GENERAL INFO/FORMAT – The 122nd MGA Amateur Championship will be held at The Classic at Madden’s, Monday through Wednesday, July 21-23. One hundred and fifty-six competitors will play 36 holes – 18 on Monday and 18 on Tuesday. After 36 holes, a cut will be made, and the remaining 60 players and ties will play 18 holes on Wednesday to determine the champion.
U.S. AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP – The winner of the MGA Amateur Championship receives an exemption into the U.S. Amateur Championship, August 11-17, at The Olympic Club in San Francisco, Calif.
LIVE SCORING ON THE WEB
Live Scoring will be available on the MGA website at mngolf.org.
SOCIAL MEDIA COVERAGE – Follow us for updates, photos, and results:
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Twitter: @MNGolfAssn; #MGAAmateur
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THE CLASSIC AT MADDEN’S OFFICIALS – Glenn Hagberg, Director of Golf; Cody Mager; Head Golf Professional and Tanner Schoenfelder, Golf Course Superintendent.
THE CLASSIC AT MADDEN’S – Although entrepreneur T.H. Harrison’s vision to develop his Gull Lake property required a streetcar connection from Brainerd to accommodate visitors from the Twin Cities and beyond, the transit line never materialized. However, the growing popularity of motorcar tourism soon brought visitors to Harrison’s property on the Pine Beach peninsula, which jutted into Gull Lake and featured several independently owned resorts – the Robert’s Pine Beach Hotel, Ruttger’s Pine Beach Lodge, and the Pine Beach Golf Course among others.
Calamity and opportunity go hand-in-hand, and thanks to the Great Depression, Jack Madden and his uncle Tom, leased and later purchased the golf course and adjacent clubhouse on the peninsula. By 1937, Jim Madden had replaced Tom as a partner, and the two brothers soon became the sole owners of the golf course, and later, a spartan, three-cabin “housekeeping resort” called Mission Point. Following WWII and greater expansion of the resort, a new partner joined the brothers, John Arnold, who had formerly worked in the resort’s lodge, and gained additional hospitality experience as an athletic club manager and as Director of Food Service of Northwest Airlines. Madden’s continued to add lodgings to the resort, but a fire in 1964 completely destroyed the golf club complex. From the ashes came a new golf club and the resort purchased the historic Robert’s Pine Beach Hotel, incorporating it into what was renamed the Madden Inn & Golf Club. A few years later, the resort acquired the Pine Beach Lodge giving Madden’s complete ownership of all the resort properties on the peninsula.
C. Brian Thuringer, who had previously served as manager of the Madden-owned Pine Edge Inn in Little Falls, joined the resort team in 1973, and was named a partner in 1989. During Thuringer’s time running the resort, Madden’s built The Classic golf course, which opened to rave reviews in 1997. Hewn from the woods and marsh land south of Gull Lake, The Classic is considered one of Minnesota’s finest golf tests, resort course or otherwise.
After Thuringer’s retirement in 2016, the resort’s leadership turned over to the next generation: Ben Thuringer, chief operations officer, and Abbey Pieper, chief sales and marketing officer. Besides golf, Madden’s features a marina, a full menu of on-the-water recreation, a tennis and croquet club, a kids’ day camp, lakeside spa, live entertainment, an ice cream shop, an art gallery, and an open-air wedding and banquet pavilion.
Madden’s has hosted numerous MGA Senior Tour and amateur championships including the 2002 and 2003 MGA Amateur Team Championships, the 2007 MGA Mid-Amateur Championship, won by Adam Dooley, the 2016 MGA Players’ Championship, won by Trent Peterson, the 2019 MGA Amateur Four-Ball Championship, won by Ryan Conn and Hunter Rebrovich, and the 2019 MGA-WSGA Senior Tour Cup Matches, won by Minnesota (20 to 16).
LAST YEAR’S CHAMPIONSHIP – Carrying a slim, one-stroke advantage into the final round of the 121st Minnesota Golf Association Amateur Championship at Minnesota Valley Country Club, former North Dakota State University golfer Nate Deziel held on to one thought:
Go and have fun.
Deziel produced a strong performance for a third consecutive round, capping it off by converting four birdie chances over his final five holes to earn a three-stroke, wire-to-wire victory at 11-under 208.
Despite carding a pair of bogeys during his opening nine, Deziel maintained a share of the lead at 8-under for the championship before a two-putt birdie at the 10th put him into sole possession of the lead.
A disastrous four-putt double-bogey seemingly dropped Deziel out of contention, but he would display a flawless short game down the stretch, helped by sinking crucial putts late in the round.
Rolling in a 6-footer at the 14th, Deziel recaptured a share of the lead, and would take the outright lead by sinking his short birdie chance inside of four feet at the 16th.
After missing the 17th green, Deziel chipped inside of tap-in range once again to save par and remain two shots ahead of the field before rolling in his birdie putt from five feet at the last to secure his third state championship victory.
Carson Herron carded a final-round 74 to finish tied for second with Nate Stevens, Max Tylke, Cecil Belisle and Matt Armstrong at 8-under 211.
Stevens stormed back carding his best round of the tournament, a 5-under 68 to take the early clubhouse lead and notching his best finish at the championship in his fifth appearance.
Following his round of 67 during the second round, Belisle carded an eagle and one birdie during his final nine holes to post a final-round 71 to earn a share of second.
A bogey early and a bogey late proved costly for Armstrong, who carded a 1-under 72 during the final round to notch his second top-10 finish at the event.
The finish for Tylke marks yet another near miss for the 31-year-old, who claimed his fourth runner-up finish of the 2024 season.
THE FIELD – There are a slew of formidable challengers including four former MGA Amateur champions: Dave Carothers, Interlachen Country Club (2017); Jon Dutoit, Northland Country Club (2015); Bryce Hanstad, Hazeltine National Golf Club (2007); and Trent Peterson, Windsong Farm Golf Club (2008).
Notable competitors in the field include the 2022 MGA Four-Ball and 2023 MPGA Public Links champ, Matt Armstrong (StoneRidge GC); 2023 Class AAA High School individual champ and 2024 MGA Junior Boys’ Player of the Year, Jake Birdwell (TPC Twin Cities); the 2022 MGA Senior Men’s Players of the Year and 2022 MGA Senior Amateur champ, John Brellenthin (The Minikahda Club); the 2024 Minnesota State Junior Boys’ champ, Carter Callan (Youth on Course MN); the 2022 Minnesota State Junior Boys' champ, Peyton Coahran (Little Crow CC); the 2024 MGA Players’ champ, Joe Conzemius (Interlachen CC); the great grandsons of Carson Lee Herron, the 1933 MGA Amateur champ, and the sons of Tim Herron, the 1992 MGA Amateur champ and former PGA Tour player, Mick and PJ Herron (Wayzata Country Club); the 2009, 2013, 2014, 2021 MGA Mid-Players' and 2010 and 2014 MGA Mid-Amateur champ, Troy Johnson (Pheasant Acres GC); the 2025 Chaska Invitational champ, Chase Larson (Olympic Hills GC); the 2022 MGA Senior Amateur champ, Bob Neuberger (Rush Creek GC); the 2023 MGA Junior Boys’ Player of the Year and 2024 Class AAA High School individual champ, Torger Ohe (Youth on Course MN); the 2023 Mr. Minnesota Golf, Joseph Rohlwing (Cannon GC); the 2021 Minnesota State Junior Boys’ champ, Mason Roloff (TPC Twin Cities); the 2025 MGA Players’ champ, Kyler Schwamb (Southern Hills GC); the 2024 Mr. Minnesota Golf, Ryan Stendahl (Rush Creek GC); the 2020 MGA Junior Boys’ Player of the Year, 2021 and 2022 Class AAA High School individual champ and 2022 Mr. Minnesota Golf, Nate Stevens (Northfield Golf Club); the 2016, 2018, and 2022 MPGA State Public Links champ, 2021 MGA Players’ champ, and 2024 MGA Men’s Player of the year, Max Tylke (Legends Club); the 2023 MGA Players’ champ, Brock Winter (Indian Hills GC); the 2022 MGA Junior Boys’ Player of the Year, Sam Udovich (Southview CC); and the 2017 MGA Players' champ, Jacques Wilson (MN Golf Community Metro).
COURSE SET UP – 7,082 yards, Par 36-35 – 71; Course Rating/Slope Rating: 75.0/144
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 36 |
| Yards | 545 | 173 | 383 | 404 | 418 | 545 | 214 | 440 | 437 | 3,559 |
| Hole | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 35 |
| Yards | 450 | 444 | 218 | 634 | 218 | 416 | 532 | 159 | 452 | 3,523 |
ELIGIBILITY – To enter the MGA Amateur Championship, a player must be an associate member of the MGA (through membership of an MGA member club) and carry a USGA Handicap Index of 6.4 or lower at the time of entry.
As of July 18, there are 134 players in the field with “plus” USGA Handicap Indexes (that is, having an index that is better than scratch), with Bryce Hanstad and Jacques Wilson atop the list of competitors at +6.4.
The oldest competitor in the field is Bob Neuberger, Rush Creek Golf Club, 62 years, nine months and 18 days; the youngest, Noah Grassman, TPC Twin Cities, 15 years, three months and one day.
PAIRINGS/NOTICE TO COMPETITORS
Complete pairings and the notice to competitors are available HERE.
ABOUT THE MGA
Founded in 1901, the Minnesota Golf Association is the governing body over amateur golf in the state, responsible for administering the Rules of Golf, and committed to uphold and promote the game of golf and its values for all golfers in Minnesota. The MGA conducts 23 major amateur championships and 15 USGA qualifying events each year. Thanks to the support of its member clubs and associate members, and the efforts of its volunteers and staff, the MGA provides a variety of services such as handicapping, course rating and measuring, an online golf news and information resource, mngolf.org, and an official publication, Minnesota Golfer magazine, which benefits all golfers throughout Minnesota.