Gergen Makes 67 Look Easy, Edges Hawkinson in TC Championship

ST. PAUL -- There's something about Keller Golf Course that brings out the best in Dylan Gergen. In 2007, when he was a senior at Cretin-Derham Hall, he shot a 5-under-par 67 on an absolutely miserable May day in the Section 3AA Tournament (that was the last year of the old two-class format). It was the high school/junior golf equivalent of the 69 that Don Berry shot at Minneapolis Golf Club in the first round of the 2010 Minnesota Golf Champions, a round that ranks as the best horrible weather performance by a Minnesota golfer the last decade. 

The weather was a lot better on Sunday for the final round of the Twin Cities Championship at Keller -- actually, the weather was just about perfect -- as Gergen shot another 67. What made this round almost as impressive as the one from five years ago was that the Loyola University (Chicago) alumnus made it look so easy. He had about nine birdie putts in the 5- to 15-foot range -- and he made two of them. 

That turned out to be just enough, however, and he won the tournament. His 36-hole aggregate of 140 -- he shot 73 on Saturday in the first round, which was played at Bunker Hills -- gave him a one-stroke victory over Jordan Hawkinson and Sammy Schmitz, who won this tournament three years ago.

Schmitz, the reigning MGA Player of the Year, appeared to be on the way to his second TC Championship title as he manuevered his way around the front nine in 32 (4 under). In the process, he made two eagles, holing a 63-yard wedge shot for a 2 at the 375-yard second hole, and then making a 3 at the 465-yard, par-5 ninth.

"I shot 32 on the front, and thought I was going to win," he said. "Then I forgot how to play the game. I was terrible on the back nine."

The clearest indication that the long-hitting Schmitz might not close the deal came when he failed to birdie the 525-yard, par-5 12th hole.

"I missed six 10-foot putts today," he said. "But the thing that really killed me was that I was even par on the par-5's for the weekend. You aren't going to win many tournaments that way."  

Hawkinson arrived at his 141 from the other direction. After a first-round 75, he was lamenting the unreliability of his driver, which had him spending more time in the forest than Robin Hood. On Sunday, he wasn't ready to give the driver glowing reviews, but there were definitely signs of improvement. And he must have hit it pretty well on a course as tight as Keller to shoot 66.

His assault on par really began at the 445-yard, par-4 10th, the hardest hole on the course. Hawkinson might not have noticed; he hit a pitching wedge to 4 feet and made birdie. Two holes later, at the 12th, he hit a 4-iron second shot to 5 feet and made the putt for an eagle. He added birdies at the par-3 15th and par-4 18th to conclude a front-nine 31.

"I really hit only one bad drive," Hawkinson said. "That was on 16 (550 yards, par 5), and it went way left. I hit a great punch-out  from there to 150 yards. Then I pulled my next shot into the bunker, but I got it up and down for par. That was a big save."  

Jon Dutoit, who led after his 69 at Bunker Hills on Day 1, wasn't quite as sharp Sunday. He had to settle for a 74, and wound up tied for fourth place, at 143, with Hudson Carpenter, who shot 70. 

As well as Hawkinson was playing Sunday, he was pretty sure he wasn't the only one lighting up the course.

"Every time I looked back," he said, "Dylan was stuffing another iron shot next to the pin."

Unfortunately for Gergen, he wasn't translating his first-rate ball-striking into birdies.

"I hit it close at 2, 4, 5, 7 and 8, and missed them all," he remembered with more than a hint of frustration.

The one putt he did make definitely helped the cause, however. It was a 5-footer for eagle 3 at the 505-yard, par-5 third. 

It had been a little more than two years since Gergen's last victory, which came in a college tournament during his junior year at Loyola. So he wasn't entirely used to being in the hunt for a first-place trophy.

"I was starting to feel some nerves as I started the back nine," he conceded, and one manifestation of the nervousness was a bogey at No. 11 (395 yards, par 4).

But he reasserted himself by hitting a 4-iron second shot onto the green at the par-5 12th and two-putting for birdie from 30 feet. He then saved par with a 5-footer for 3 at the 147-yard 13th.

"I think making that putt sort of calmed me down," he suggested. "After that, my competitvie instincts kind of took over."

Gergen hit a wedge to 6 feet at the 14th hole and made a 6-footer for his birdie and followed that with a 5-iron to 12 feet at the 177-yard, 15th. He made that one, too, his longest putt of the round -- by 50 percent -- and then parred the last three holes.  

Twin Cities Championship

At Bunker Hills Golf Course (first round)

Par 72, 7,025 yards

Coon Rapids

At Keller Golf Course

Par 72, 6,566 yards

St. Paul 

Final results 

1. Dylan Gergen, Mendakota                       73-67--140

T2. Jordan Hawkinson, Purple Hawk         75-66--141

T2. Sammy Schmitz, Valleywood                71-70--141

T4. Jon Dutoit, Chaska Town Course         69-74--143

T4. Hudson Carpenter, Stillwater                73-70--143

T6. Kane Bauer, Hastings                             71-74--145

T6. David Smith, Rush Creek                       73-72--145

T6. Jon Holmes, Valleywood                        75-70--145

T6. Mike Fermoyle, Hastings                        76-69--145

10. Michael Cloer, Eagle Valley                  75-72--147

T11. Steve Hjortness, Eastwood                 74-74--148

T11. Mike Wangen, Bearpath                      77-71--148

T11. Keith Piotrowski, Bolstad/University 73-75--148

14. Eric Laorr, Hazeltine                               77-72--149