Dallas Continues Hot Hand with a Pair of Wins to Open MGA Senior Players’ Championship at Fortune Bay

  TOWER, Minn. – Sidelined the previous three seasons due to injuries, a healthy Andrew Dallas claimed the first state title of his career last fall at the Minnesota Golf Association Senior Amateur Championship at Edina Country Club.

 

Dallas’ good fortune continued Monday as he earned a pair of victories to begin the 26th MGA Senior Players’ Championship at The Wilderness at Fortune Bay.

 

“Since that victory I’ve felt a little more confident in my game. Today was a little up-and-down. It felt a lot closer than it was,” Dallas said following the first two rounds of pool play Monday. “I made a few putts and hit it pretty close on some holes. Solid, but I think I’ll have to play a little better moving forward.

 

“I put the ball in play and was playing smart. I wasn’t attacking pins and let [my opponents] make the mistakes. I laid up in good spots and I felt like I had good control of the golf ball.”

 

Squaring off against Bob Murphy during the opening round Monday, Dallas built a 3-up lead through nine holes and closed out the match by winning his 13th and 14th holes to advance, 5 and 4.

 

Facing Paul Nelson during the second round of pool play, Dallas won five of six holes to close out his front nine with a 4-up lead before winning three straight beginning at the 11th to earn his second victory of the day, 7 and 5.

 

Dallas faces 2017 MGA Senior Amateur champion David Haslerud in the final round of pool play early Tuesday, with the winner advancing to the sudden death quarterfinal round.

Defending champion and 2021 MGA Senior Men’s Player of the Year Tim Peterson advanced from Monday’s first day of competition unscathed, defeating John Mugford, 4 and 3, during the morning session before downing Larry Keithahn, 3 and 2, in the afternoon.

 

“I survived—got off to a really good start in the second round,” Peterson said Monday. “I had a couple bad holes and [Keithahn] birdied a couple of holes, but I was able to close it out on 16.

 

“Overall, most of the time I was driving the ball pretty well. Hit fairways and greens and tried to two-putt because I didn’t make a lot of birdies.”

 

Peterson will need at least a tie against Jay Coatta during the final round of pool play early Tuesday to advance to the quarterfinal round.

 

Last season at Deacon’s Lodge, Peterson defeated Jim Price, 6 and 5, during the quarterfinal round and then beat Haslerud, 3 and 2, to reach the final match against 2019 champion Jim Lehman, eventually winning, 3 and 2, for the first individual state title of his career.

 

Jerry Rose, a three-time champion and five-time MGA Senior Men’s Player of the Year winner, was also among players to go undefeated on Day One of the championship.

Rose cruised through his opening match against John Welton, 6 and 4, before edging Cory Schultz, 1-up, during his afternoon round to set up his final match against Randy Jacobus early Wednesday, needing at least a tie to advance.

 

Brad Johnson earned a pair of wins Monday, along with 2018 Minnesota Senior Open and 2021 MGA Senior Amateur champion John Brellenthin, as well Matt Yeager, winner of back-to-back MGA Senior Amateur Four-Ball championships in 2020 and 2021.

 

The 26th MGA Senior Players’ Championship continues Tuesday, with the final round of pool play getting underway at 7:30 a.m., followed by the quarterfinal round.