A Flurry of Birdies Helps Neuberger to Second State Win at MGA Senior Players’ Championship

TOWER, Minn. – Prior to his quarterfinal matchup at the 26th Minnesota Golf Association Senior Players’ Championship at The Wilderness at Fortune Bay Tuesday, Bob Neuberger said he’d have to play the best golf of his life to continue to advance in the tournament.

 

Neuberger did just that and then some, rattling off five consecutive victories this week to claim the second state championship of his career Wednesday, defeating 2023 MGA Senior Amateur champion Mark Aldrich, 5 and 3.

 

“To play against this field of competitors, the field is so good, that you have to be on your game the entire time,” Neuberger said Wednesday. “This is unbelievable—this field, top-to-bottom, is full of great players who’ve won multiple times. To keep it together mentally and physically for that long and that many holes is amazing.

 

“I’m happy with the way I struck the ball. My [quarterfinal match] I putted unbelievably well, and I putted really well again this afternoon.”

 

Falling behind Aldrich early during the championship match, Neuberger quickly took control of the round by carding five consecutive holes beginning at the sixth to take a sizeable 4-up lead through 10 holes.

 

After taking advantage of bogeys by Aldrich at the sixth and seventh to take the lead, 1-up, Neuberger had a tap-in birdie at the eighth before rolling in a 4-footer at the ninth to increase his lead to three.

 

Capitalizing on the par-5 10th, Neuberger carded his third consecutive birdie to extend his lead to four and closed out the match with a par at the 15th, 5 and 3.

 

“I knew I was going to have to play great golf because [Aldrich] is a really good player, but I don’t really recall missing a shot—I really played well,” Neuberger said.

 

Neuberger opened the championship with a tie against Jim Thoe, but advanced out of pool play with victories over Michael Longman and 2021 MGA Senior Amateur champion John Brellenthin.

 

Cruising during his quarterfinal match against Brad Johnson, 6 and 5, Neuberger would then outlast defending MGA Senior Amateur champion Andrew Dallas in 22 holes to meet Aldrich in the finals.

 

Neuberger’s previous state win came in 2022 at Crow River Golf Club where he bookended rounds of even par 71 to edge J.B. Lloyd by two strokes to claim the MGA Senior Amateur.

 

In position to claim the seventh state victory of his career, Aldrich jumped out to an early lead but was plagued by a pair of early bogeys during the front nine and was unable to recover the rest of the way.

 

Looking to keep his hopes alive, a wayward tee shot at the par-5 15th led to bogey as Aldrich fell in the final match for the second time in three seasons.

 

“I lost it right in the middle of the match,” Aldrich said Sunday. “Six, seven, eight, nine and 10—I lost five straight holes. I was one up and suddenly I was four down. It’s hard to come back from that. I made one birdie today and he made four or five. [Neuberger] played beautifully today.

 

“Someone pointed out that three of the four people in the semifinals were [MGA Senior Amateur] champions in 2022, 2023 and 2024. Three really good players there and you still have to play really well to beat the other guy.

 

Aldrich has posted back-to-back strong finishes after placing fourth at the Minnesota Senior Open at Keller Golf Course in late May to earn low-amateur honors.

 

“Very happy with finishes recently and I’ve got five or six more tournaments to play,” he said.

 

After falling to Jerry Rose in the finals of the 2023 championship at Alexandria Golf Club, Aldrich went on to win the MGA Senior Amateur at his home course of Wayzata Country Club a few months later for his biggest state win to date.