Kieffer, Peterson, Charboneau and Hirayama Advance to Semis in MGA Players Championship at Interlachen

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By Nick Hunter
nhunter23@hotmail.com

 
  EDINA, Minn. – Sixty-four players began the 35th Minnesota Golf Association’s Players Championship Monday at Interlachen Country Club, but after Tuesday’s quarterfinal round the field has been whittled down to four.

Seventy-two holes have been played in the first two days and another 36 holes Wednesday will determine this year's champion.

The biggest surprise of the afternoon was Dalton Charboneau, Sundance Golf Course, beating 2012 MGA Men’s Player of the Year Sammy Schmitz, 3 and 2 to advance to Wednesday’s semifinal.

Schmitz, Valleywood Golf Course, took an early lead of 1-up to the fourth hole before Charboneau birdied the fifth to even the match and won the following hole as Schmitz made bogey. Both players would halve the final three holes of the front nine and Charboneau maintained his 1-up lead.

Schmitz battled back to even the match with a birdie on the par-4 10th hole at the match remained deadlocked for the next three holes. From that point Charboneau would take control of the match with a birdie on the 13th to recapture the lead.

Schmitz would make bogey on three consecutive holes and with Charboneau making par on all of them, he clinched the match and a spot in the semifinals with a 3 and 2 victory.

“This afternoon I hit the ball the best I have all week. I played smart but conservative because some of these pins out here are in tough spots and if you try to go at them you can put yourself in bad position,” Charboneau said after his quarterfinals win.

“To score out here you have to hit the fairway. The ball sits so far down in the rough because it’s so thick – but today I hit the tee ball good and kept myself in play. My irons were on today and my putter saved me as well. I made a lot of putts from five feet and in,” he said.

When Charboneau made the big right to left putt for birdie on the 13th he felt as though the match was in his control and knew what he had to do to finish. “I knew then that if I could hit the fairways after that I’d be in good position. I only had to hit driver on 14 and 18 for the rest of the round, so if I could keep it in the fairway on those two holes, I knew I could play my irons in the rest of the way.”

Trent Peterson, winner of the 2008 tournament, faced Minnesota Gopher Robert Bell in one of the closer matches of the tournament with Peterson making par on the last hole to win the match.

The match was even on the front side with both players taking two holes from the other and it remained even through 15 holes as the two halved eight straight holes. On the 16th Peterson capitalized on a miscue by Bell to make par and win the hole going 1-up with two holes remaining, but then Bell would take advantage of a Peterson bogey to make par and again even the match heading to the final hole.

On the final hole Bell had an opportunity to force a playoff but his par putt slid just past the hole and Peterson was victorious, 1-up.

“This was a tough match; we both played great golf. Neither him nor I made any mistakes and then in the last four or five holes it’s like we got tired or something. There were a couple of bogeys from both of us. I think we were even or maybe below par up to that point,” Peterson said.

“It came down to putting like always. At this point I’m just trying to survive; I didn’t know who I was going to be playing today but I knew they were going to be tough matches. If you’re in the Sweet 16 of this tournament – you’re a good golfer,” Peterson said.

In the closest and possibly the most entertaining match of the tournament so far, Dominic Kieffer and Jesse Polk needed 20 holes to determine who would be moving on to the semifinals Wednesday.

Kieffer, Somerby Golf Club, jumped out to an early lead with a birdie on the first hole but that was as far as he would get until late as Polk squared the match on the par-3 third and holed out from about 60 yards on the sixth for eagle to take the 1-up lead.

Polk went 2-up after a Kieffer bogey on the eighth and then 3-up on the 10th and the match looked all but over for Kieffer. Kieffer cut into the lead briefly on the 11th, but another bogey on the par-5 12th and the deficit was back to 3-down.

With a birdie on 13, Kieffer again showed signs of life as Polk’s lead fell to 2-up. Holes 14, 15 and 16 were halved and Polk carried his 2-up lead to the 17th. With an opportunity put the match away, Polk missed his par putt while Kieffer made his to cut Polk’s lead to just one with one hole left.

On the 18th both players found the green in two, Kieffer was 12 feet below the hole, but Polk was left with an uphill right to left putt from about 25 feet. Polk’s chance to close out the tournament came up about three feet short but just needed to make his par putt after Kieffer two-putted for par. His par putt caught the right edge and swung the ball 180 degrees without dropping and the match would continue.

Both players would birdie the first playoff hole before Polk found the green in regulation to two-putt for the victory 1-up in 20 holes.

“I hit some really nice putts today, especially on the first playoff hole. I made my 25-footer for birdie and he just missed his 20-footer for eagle. That was awesome for as nervous as I was at that point,” Kieffer said.

“Being down two with two holes to go I think a lot of people would have some doubts but he just didn’t finish as well as I thought he would have. In the end I made a couple more shots. My hat is off to him; he’s a great player.”

In the last quarterfinal match, Minnesota Gopher Genki Hirayama looked to have his match with Scott Gustafson, Hazeltine National Golf Club, wrapped up early as Hirayama took a commanding 6-up lead after just seven holes but Gustafson battled back ferociously as he would win the eighth and ninth holes to go 4-down.

A mistake by Hirayama, University Les Bolstad, on 11 caused his lead to be cut to 3-up and another miscue by Hirayama on 15 dropped his lead to just 2-up. But it wouldn’t be enough for Gustafson as he and Hirayama both parred the final two holes and Hirayama clinched the match 2 and 1 to advance to Wednesday’s semifinals.

Semifinal action will begin Wednesday at 7:30 a.m. at Interlachen Country Club.

TUESDAY’S ROUND OF 16

Dominic Kieffer advanced to Tuesday’s quarterfinal round after defeating David Rehfeldt, StoneRidge Golf Club, 5 and 4.

Kieffer, Somerby Golf Club, had close match in Monday’s opening round but has cruised through his next two matches winning 6 and 5 and 5 and 4, respectively.

Against Rehfeldt, Kieffer got off to another quick start as he won three straight holes to take a 3-up lead after four holes. Rehfeldt would grind to make things close by winning the eighth and ninth but Kieffer won 10, 11 and 12 to take another commanding lead, 4-up through 12 holes.

The two both parred the 13th before Kieffer won the match with a par on the 14th hole.

Jesse Polk, Hastings Country Club, needed 17 holes to defeat Kyle Scanlon, Stillwater Country Club, in Tuesday’s morning session. Polk defeated Derek Brinker, Minnesota Valley Golf Club, 3 and 2 in Monday’s opening round before beating Andrew Passanante, Moorhead Country Club, 4 and 3 in the round of 32.

In the match against Scanlon, Polk took a 1-up lead on the second hole by taking advantage of a Scanlon bogey, but Scanlon redeemed himself with a birdie on the fourth to even the match.

Polk again would take a 1-up lead with a birdie on the sixth, but his lead was short lived as he gave away two consecutive holes making bogey and found himself 1-down through nine holes.

On the 10th, it was Scanlon’s lead that began to fade as he made three straight bogeys on 10, 11 and 12 before a double bogey on 13 put him 3-down with five holes to play. Scanlon parred the 14th to cut the lead to 2-down but could only muster pars on the final three holes as Polk wrapped up the match on the 17th to win 2 and 1.

Robert Bell faced former Gopher teammate Colton Buege in Tuesday’s Round of 16 and wasted little time advancing to the quarterfinals.

Bell needed an extra hole to slip past Eric Kolkind, Wild Marsh Golf Club, 1-up in the opening round, but had little trouble defeating Andrew McCain, Braemar Golf Course, 4 and 2 in the Round of 32. Buege, Fox Hollow Golf Club, won the first hole to take the early lead, but Bell quickly turned the match around by winning the next two holes.

Buege birdied the par-3 fifth hole to even the match but Bell won the eighth to regain the lead and never let it go. Bell won five straight holes on the back to clinch the match 6 and 4 with a par on the 14th to advance to Tuesday’s quarterfinals.

2008 MGA Players Champion Trent Peterson defeated Cory Pike, Elk River Country Club, 2-up in the Round of 16.

Peterson, Valleywood Golf Course, edged Gopher Tyler Lowenstein, Rush Creek Golf Club, 1-up to win his first match of the tournament. During Monday afternoon’s Round of 32, Peterson made quick work of Gopher Charlie Braniff, St. Cloud Country Club, 5 and 4.

In his match against Pike, Peterson grabbed an early 3-up lead by winning the second, third and fourth holes before relinquishing his lead on the ninth as Pike made par to even the match.

Peterson took advantage of two bogeys by Pike on the 10th and 13th to regain a 2-up lead with five holes to play but Pike battled to win the 15th to cut into the lead. The two would par 16 and 17 before Peterson would end the match with a par on the final hole to win 2-up.

2012 MGA Men’s Player of the Year Sammy Schmitz advanced to the quarterfinals Tuesday with a 4 and 3 victory over Hudson Carpenter.

Schmitz, Valleywood Golf Course, defeated Jeff Ferron, Valleywood Golf Course, 5 and 3 in Monday’s opening round. Schmitz then went on to defeat Gopher Jon DuToit, Chaska Town Course, 2-up during Monday’s Round of 32.

Tuesday, Schmitz, and Carpenter traded holes on the fourth and fifth as the match remained even but Schmitz went on to win four straight holes to finish the front nine. On the back, the two would halve the first six holes as Schmitz would clinch the match on the 15th, despite making bogey.

Dalton Charboneau, Sundance Golf Course, continues to impress as he advanced to the quarterfinals, beating Sam Matthew, Midland Hills Country Club Country Club, 1-up.

Charboneau slipped past No. 7 Jesse Bull, Golden Valley Golf and Country Club, in the opening round winning 1-up on the final hole. During the Round of 32 Charboneau defeated Scott Bodelson, Meadows at Mystic, 3 and 2.

Against Matthew, Charboneau got out to a 2-up lead after winning the fifth and sixth holes before his lead dropped as Matthew won the seventh. Charboneau regained a 2-up lead by winning the eighth but two consecutive bogeys on 10 and 11 wiped out his lead.

Charboneau regained the lead with a bogey on the par-4 14th hole. From there the two would go on to halve the final four holes, and Charboneau escaped with a 1-up victory.

Scott Gustafson, Hazeltine National Golf Club, won his third straight match Tuesday to move on the quarterfinals after a victory over Greg Melhus, 2 and 1.

Gustafson won 4 and 3 over Tony Krogen, Rush Creek Golf Club, in the opening round before defeating Dylan Gergen of Mendakota Country Club, 4 and 3.

Gustafson took a quick lead on the second but a birdie by Melhus on the sixth evened the match. From there Gustafson won three consecutive holes to take a 3-up lead to the 12th hole before another Melhus Birdie cut the lead to 2-up for Gustafson. The two halved the next six holes and Gustafson would end the match on the 17th with a 2 and 1 victory.

Minnesota Gopher Genki Hirayama edged Jesse Larson, LeSueur Country Club, 1-up in 19 holes in the first round and then beat Josh Blackman, Mankato Golf Club, 2 and 1 in the Round of 32 to advance to the Round of 16 Tuesday.

In Tuesday’s morning session match, Hirayama faced Dan Moline, Ridgeview Country Club, and again took things to the wire winning 1-up on the final hole. Hirayama took a 1-up lead on the sixth hole but Moline erased the deficit and the two made the turn even.

On the back, Hirayama regained his lead with a bogey on the par-5 12th but Moline would square the match on the very next hole with a par. The two traded holes on 16 and 17 as the match was square going into the final hole. A double bogey by Moline would seal his spot in the quarterfinals with a 1-up victory.



INTERLACHEN COUNTRY CLUB
EDINA, MINN.
PAR 72, 6,967 YARDS


TUESDAY'S QUARTERFINAL RESULTS

Kieffer def. Polk, 1-up (20 holes)
Peterson def. Bell, 1-up
Charboneau def. Schmitz, 3 and 2
Hirayama def. Gustafson, 2 and 1

TUESDAY'S ROUND OF 16 RESULTS

Dominic Kieffer, Somberby Golf Club, def. David Rehfeldt, StoneRidge Golf Club, 5 and 4
Jesse Polk, Hastings Country Club, def. Kyle Scanlon, Stillwater Country Club, 2 and 1
Robert Bell, University Les Bolstad, def. Colton Buege, Fox Hollow Golf Club, 6 and 4
Trent Peterson, Valleywood Golf Course, def. Cory Pike, Elk River Country Club, 2-up
Sammy Schmitz, Valleywood Golf Course, def. Hudson Carpenter, Stillwater Country Club, 4 and 3
Dalton Charboneau, Sundance Golf Course, def. Sam Matthew, Midland Hills Country Club, 1-up
Scott Gustafson, Hazeltine National Golf Club, def. Greg Melhus, Links at Northfork, 2 and 1
Genki Hirayama, University Les Bolstad, def. Dan Moline, Ridgeview Country Club, 1-up