Schmitz Holds off Meyer to Win Publinks Championship

By Mike Fermoyle (mikefermoyle@gmail.com) 

JORDAN -- What had seemed inevitable for the last couple of years became reality on Sunday when Sammy Schmitz won the Minnesota State Publinks Championship at Ridges @ Sand Creek.

The 31-year-old former St. John's All-American from Farmington -- who turned pro and tried the mini-tours right out of college, and quickly decided he didn't like that life -- has been knocking on the door at a lot of state tournaments since getting his amateur status back in 2008. He's had seconds in both the State Amateur (this year) and the State Open (last year), but the Publinks is the one where he's spent the last three years standing on the threshold patiently ringing the doorbell. 

He finished second in 2009, third in 2010 and second again in 2011. 

On Sunday, the door finally opened. Schmitz followed the course-record-tying 66 in Sautrday's first round with a 1-over-par 72, and the resulting 138 was good enough for a one-stroke victory.

There was one person who nearly kept the door closed, and that was Chris Meyer, a senior-to-be at the University of Wisconsin. Starting the day three behind, Meyer made up two strokes on Schmitz with a front-nine 33, but in the end he came up one short, posting a 70 for a cumulative 139.

It was a good day for Farmington alumni, because in addition to Schmitz, there was another former Tiger, Greg Werner, a soon-to-be senior at Minnesota State-Mankato, in third place with a 142 (70-72).

Brent Jacobson, a former State Publinks Four-Ball champion (he and Troy Johnson won the title in 2007), closed with a 71 and finished fourth at 143.

Then there was a three-way tie for fifth, including former Publinks champ Leif Carlson, who shot a pair of 72's. He tied Keith Piotrowski and Nick Kling, both of whom followed 70's with a 74's.

The two college guys who played off for the crown two years ago -- South Dakota State's David Smith won over Northern Iowa's Yarri Bryn on the first extra hole to claim the 2010 title -- were both part of a four-way tie for eighth, at 145, along with the Minnesota's Colton Buege (who was also a top-10 finisher at the State Amateur) and mid-am Mark Sperling.

Schmitz is widely regarded as the best amateur in the state right now, and he is certainly the most explosive.

During the second round of this year's State Open, he torched the back nine at Bunker Hills to the tune of 29 (a tournament record), going 7 under par in a span of six holes (13 through 18). He did something very similar to Ridges on Saturday -- 6 under in a five hole stretch -- and that, basically, was where he won the tournament.

He started his first round on the 10th tee and was just sort of minding his own business and not making any waves through the first eight holes. Up to that point, he'd made one birdie and one bogey and was even par.

Then the fireworks began. Schmitz made an eagle at the 516-yard, par-5 18th, and as if one eagle per round weren't enough, he made another on the next hole he played, the 550-yard, par-5 first hole. He also birdied the 180-yard, par-3 third and the 459-yard fourth, thereby completing an eagle-eagle-par-birdie-birdie blitz.

For a little variety, he tossed in a double bogey at the 202-yard, par-3 fifth, but rebounded with a birdie at the 518-yard par-5 seventh, and he capped off the round with a spectacular birdie at the 452-yard, par-4 ninth.

The ninth is a formidable hole under any circumstances, and on Saturday it was playing into a healthy breeze. Schmitz was faced with a 220-yard shot into the teeth of the wind, and didn't necessarily have a club that was suited to the situation.

So he improvised.

"I had my 4-iron totally hooded, played it off my right foot and hit a huge hoook," he recalled Sunday afternoon with considerable pleasure. "It was just a crazy shot, and it worked."

The birdie that the miracle 4-iron shot set up enabled Schmitz to match the course-record 66 that Troy Merritt established six years ago in a college tournament. (Merritt has since gone on to play on the PGA Tour -- he collected $1 million for winning the Kodak Challenge in 2009 -- although he's back on the Nationwide this year).

Anyone who's been paying attention to Minnesota golf in the last couple of years knows who Schmitz is. He won the State Mid-Amateur last fall and was named the MGA Player of the Year. This spring, he picked up where he left off by winning the State Publinks Mid-Am and the MGA Mid-Players' Championship.

The 23-year-old Meyer was more of a mystery guest this weekend.

He went to Edina High School, was recruited by the Gophers and signed with them, arriving as a freshman in 2008. At the time, it was standard procedure for Minnesota to red-shirt all freshmen. So that was how he spent his first year, but he rarely saw any tournament action in his second year, either. Looking for a  fresh start, he transfered to Wisconsin two years ago and has become a fixture in the Badgers' lineup since then.

"I was impressed," Schmitz said of Meyer. "He can play."

But Meyer hasn't played much in Minnesota lately. As a matter of fact, this was his one and only tournament appearance in the Land of 10,000 Lakes this summer. His next tournament will be with the Badgers in mid-September.

Meyer's schedule has been taken up with a couple of national tournaments (the Southeastern Amateur and the Palmetto Amateur) and several events in Wisconsin, including the State Amateur. He finished 10th in the Wisconsin State Am this summer, and was seventh last year.

It was Meyer who siezed the initiative on Sunday, with a birdie at the first hole. Schmitz made a par.

At the third, Meyer made a long over-the-mountain-and-down-into-the-valley putt for a 2. Schmitz, who was only about 5 feet closer, replied in kind..

"He must have been 50 feet," Schmitz estimated. "I was about 45 feet, and I made mine on top of his. That was sort of the way it went. We had a really good, back-and-forth match all day."

Schmitz surrendered two strokes with bogeys at the fourth hole and fifth (definitely not his favorite hole at Ridges). But he regained the lead when Meyer bogeyed the 425-yard, par-4 sixth. He went 2 up when he birdied the seventh, but Meyer responded with a birdie at the 430-yard, par-4 eighth.

A 15-foot birdie putt at the 394-yard, par-4 12th gave Schmitz a little more breathing room. Then he bogeyed the 13th.

By the time two protagonists in this Sunday drama reached the tee at the 163-yard, par-3 17th, Schmitz was two ahead. However, his lead was nearly wiped out in one swing, when he sailed an 8-iron over the green.

"There was an upslope behind the green," he noted, "and if it hadn't been for that, my ball might have gone out of bounds."

It stayed in, but he made a bogey, reducing his lead to a single stroke.

The 18th hole was a little bit anti-climactic. Both Schmitz and Meyer hit good drives (Schmitz is a long-hitter, averaging 300-plus with his driver, and Meyer is also a long-hitter), and then knocked 5-iron second shots onto the green. But they were on the front, the pin was on the back, and they both wound up three-putting for their pars.

"I had my chance to tie there," Meyer said. "But it was a really hard two-putt from where we were, and Sammy three-putted his, too. I left some shots out there, but you're always going to feel that way at the end of a round, or a tournament. Overall, I was happy with the way I played. Sammy was just a little better." 

With the victory, Schmitz picked up 125 MGA Player Points, and he now leads the race for 2012 Player of the Year with 537.5 points. Matt Schneider, who tied for 12th in the Publinks (and received no points; only the top 10 finishers get points), is second with 415.  

MINNESOTA PUBLIC GOLF ASSOCIATION

State Publinks

At Ridges @ Sand Creek

Par 71, 6,936 yards

Jordan 

Final scores

1. Sammy Schmitz                     66-72--138

2. Chris Meyer                            69-70--139

3. Greg Werner                           70-72--142

4. Brent Jacobson                      73-71--143

T5. Keith Piotrowski                   70-74--144

T5. Leif Carlson                          72-72--144

T5. Nick Kling                              70-74--144

T8. Mark Sperling                       72-73--145

T8. Colton Buege                       73-72--145

T8. Yarri Bryn                              73-72--145

T8. David Smith                         72-73--145

T12. Grant Exsted                     71-75--146

T12. Kane Bauer                       72-74--146

T12. Jake Warneke                   72-74--146

T12. Matt Schneider                 70-76--146

T12. Kyle Fredrickson              73-73--146

T18. Tony Brown                       71-76--147

T18. Rick Frieburg                    71-76--147

T18. J.T. Johnson                     75-72--147