Berry Comes From Behind to Win Third Straight Minnesota Senior Open

MNPGA

By Nick Hunter
nhunter@mngolf.org

HASTINGS, Minn. – For the third straight year Don Berry overcame a deficit during the final round of the Minnesota Senior Open, shooting a 3-under par 69 Wednesday at Hastings Country Club to win his third consecutive title.

Berry carded a 2-over par 74 during Tuesday’s opening round, two strokes behind the leaders. Wednesday he rallied to finish at 1-under par 143, taking the championship by four strokes over Brad Schmierer at 147.

“I hit the ball pretty decent on the front, I was able to birdie the fifth hole which is a tough hole for me and then on 6 I hit a nice iron into the green and three-putted for bogey,” he said. “The birdie I had on 9 really got the day started for me.”

With the birdie Berry made the turn at 1-over for the tournament before walking up to the 10th tee box. Berry hit his drive right off the tee and his ball was knocked down by trees, setting up a very difficult second shot to the green on the 520-yard par-5.

“I didn’t have a very good lie and I needed to hit a cut around the trees. I didn’t know if it was going to cut because of the lie and I was worried it was going to go left down the hill,” Berry said. “I hit kind of a chip 5-wood and it came off the club perfectly.”

The result was a beautiful shot that curved around the trees and ran up to the green rolling past the cup, leaving him a 20-foot downhill putt for eagle. Berry’s putt moved slightly left-to-right and found the bottom of the cup for eagle and shooting him to 1-under for the tournament.

Berry, Edinburgh USA, made bogey with another three-putt on 12 to draw back to even for the tournament but found a groove shortly after. He made three straight pars before tucking his eight-foot birdie putt just inside the left edge of the cup on the 16th, dropping him to 1-under for the tournament once again.

He would clinch the tournament with a short par putt on the 18th to capture his third Minnesota Senior Open title in three years.

“I hit my driver pretty well and made some good shots with my irons both days. I didn’t putt very well until the back nine today,” Berry said. “This course is hard for me and I don’t really play it very well.”

As for the secret to winning three consecutive years Berry laughed, “I don’t know—I guess I’m just one of the younger guys out here. That’s probably the only secret.”

It could’ve been assumed that Schmierer would have home course advantage as he has been a longtime member of the club, but it didn’t seem to be the case this week.

“The greens were pretty firm today. Every time you play here it seems like a different course—normally the greens aren’t that firm. I was thinking even par would be my number for me here, but I’m happy with the way I played,” Schmierer said after his round Wednesday.

Schmierer carded a 2-over par 74 Tuesday and needed to overcome a 2-stroke deficit, but started with a bogey on the second hole. He rolled in a birdie on the fifth hole but followed it with another bogey on the sixth.

After a third bogey on the eighth hole dropped him back to 4-over for the tournament, Schmierer decided something needed to change.

“On 9 I started putting one-handed,” he said. “I couldn’t take it anymore, I wasn’t making anything.”

The unorthodox approach may have actually worked as Schmierer rolled in his par on the ninth before making back-to-back birdies on 10 and 11 using just one hand.

“I missed a short one on 13, but I putted good one handed,” he said.

After a bogey on the 15th hole, Schmierer dropped to 4-over for the tournament and with finish with three straight pars to take second place at 147.

Bob Neuberger, Rush Creek Golf Club, and Tom Whaley, Minneapolis Golf Club, finished in a tie for third place to share low amateur honors.

Neuberger shot a 3-over 75 Tuesday and followed it with a 1-over par Wednesday to finish at 4-over 148.

“I played well today and I drove the ball exceptionally well, which was the highlight of my round,” Neuberger said. “I was 1-under through nine and then bogeyed three straight, but I was able to keep it together and make birdie on the 16th. It was really exciting to play; I don’t usually play in these types of things, so it’s pretty cool.”

Whaley was tied for the lead after the opening round at even par 72, but shot a 4-over par 76 during the final day to finish at 148 along with professionals Mike Zinni, Mankato Golf Club, and George Smith, Mississippi Dunes Golf Links.


For complete tournament results go to: http://mnpga.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/mnpga14/event/mnpga1420/contest/4/leaderboard.htm