Carlson and Murphy Come From Behind to Claim 42nd MGA Four-Ball Crown

  ST. CLOUD, Minn. – In 2003 Leif Carlson and Greg Murphy teamed up to win their second Minnesota Public Golf Association Match Play Championship at Gross National Golf Club.

Paired together again at the 42nd Minnesota Golf Association Senior Amateur Four-Ball Championship at St. Cloud Country Club, the two fired a final-round 6-under par 66 Friday to overcome a four-stroke deficit to claim their first championship as teammates in 12 years.

The team of Jeff Teal and John Empanger carded a final round of 5-under par 67 Friday to finish tied for second with Ken Gerzsenyi and Steve Hjortness at 8-under par 136.

After shooting a 3-under par 69 to open the championship Thursday, Carlson and Murphy got the final round started with three consecutive birdies beginning at the third hole to quickly move to 6-under par for the tournament.

Carlson, Valleywood Golf Course, and Murphy, Keller Golf Club, rolled in back-to-back birdies at the 11th and 12th holes to move 8-under and would sink one final birdie putt on the final hole Friday to shoot 66 and claim the championship by one stroke.

Murphy adds another victory to his credit during the 2015 season as he defeated J.T. Johnson in a playoff to win the MPGA Senior Public Links Championship at Goodrich Golf Club in July.

Along with the MPGA Four-Ball Championship crown in 2003, Carlson and Murphy claimed the title in 1992 as well.

Empanger and Teal, both of Island View Golf Club, opened with a bogey to start the final round Friday before drawing even for the day with a birdie at the par-5 fourth hole.

The two would turn at 5-under par for the championship with back-to-back birdies at the eighth and ninth holes.

A birdie to open the back nine put Empanger and Teal at 6-under par and they would finish the round at 8-under par with another pair of birdies at the 14th and 15th holes to shoot 136.

Gerzsenyi and Hjortness, both of Eastwood Golf Club, carded birdies at the second and fourth holes to quickly move to 5-under for the tournament before dropping back-to-back birdies at the eighth and ninth holes.

The two would add just one birdie over the final nine holes to finish the championship in second place at 8-under par 136, just one stroke back of Carlson and Murphy.