Putter Helps Give Schmitz His First MGA Players' Title

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By Nick Hunter
nick@mngolf.org
 
 
  LAKE CITY, Minn. – In a match-up of arguably two of the state’s best amateur golfers, six-time Minnesota Golf Association Men’s Player of the Year winner Sammy Schmitz carded a pair of early birdies and hung on to defeat two-time defending Minnesota State Open champion Ben Greve at the 40^th MGA Players’ Championship Wednesday at The Jewel Golf Club.
 
Advancing to the semifinals for the first time in 10 appearances at the event Tuesday, Schmitz survived a late flurry by Andrew Israelson early Wednesday before downing Greve, 3 and 2, to earn his first Players’ title, adding more hardware to an already crowded trophy case.
 
“This is a big one,” said Schmitz, who owns 20 state titles and one national title. “I look at the [State Amateur, State Open, Minnesota Golf Champions and MGA Players’] as the four big ones. I really wanted to get this one and had a bad taste in my mouth about the last time I was this close, so I’m fortunate to come out on top.
 
“It really came down to putting today—I had some confidence. The first couple of matches I missed a few short putts, but they were misreads, so I wasn’t heartbroken about it. I felt good with putting all week. I felt like if I read it right and gave it the right speed, that it had a good chance.”
 
Schmitz stuck his approach inside of four feet on the opening hole to strike first and would take a 2-up lead by sinking a 10-footer for birdie at the third. Greve’s tee shot at the par-3 fifth landed 10 feet past the flag and spun within two feet of the cup for a tap-in birdie as Greve cut Schmitz’s margin in half.
 
A turning point during the final match came at the short, par-4 sixth hole when Schmitz hit his tee shot into the tall grass right of the green. Pitching to the right side of the green, Schmitz left himself 30 feet for birdie, while Greve chipped to four feet and looked as though he would even the match.
 
Instead, Schmitz drained his birdie chance and Greve’s putt grazed the left edge and stayed out to give Schmitz a 2-up lead. Greve would struggle with the putter for the rest of the final match, unable to capitalize on several opportunities from eight to ten feet.
 
“There’s no doubt that was [a change in momentum]. If I was Ben I would’ve been really frustrated with that hole,” Schmitz said. “It happens in match play and it happened to me a couple times this week. It was a straight putt, but when you hit a 35 or 40-footer, you never expect it to go in.”
 
Losing his tee shot left at the par-5 eighth, Greve went back to the tee and would reach the green with his fourth shot, narrowly missed what would’ve been a miraculous par, instead he would fall 3-down to Schmitz.
 
Schmitz’s ball-striking abilities were on display most of the final round as he stuck approaches at the 12^th and 13^th holes inside of six feet, carding back-to-back birdies to take a commanding 5-up lead with five to play.
 
Greve clawed his way back within three after a birdie at the 14^th and a bogey by Schmitz at the 15^th. Schmitz’s approach at the par-5 16^th spun back within two feet, while Greve flopped his third to five feet. With both conceding birdies, Schmitz clinched the final match, 3 and 2.
 
“[Greve] and I hit the ball pretty much the same and play to the fat side of the green and let things evolve. Some of the younger guys we played this week are bombers and gouging wedges at the holes and I think we play a little safer,” Schmitz said. “We were able to gauge off each other pretty well and probably hit some of the same clubs into the par-3’s.”
 
With one win to his credit already this season at the MPGA Four-Ball with teammate Jesse Polk, Schmitz, at 37-years-old, has played some of his best golf and notched his biggest wins within the last three years.
 
He cruised to a six-stroke victory (over Greve) at the Minnesota Golf Champions at Dellwood Country Club in 2017. He won the 2016 MGA Mid-Amateur Championship at Medina Country Club after his biggest career win in 2015—the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship.
 
A disappointing finish to an otherwise strong performance for Greve this week, beating Matt Witham to begin the championship early Monday before ousting Jamie Quesnel during the Round of 32.
 
Getting past Noah Rasinski early Tuesday, Greve hung on to beat Michael Schmitz in the quarterfinal round to face a blistering hot defending champion Jacques Wilson. Rolling in seven birdies and an eagle in 12 holes Tuesday, Wilson cooled off against Greve as the former University of Minnesota golfer advanced to the final match with a 3 and 2 victory early Wednesday.
 
“It’s fun playing with Sammy—as I’ve played better locally, it’s been fun going back and forth with him,” Greve said Wednesday. “At the [Minnesota Golf Champions] he beat me by a couple and then at the State Open I beat him by a few, so it’s been a fun mini rivalry with a friend.
 
“I’ve been playing better as I’ve gotten older and probably practiced less and I’m getting a little less technical in my game. It’s been fun to get out and compete and play well. It shows me again that I can compete consistently at this level.”
 
Greve was a member of the 2002 NCAA national championship Gopher team and earned All-Big Ten Second Team honors in 2004. He qualified for the U.S. Amateur Public Links in 2004 and the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball earlier this season. Prior to his back-to-back wins at the State Open, Greve’s best finish came at the 2016 MGA Mid-Amateur where he finished fourth and a fifth-place finish at the State Amateur in 2014.