Lehman and Rolston Escape Four-Way Playoff, Head to U.S. Senior Amateur

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By Nick Hunter
nick@mngolf.org
 
 
  ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. – Minnesotan Jim Lehman has twice been named the Minnesota Golf Association Senior Men’s Player of the Year. A past MGA president, Lehman has six senior state titles to his credit, including four MGA Senior Amateur victories, cementing his legacy as one of the best the state has seen at the senior level.
 
Posting a 2-over 74 Monday at Minneapolis Golf Club, Lehman earned a share of medalist honors with Bob Rolston, as the two survived a two-hole playoff to earn spots in the 2021 U.S. Senior Amateur Championship.
 
“This was a big deal this year—huge deal for me,” Lehman’s voice cracked at the prospect of qualifying for his fourth U.S. Senior Amateur Championship. “I qualified for this at age 55, 56 and 57. To have missed it for the last four times—the fifth being the COVID year, so now I’m six years removed from my last USGA championship.
 
“At my age, I don’t have a lot of opportunities left to do that. I’m going to go there and, obviously, play my game. First goal will be to get into match play and the second goal will be to hopefully win some matches and see how far I can go.”
 
The former St. John’s University golfer advanced to match play in each of his first two appearances in 2013 and 2014, falling during the Round of 64 both times. At the 2015 championship at Hidden Creek Golf Club in Egg Harbor, N.J., Lehman missed the cut after 36 holes of stroke play.
 
At 63-years-old, Lehman said he feels like his game has remained sharp and seen a bit of a resurgence in recent weeks.
 
“I have played some really good golf when I look back at the last month,” Lehman said. “When I played at the [Trans-Mississippi Amateur] with all the young kids, nobody’s wowed by someone shooting 73 and 75, but personally, I thought they were pretty good scores. I played really solid—the course played super long.”
 
Failing to mention his seventh-place finish at the Minnesota Senior Open earlier this year, Lehman said he was pleased with his performances at both the Minnesota State Open at Rush Creek Golf Club and the MGA Amateur Championship at Chaska Town Course last month, despite competing mainly against college-aged bombers.
 
This season Lehman co-founded the Land O’ Lakes Legends Classic with former University of Minnesota women’s golf coach Michele Redman, bringing some of the greatest LPGA players to The Meadows at Mystic Lake last week for the 36-hole event, won by World Golf Hall of Famer Juli Inkster.
 
“I spent the last week being a part of the tournament that I co-own with Michele and I hardly played any golf last week, so I was a little concerned coming into today not as prepared as I normally would like to be. Luckily it all worked out.”
 
While fulfilling his duties running the LPGA Legends event, Lehman was forced to pass up a family tradition at the 100^th playing of the Resorters Golf Tournament Friday and Saturday at Alexandria Golf Club.  
 
“I’ve been involved with the Resorters since I was a kid. I caddied when I was young, but I didn’t play as much as some of the other guys because I was either working at the club or was going to law school. The Resorters is a very special place for me—I’m a past champion and I’m very proud of that. It really difficult to miss it last week, but on the other hand, we had a great event at the Legends Classic and it was really fun.”
 
Playing in the same group as Lehman Monday, Rolston carded two birdies against one bogey during his front nine before stumbling early on his back nine with back-to-back bogeys at the 10^th and 11^th holes.
 
Finding his footing at the par-4 13^th, Rolston rolled in his birdie chance from 10 feet to get back to even par, but would take bogeys at the 14^th and 18^th to finish in a four-way tie with Lehman, Peterson and Coatta.
 
Rolston, 67, from Hopkins, Minn., got up-and-down from the front edge during the first playoff hole before dropping a 10-footer for birdie on the second playoff hole to seal a qualifying spot in his first USGA championship.
 
“I was consistent all day and my putting held up very well,” Rolston said following his round Monday. “I knocked in a couple of putts on the front side. Longer putts, so it was a bit of a surprise. I went in thinking I can play with these guys if I keep my wits about me. Then it was a question of trying to block the noise and hit all these shots that I’ve practiced.
 
“I’ve always sort of been in the hunt and thought if I play like I know I can, I can be there. It means a lot for two reasons: one, for me, but the other, my wife was just diagnosed with cancer again. The thing she told me this morning was that I could do it. I tried to buckle down and not let the noise that usually gets to me, get me. It feels great.”

Lehman and Rolston will travel to Grosse Point Farms, Mich., Aug. 28-Sept. 2 to compete at the Country Club of Detroit at the 66^th U.S. Senior Amateur Championship.
 
Peterson, who fell on the second playoff hole with a par, finished as first alternate, while Coatta finished as second alternate following a bogey on the first playoff hole.