Schmitz Runs Away From the Field to Claim First Minnesota Golf Champions Title

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By Nick Hunter
nick@mngolf.org


  DELLWOOD, Minn. – Firing a 1-under par 71 Sunday at Dellwood Country Club, Sammy Schmitz cruised to a six-stroke victory to become the first amateur to win the Minnesota Golf Champions since Clayton Rask’s victory at Minneapolis Golf Club in 2005.

Opening the championship with a 3-under par 69 Friday before carding a 68 during the second round, Schmitz fired his third consecutive round below par Sunday to finish at 8-under par 208.

“I wanted to come out and do the same thing I did yesterday. I thought I was striking the ball really well all week.“ Schmitz said Sunday. “I felt really good on the range, but I knew anyone could make a run; there are so many good players out here.

“I stayed conservatively aggressive, hitting a lot of 3-irons off a lot of tees and did the same thing yesterday. My iron game was good to the green and I didn’t miss a putt inside of five feet all week, which is interesting because a few days leading up to it, I missed six four-footers. I was happy with my ability to concentrate on short putts.”

Schmitz built a four-stroke advantage over defending champion Ryan Helminen following the second Saturday and vowed to stay aggressive playing with the lead during the final round Sunday.

Starting quickly by curling his birdie at the second from 12 feet, Schmitz moved to 8-under for the tournament and increased his lead after rolling in a short birdie at the par-5 fifth. He would turn at 8-under following a three-putt bogey at the seventh for his first bogey in 27 holes.

Firmly in control of his round and playing with an abundance of confidence, Schmitz made an important two-putt for par at the 10th before getting up-and-down to save par at the 11th. He converted a short birdie at the par-5 13th, to get back to 9-under before a late bogey put him at 8-under 208 for the 54-hole championship.

“I feel really healthy and made bit of a swing change Thursday with [coach Joe Greupner] and it helped me out a lot and gave me a lot of confidence,” he said. “The ball was going a lot further than it normally does so that was a tough adjustment—about a full club further than normal for me.”

Nagged by lingering back and wrist issues over the last few seasons, Schmitz said taking more time off this winter has allowed him to get  and feel refreshed coming into the season.

“Last year I played all through the winter and I didn’t do a whole lot this winter and I feel great and ready for the spring. This is a big deal for me; I really wanted to win this tournament,” he said. “From an amateur standpoint, this is a tough tournament to get into. There aren’t many exemptions to get into it.”

Rask’s first of five victories at the event came in 2005 as an amateur and a member of the Gopher men’s golf team, while Schmitz’s best finish at the event came in 2013 when he finished second behind Rask at Minneapolis Golf Club.

Sunday’s victory is the second at Dellwood for Schmitz as he won the 2011 Minnesota Golf Association Mid-Amateur Championship when the event was held at both Dellwood and Tanners Brook Golf Club.

Defending Minnesota State Open champion and former University of Minnesota golfer Ben Greve’s round of 71 Sunday put him six shots behind Schmitz, while Donald Constable finished as low professional in a tie for third with Andrew McCain at 1-under par 215.

Greve opened the championship with a 2-under par 70 before shooting 73 Saturday to begin the final round six shots back of Schmitz. With birdies at the fifth and eighth holes, Greve quickly moved to 3-under for the tournament before giving back a shot at the ninth.

Another bogey at the 11th dropped Greve back to even par for the day, but he rebounded by carding back-to-back birdies at the 16th and 17th holes before finishing the tournament in second place at 2-under par 214 following a bogey on the final hole.

“I hit the ball great for two days and didn’t make anything. Day Two I played well and threw away a few shots. Today I didn’t hit it as well and seemed to make anything, but hit the ball really well the last five holes coming in,” Greve said Sunday.

“I’ve grown more confidence over the last few years and enjoyed playing more and I want to win, but finishing high and having a chance to win—even though Sammy ran away with it—makes it fun and gets the competitive juices flowing again.”


For complete tournament results go to: https://mnpga.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/mnpga17/event/mnpga176/contest/1/leaderboard.htm