Benson and Peterson Pull Away Late to Win MGA Four-Ball

  HOPKINS, Minn. – Opening the 64th Minnesota Golf Association Amateur Four-Ball Championship with an 8-under 62 Tuesday at Oak Ridge Country Club, the twosome of Brett Benson and Trent Peterson followed it up with a round of 63 to earn a two-stroke victory over the team of Thomas Gutzmer and Tommy Marker and the twosome of Corey Schommer and Max Tylke.

The win Wednesday marks Peterson’s second state victory in three days, winning the Minnesota Public Golf Association Public Links Championship Sunday at Prestwick Golf Club. He also claims his second MGA Four-Ball win, partnering with Cory Blenkush to win in 2007 at Hastings Golf Club.

“It’s a fun event, but it’s hard because you’ve got to make birdies and go low,” Peterson said. “The few years that we’ve been together, we’d play well one day but not the other. We just couldn’t string two good days together–that’s what's tough. We played great yesterday and ham and egged it fantastic today, coming out on top is awesome.”

Benson claims his first state tournament victory since closing out his junior season at Jackson County Central High School with individual medalist honors at the Class A championship in 2004.

“I’ve won some local tournaments, but I’d been out of the state for seven or eight years,” Benson said. “When I moved back to Minnesota, he send me a text asking to play in the four-ball—any time Trent Peterson asks me to play in a golf tournament, I’m going to play.

“We’ve been in the mix, but never gotten over the hump. It’s fun to win, but it’s fun to play good golf, and that was more important.”

Following a birdie to open their final round Wednesday, Benson and Peterson strung together three consecutive birdies beginning at the par-4 third to reach 12-under for the championship.

Sinking his birdie chance from 10 feet at the 10th, Benson helped him and Peterson to 13-under, and Benson would add a birdie from inside of six feet at the 13th to help give his team the outright lead at 14-under for the championship.

Both Benson and Peterson failed to get up-and-down from the back of the 14th green to save par, resulting in their first bogey of the week, dropping them back into a share of the lead, but Benson would sink a 12-footer for birdie at the 15th and Peterson would shut the door on the championship by converting his birdie opportunity from five feet at the 16th to secure a two-stroke victory with a final-round 63.

“It was Day Two of me playing the golf course, so I wasn’t 100 percent sure of what to expect,” Benson said of the final round Wednesday. “Kind of got into a groove early.”

“I’d say we did a really good job of giving ourselves almost two birdie putts on every hole,” Peterson added. “It just makes it easier and then you can be aggressive, and you’re not worried about lagging putts so you don’t three-putt. We really played 35 stress-free holes.”

Peterson’s 43rd career victory also marks a fourth consecutive season with at least three state wins. His win earlier this season at the MPGA Mid Public Links, Peterson extended his streak to 13 straight seasons with at least one victory.

Carding a 5-under 65 during their first round Tuesday, Gutzmer and Marker tallied a pair of birdies during their front nine before heating up over the final nine holes.
Playing the first five holes of the back nine in 5-under Gutzmer and Marker quickly climbed the leaderboard to move within one shot of the lead at 12-under.

A birdie at the par-3 16th kept them close, but finishing with back-to-back pars put Gutzmer and Marker into the clubhouse with a share of second at 13-under 127.

Schommer and Tylke, winners of the 2019 MPGA Four-Ball Championship at Southbrook Golf Course, began their final round two shots off the lead following an opening-round 64 Tuesday.

Recording just two birdies over the first six holes, defending MGA Men’s Player of the Year Tylke jumpstarted the round by holing out for eagle at the par-4 ninth to put his team at 10-under with nine holes to play.

Carrying momentum to the back, Schommer and Tylke traded birdies at the 11th and 12th holes before Tylke’s birdie at the par-5 14th moved the two into a share of the lead at 13-under. Despite a spectacular sand save from Schommer at the 16th, but two made par at the final two holes to finish in a share of second at 13-under 137.

Topher Baron and Ben Freeman, who shared the first-round lead with Benson at Peterson after firing an 8-under 62 Tuesday, struggled to find their stride on the opening nine Wednesday with just one birdie.

The two would finish the final round with a 3-under 67 to finish in a share of fourth place with the teams of Jacob Herdine and Connor Herman, William Lewis and Stellan Orvick and Elias Ekern and Brennan Weckwerth.