WOODBURY, Minn. – Rallying with five birdies over their final nine holes Sunday at Eagle Valley Golf Course, Justin Burleson and Jesse Larson posted a 7-under 65 for a second straight day to earn a two-stroke victory over Will Frazier and Daniel Johnson, successfully defending their title at the Minnesota Public Golf Association Four-Ball Championship.
Burleson and Larson become just the fourth team in tournament history to claim back-to-back wins, and first since Mike Fieldler and Jesse Polk won consecutive titles in 2020 and 2021.
“It always amazes me how when you get toward the end of the tournament, and you’ve been playing for 30 years, but you still feel the nerves and feel the stress,” Burleson said following the win Sunday. “It’s a great feeling and cool to come out ahead.”
“We had three straight second-place finishes and then it was nice to get it done last year,” Larson added. “This year—again, it’s a great way to start the year and sets the tone a little bit.”
After carding a birdie on their opening hole Sunday, Burleson and Larson were slowed by their first bogey of the week at the par-4 fourth to relinquish the lead at 7-under.
The two bounced back quickly with birdies at the seventh and eighth to keep pace with Frazier and Johnson, but they remained two shots back.
“We grinded a little bit on the front nine, but starting about the eighth hole, we started cooking,” Burleson said. “We played the last 12 or 13 holes in 7-under—that was a pretty good stretch.”
Putters warmed up for both Burleson and Larson on the back nine Sunday as Larson sank his 15-foot birdie putt at the 12th before Burleson reciprocated with his birdie putt from 15 feet at the 14th to join Frazier and Johnson on top of the leaderboard at 12-under for the championship.
“Two good moments that kind of turned the match,” Burleson said. “First putt I made all day of any distance.”
Larson rolled in his birdie putt from two feet at the 17th to give him and Burleson a two-stroke advantage after Frazier and Johnson fell back with a bogey at the 15th.
Pulling away late, Burleson’s approach at the last stopped inside of four feet for one final birdie to tally a 36-hole score of 14-under 130.
“I feel like we were more solid yesterday—we didn’t have any bogeys,” Burleson said of Saturday’s opening round. “It was effortless because we were never in any trouble, so it was pretty stress-free.”
“We were stressed on a couple more holes today,” Larson said. “[Johnson and Frazier] were running away from us. Middle of the round we had to make a few birdies to keep pace because they were moving the whole time.”
Burleson captures the seventh state victory of his career Sunday, while the win is Larson’s third state win.
Beginning the final round one shot back of leaders Burleson and Larson, Frazier and Johnson got off to a fast start with a pair of birdies over their first three holes to earn a share of the lead at 9-under for the championship.
A birdie at the fourth would put Frazier and Johnson two shots clear of the field, a lead they would carry to their final nine holes.
Following a birdie at the 10th to maintain a two-stroke advantage, Frazier and Johnson struggled to find birdies during their inward nine Sunday, surrendering the lead with their second bogey of the championship at the par-3 16th.
Johnson’s approach at the last came to rest within two feet of the cup for a tap-in birdie and a runner-up finish at 12-under 132.
Firing the low round of the championship Sunday, the team of Ralph Baxley and Ryan Conn climbed into sole possession of third place at 11-under 133 by closing out with a bogey-free 8-under 64.