Bredesen Birdies Final Hole to Win Twin Cities Championship

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By Nick Hunter
nick@mngolf.org
 
 
  HAM LAKE, Minn. – Bouncing back from a bogey on his 35^th hole Sunday, Erik Bredesen rolled in a birdie on the final hole to fire a final-round 72 to claim the 27^th Twin Cities Championship by one stroke over James Dickey at Majestic Oaks Golf Club.
 
Opening the championship with a 3-over par 75 Saturday at Baker National Golf Club, Bredesen trailed defending champion Maxwell Fox, Dickey, Dustin Henjy and Mike Shaffer by two shots entering Sunday’s final round before posting the low round of the tournament to earn the come from behind victory.
 
“A win does a lot—I’m really stoked,” Bredesen said Sunday. “I won a couple invitationals in high school, but my ultimate goal is to qualify for a [U.S. Amateur or U.S. Mid-Amateur] or even make it to a U.S. Open Sectional. It gives me some good momentum for sure.
 
“My driving has been atrocious—yesterday I only hit three or four fairways. I got better today and hit eight, but my irons and wedges have been really good. Today was putting—my speed was good. Everything was lipping out or burning edges and got enough to fall where it made a difference.”
 
Starting on the 10^th tee Sunday, Bredesen got off on the wrong foot by carding back-to-back bogeys at the 12^th and 13^th holes to drop to 5-over for the tournament. After chipping in to save par at the 14^th, Bredesen sank a 40-footer at the 17^th and rolled in his birdie from 10 feet at the 18^th to turn at even par for the round.
 
Trading a birdie with a bogey at the third and fourth holes, Bredesen remained at 3-over par for the tournament before taking bogey at the par-3 17^th. Sensing he would need a birdie on the final hole, Bredesen hit a wedge inside of 15 feet on the final hole and rolled in his downhill slider for birdie, posting the low round of the tournament to collect his first amateur victory.
 
“It was an up-and-down round—I bogeyed the easy par-3 [eighth hole] and was pretty frustrated. I told my caddy that I’d have to birdie the last hole in order to have a shot and post a number and I did,” Bredesen said. “I knew I was two back of a bunch of good players, so I figured I’d have to shoot under par or go fairly low. It was really hanging around par today—going up and down and hoped to make some birdies coming down the stretch.
 
“I figured 147 would be in the top-3. The course was playing pretty tough today. It was good conditions, but it’s narrow and if you throw some balls in the trees, you can blow up. I figured an even par round today would be first or second and thought I could at least place or maybe a playoff.”
 
Bredesen, a 31-year-old originally from Crystal, Minn., who now lives in Minneapolis, played high school golf at Totino-Grace and was team captain. He attended the University of Kansas, but played hockey instead of golf.
 
With newfound confidence and first state victory under his belt, Bredesen now turns his focus to the Minnesota Golf Association State Amateur Championship, where he will attempt to qualify Wednesday at Valleywood. “It should be some nice momentum going into that and hopefully I can qualify and turn my sights on Hazeltine.”
 
“I’ve played in a bunch of state ams and [the MGA Players’] and some other tournaments and have never really been close to winning. I’ve changed my swing and have been practicing a lot and it’s starting to pay off. I’m getting a lot more consistent.”
 
Dickey posted a final-round 75 Sunday to finish the championship in second place at 148, while Connor Jensen and Henjy finished in a tie for third at 150.
 
 
 
27^TH TWIN CITIES CHAMPIONSHIP
MAJESTIC OAKS GOLF CLUB
HAM LAKE, MINN.
SIGNATURE COURSE
6,869 YARDS, PAR 72
 
 
SUNDAY’S FINAL RESULTS
1. Erik Bredesen, 75-72—147
2. James Dickey, 73-75—148
T3. Connor Jensen, 75-75—150
T3. Dustin Henjy, 73-77—150
5. Maxwell Fox, 73-78—151  
T6. Dylan Gergen, 75-77—152
T6. Mike Shaffer, 73-79—152
8. Adam Almich, 77-76—153
T9. James Fromm, 74-80—154   
T9. Jake Warneke, 77-77—154