Constable and Two Others Medal at U.S. Open Local Qualifier

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STILLWATER, Minn. – Just a mere 24 hours after the University of Minnesota men’s golf team wrapped up a win at the Big Ten Championship, good luck and fortune must’ve also spread to former Gophers as Donald Constable was one of a trio of golfers to share medalist honors Monday at the U.S. Open Local Qualifier at Stillwater Country Club.

Constable moves on to the next stage of qualifying for the 114th U.S. Open along with Jon Olson, Ankeny, Iowa, and Grant Dockendorf, River Falls, Wis., as all three finished at 2-under par 70.

The 2012 Minnesota graduate carded a 1-under par 35 on the opening nine holes with two birdies and a bogey but settled in and cruised on the final nine holes with one birdie and eight pars to finish at 2-under for the day.

“These [qualifiers] are tricky; you never know what it’ll take to move on, so you need to just keep battling all round,” Constable said. “I kept the ball in play—it’s not a very long golf course, but you have to keep it in play. The rough was a little muddy being so early in the year but the greens were phenomenal.”

Constable, Excelsior, Minn., who played a number of events on the PGA Tour in 2013 as well as the Web.com Tour, said he's happy with where his game is at after spending the winter in Georgia.

“The game’s good right now—it was a little shaky over the winter, but I was working hard on some things and that’s definitely the time to do it. I worked on the swing and made a couple of changes but nothing too drastic,” he said.

Olson earned a spot in the sectional qualifier as he slipped to 1-over for the round on the fourth hole before answering with back-to-back birdies on the fifth and holes. After a bogey on the eighth hole, Olsen made the turn at even par 36.

Olson got back to red numbers with a birdie on the 11th, but drew even again on the following hole with another bogey. He made four straight pars before ending his round with birdies on the final two holes.

“I felt really good today and have been playing well coming in,” Olson said. “I was able to get a couple of putts to fall on 17 and 18, so I finished really well. That’s golf; you always leave a few shots out there but you seem to pick up a few too.”

Despite being early in the year, Olson admitted that his expectations were high.

“You have to expect to qualify or why else would you play?”

Dockendorf grabbed the third and final qualifying spot as he began his round with a bogey on the second hole to quickly drop to 1-over.

After seven consecutive pars to finish his front nine at plus-1, Dockendorf really heated up on the final nine holes with back-to-back birdies on the 10th and 11th to quickly jump to 1-under. Dockendorf went to 2-under with a birdie on the 15th, but gave a stroke right back on 16 with a bogey.

He made a push late to make birdie on the final hole to finish in a tie for first at 2-under.

“I was a little nervous to start—I had some first tee jitters, but I calmed down through the front and putted outstanding today. I haven’t putted like this in a long time and I had some key up and downs that gave me some confidence and carried that to the back side,” Dockendorf said. “I left a few shots on the back, but overall I’m very happy with the day.”

U.S. Open Sectional Qualifiers will be held June 2nd at 10 sites across the country.


For complete tournament results go to: http://www.mngolf.org/Tournaments/US_Open_Local_Qualifying_-_Stillwater