Anderson, Johnson, Peterson and Rose Remain at MGA Senior Players' Championship

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By Nick Hunter
nick@mngolf.org
 
 
 BIWABIK, Minn. – Already tasked with knocking out a former Minnesota Golf Association Senior Amateur champion in Trent Wilcox during pool play at the MGA Senior Players’ Championship this week, Tim Peterson had more work to do Tuesday by taking on Jay Gregory and defeating the defending champion on the fourth playoff hole to advance to the semifinal round.
 
Down late in the match, Peterson won the 16^th and 17^th holes to force a playoff before sinking his birdie opportunity at the 22^nd hole against Gregory to move one step closer to his first state championship.
 
“It felt good to come out of our group,” Peterson said after advancing from the pool-play portion of the championship. “This is a good course for me because it’s not too demanding off the tee. Some of the holes you have to dial back a bit. For the most part the landing areas are pretty generous and that suits me well because I’m a better second-shot player. I hit a ton of greens this week—that’s been the key. My approach game has been solid.”
 
A pair of early birdies put Gregory up two over Peterson through nine holes. Peterson found his footing by winning the 11^th with a birdie, but Gregory came charging back with a birdie at the 13^th to recapture a 2-up lead.
 
Peterson’s hybrid at the par-5 16^th reached the green where he would two-putt for birdie and won a second straight hole at the 17^th with a par to tie the match. With both players refusing to budge at the 18^th and the first three holes of the playoff, Peterson’s birdie chance from 20 feet on the 22^nd hole found the bottom of the cup to clinch the victory.
 
“Playing Jay, I knew I was in for a tough match—he’s a very good player. I don’t think I got his best,” Peterson said following his quarterfinal win. “It’s way more golf than I’m used to playing—I’m a three-times-a-week guy. I was on fumes on the back nine of the second match and I caught a second wind in the playoff and hitting everything solid again.”
 
Peterson will now face John Anderson, who slipped through Group 4 unscathed at 3-0 before edging John Mugford, 2 and 1, to reach the semifinal round for the second consecutive season.
 
Jerry Rose, runner-up from a year ago, advanced from Group 2 with a perfect 3-0 record and would pull away late from 2017 MGA Senior Amateur champion David Haslerud for the victory, 2-up, to advance to the semifinal round.
 
“It gets harder the older you get to stay focused,” Rose said after playing his fourth round in two days. “It’s not a physical thing really as much as it’s a mental thing. I haven’t been nervy at all—I’ve been swinging good and haven’t felt too much pressure.
 
“Keeping the ball in play has been key. I’m hitting it well and I’ve got pretty good feel around the greens. Here you have to keep the ball in play. If you get in the right spots on the greens, you can get some good putts at it.”
 
Rose took a slim lead over Haslerud mid-round Tuesday before Haslerud birdied the 12^th and sank a 6-footer for eagle at the 13^th to regain the lead with five to play, but the four-time defending MGA Senior Men’s Player of the Year carded three birdies over his final five holes to earn the victory, 2-up.
 
“Playing [Haslerud] was a lot of fun because he and I are good friends and he’s a great player. You know he’s going to be steady and it was back-and-forth the whole day. We had a great match and we both played really well.”
 
Rose will play J.T. Johnson when the semifinal round begins Wednesday. Johnson downed Mark Capece, 4 and 3, for his third win in pool play to advance from Group 3. In a back-and-forth match against John Spreiter late Tuesday, Johnson recovered from a poor tee shot at the 18^th by sticking his approach to six feet and sank his birdie chance to clinch his spot in the semifinal round.
 
Semifinal action at the 22^nd MGA Senior Players’ Championship begins at 8 a.m. Wednesday at The Quarry at Giants Ridge.