our season total now stands at $1185. Thank you for your continued support of Feherty's Troops First Foundation.

As always thanks to the Angels; Deb, Val and Mary for keeping us all on track.

21 MN Tour members are off to Polk City and the Tournament Club of Iowa for the KC/MN Challenge. LET'S BRING THE TROPHY BACK HOME FOR ANOTHER YEAR!

Our next tournament is Sunday the 28th at Links at Northfork. Registration deadline is the 20th. See you there.