A Bogey-Free 66 Gives Former NDSU Golfer Deziel Two-Shot Lead to Begin MGA Amateur

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. - Underwhelmed by his performance at the Minnesota State Open a week ago, former North Dakota State University golfer Nate Deziel made the decision to adjust his expectations entering this week's Minnesota Golf Association Amateur Championship.

“I struggled last week, and it came down to forcing shots that didn't suit my eye or basically not playing my own game,” said Deziel, who carded a 13-over 157 at Rush Creek Golf Club to miss the cut by 10 shots Tuesday.

Deziel's change of plan worked wonders during his opening round Monday, posting a bogey-free 7-under 66 to take a two-stroke advantage to Tuesday's second round.

“I was proud of myself today just being able to enjoy it. When you're going through a struggle and you're not scoring, it's very easy to get down on yourself,” he said. “You hear it a lot now, but no expectations, trust yourself and enjoy hitting shots.

“I had really good practice sessions the last two days and saw some shots that are better for me visually, and was able to pull those shots off. On top of that, I rolled in some putts, which is always nice.”

Starting on the 10th tee Monday, Deziel came out firing by carding three consecutive birdies before adding a fourth at the 15th to turn in 4-under for the day.

“You can tell you have a good round going when you birdie the first three,” Deziel said. “I tried to stay content—birdies are out there. I took driver out of my hands on a few holes because I saw it better, and found some nice yardages, too.”

He moved to 5-under after getting up-and-down from a greenside bunker for birdie at the first before a two-putt birdie at the par-5 fifth. Chipping to six feet at the par-4 eighth, Deziel rolled in his final birdie of the afternoon to post an opening-round 66.

Looking ahead to the next 36 holes, Deziel said he's sticking to a relatively simple plan.

“Fairways and greens, obviously, but more so making sure you're putting yourself in the right spots on the greens.”

When the championship resumes Tuesday, Deziel will carry a two-stroke lead over a pair of former MGA Amateur champions and for University of Minnesota golfers in Ben Greve and Jon DuToit, as well as University of South Dakota's Logan Hamak and recent Minnesota Public Golf Association Four-Ball champion Jesse Larson.

Greve, who claimed the 2022 championship on his home course at Olympic Hills Golf Club, played his opening nine in 2-under before stringing together three consecutive birdies late in the round to take the early clubhouse lead at 5-under 68.

“I was happy with the round today,” Greve said. “With the softness and distance, I'm thinking there are going to be some 8-under or 9-under rounds.

“I hit the ball solid, my iron play was good, and I had a lot of chances today. It was pretty stress-free—my one bogey was a bad decision off the tee. I certainly felt like I could've gotten a lot more out of it, unfortunately.”

Greve enters the week with one victory already to his credit this season, claiming the Walter J. Travis Invitational in New York in May.

DuToit, who sat in a share of fourth place following two rounds of play at the Minnesota State Open last week before a final-round 74, played his first nine holes in even par Monday before carding an early birdie to begin his back nine.

He would finish his round with four birdies over his final five holes to earn a share of second at 5-under 68.

“The course was soft today, so we had trouble getting the ball to the hole on the front nine,” the 2015 champion said following his round Monday. “On the back nine I just made a couple of putts.

“I haven't competed a ton lately, so you come out and there's nerves and jitters. It was nice to get a couple of good rounds at [the Minnesota State Open] under my belt. I'm driving the ball well and I'm hitting my irons decent, so I'm giving myself some good looks. Just trying to do my best—some days you have it and some days you don't.”

Coming off his victory last week, Carson Herron leads a total of six players, including University of Notre Dame's Nate Stevens, who posted rounds of 4-under 69 Monday to finish the opening round three shots back in a tie for sixth.

The top 60 players, plus ties, following Tuesday's second round will advance to Wednesday's final 18 holes of play.

The 121st MGA Amateur Championship continues Tuesday when second-round tee times get underway at 7:30 a.m. at Minnesota Valley Country Club.