Deziel Remains in Front at MGA Amateur, but State Open Champ Herron Lurking One Shot Back

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. - Bouncing back from a pair of early bogeys Tuesday, former North Dakota State University golfer Nate Deziel rolled in four birdies over his final 11 holes at Minnesota Valley Country Club to post a 3-under 70 during his second round of the 121st Minnesota Golf Association Amateur Championship.

Pacing the field for the second consecutive round, Deziel enters Wednesday's final round one shot clear of recent Minnesota State Open winner Carson Herron.

“It was tough out there. The course firmed up a little bit and the wind picked up,” said Deziel, who opened with a bogey-free 66 Monday. “Going into a round after shooting a low score, it's hard to back it up.

“I continued to hit it in some nice spots today, but I challenged myself by not hitting it as close. I had much more break today on the greens."

Playing his first six holes in 1-over Tuesday, Deziel converted his birdie chance at the par-4 eighth hole to turn in even par for the round.

Carrying momentum to his inward nine, he rolled in a 20-footer for birdie at the 10th to reach 8-under for the championship before a tap-in birdie at the 15th.

Deziel knocked his approach inside of six feet at the 17th and capitalized on one final birdie chance to card a 3-under 70 to remain on top of the leaderboard at 10-under 136.

“I continued to trust myself and fully commit to each swing,” the 24-year-old Deziel said Tuesday. “When you give yourself that many chances on the back nine, you're due to make some.

“I didn't look at the leaderboard today. Whatever is going on out there shouldn't dictate how you're playing. Going in with that mentality, if you play your game and if it's good enough at the week, awesome. If not, you tried your best.”

Looking to go wire-to-wire Wednesday for his first state championship win since claiming the Minnesota Junior PGA Tournament of Champions in 2018, Deziel once again maintains an elementary approach ahead of the final round.

“I'm going to go to bed and then rise and repeat.”

With the chance to become the second consecutive golfer to win the Minnesota State Open and the MGA Amateur Championship in the same season following his State Open victory a week ago at Rush Creek Golf Club, Herron put himself in position by bettering his opening-round score by one shot, posting a bogey-free 5-under 68 on Tuesday.

“Similar to yesterday, I didn't play the par-5s well today,” Herron said following his second round. “I wasn't hitting my driver and my woods as well as I wanted. Figured I needed to take a step back and focus on making a good swing.”

Managing a pair of birdies during his opening nine Tuesday, Herron escaped trouble at the par-4 third by punching his approach to within three feet, leading to his third birdie of the round.

Dropping his birdie putt from eight feet at the fifth, Herron would then sink one final birdie chance from four feet at the sixth to pull within one shot of Deziel with his second-round 68.

“I had a bunch of good shots coming in, but tough putts led to me not converting those birdies,” he said. “I'm just really proud with how I played—no bogeys is a good day. I'm playing solidly and I'm looking to continue to push myself on the par-5s and play those better.

“The key for me tomorrow is to keep the putter hot. My irons feel good, so hopefully I can hit some better tee shots with my woods to give myself those chances.”

Herron admittedly got off to a slow start at the State Open a week ago, entering the final round six shots off the lead before carding a final-round 68, eventually emerging from a three-way playoff.

“You don't expect to win in that scenario, so it's just patience,” the University of New Mexico senior said. “It tells me that if I'm a couple over on the back nine, don't lose hope or don't get too frustrated because anything can happen. I strung together five birdies in a row yesterday on the back nine.”

Jesse Larson, recent winner of the Minnesota Public Golf Association Four-Ball Championship, followed his opening-round 68 with a 2-under 71 during the second round of play Tuesday.

Larson will enter Wednesday's final round tied for third with St. Thomas University golfer and 2023 MPGA Public Links champion Matt Armstrong at 7-under 139.

The final round of the 121st MGA Amateur Championship is scheduled to begin at 7:50 a.m. Wednesday at Minnesota Valley Country Club.