Peterson Outduels Burleson in St. Cloud to Earn First MGA Mid-Players' Championship

By Nick Hunter
nick@mngolf.org


  ST. CLOUD, Minn. – Playing in his first Minnesota Golf Association Mid-Players’ Championship, Trent Peterson defeated Justin Burleson, 2-up, Saturday at St. Cloud Country Club to become the first player in the state to hold both the Players’ and Mid-Players’ titles concurrently.

Prior to his win Saturday, Peterson claimed the 2008 Players’ Championship at Northland Country Club and notched his second win at the event last June, beating Joe O’Brien in the championship match at The Classic at Madden’s. He will look to defend his title Monday when the 39th MGA Players’ Championship gets underway at The Jewel Golf Club.

“First time eligible—it feels great. It’s match play and I’ve always loved match play,” Peterson said Saturday. “It’s one-on-one—him versus me. It’s a little mental and it’s a little physical. You can win with 4-under or lose with 4-over or even win with 4-over.

“I had some really good rounds and had some mediocre rounds that turned out to be just good enough. This is my second big tournament of the year, so any time you can get a win under your belt it’s nice."

Burleson struck first by taking advantage of a bogey by Peterson on the opening hole. Failing to get up-and-down from in front of the green at the par-3 fourth, Burleson carded a bogey to square the match.

“I got off to a rocky start with a bogey on one. I hit a simple drive, but hit four bad shots after that to make bogey and give him the first hole,”

Peterson said Saturday. “It was the first time I was down all week and I was thinking, ‘this isn’t a fun place to be.’”

Finding trouble off the tee at the seventh, Burleson carded his second bogey in three holes as Peterson took his first lead of the match before sinking his birdie chance at the ninth to turn with a 2-up lead.

Burleson’s troubles from the tee continued to the back Saturday when his drive found the hazard left of the fairway. He narrowly chipped in for par, but would concede Peterson’s short birdie putt from the fringe, giving Peterson a 3-up lead.

Another wayward tee shot at the 11th led to consecutive bogeys for Burleson at the 11th to face a 4-down deficit, but Burleson would battle back by taking the 13th and 14th holes with birdies.

One final par at the par-3 16th clinched the match for Peterson for his first victory this season. He notched three wins last season along with six top-5 finishes. He now has 17 amateur victories in the state to his credit.

“I made every three or four-footer for par straight in the hole. There was never a doubt—I was very comfortable with that all day.”

Burleson has quietly become one of the more consistent players in recent years, claiming five top-5 finishes in 2016, winning the Minnesota Public Golf Association Mid-Public Links Championship at Blackberry Ridge Golf Course.

He notched three top-5 finishes in 2015, the same year he collected his best finish at the MGA Mid-Players’ when he advanced to the quarterfinals.

“It was a long battle out there today,” Burleson said after his runner-up finish Saturday. “We both struggled a bit but like I said before, it was going to come down to who could make putts, and Trent made more putts than I did.

“I was four down with six to go and had a little stretch with a couple birdies to get within two, but Trent made a big putt on 15 to stay two up and then I bogeyed the last. It’s a lot of golf [in three days]; I don’t know that I hit more than four or five good shots today.”