CANNON FALLS, Minn. – Tallying seven birdies during the opening round Monday lifted the twosome of Brad Johnson and Bob Neuberger to a bogey-free round of 7-under 65 to top the leaderboard at the 52nd Minnesota Golf Association Senior Amateur Four-Ball Championship at Cannon Golf Club.
Johnson and Neuberger will take a one-stroke advantage over the team of Rick Frieburg and John Spreiter to Tuesday’s final round.
“Brad and I both played well today—so nice that we each contributed to our score,” said Neuberger, who’s seeking his second win of the season after capturing the MGA Senior Players’ Championship at The Wilderness at Fortune Bay in June. “We are going to need another great day tomorrow to stay ahead of this talented field.”
Johnson and Neuberger started quickly Monday with birdies at three of their first four holes. Johnson chipped in for birdie at the seventh before Neuberger capitalized on his birdie chance at the eighth to help push the team to 5-under through the opening nine.
Unable to carry momentum to their inward nine, Johnson and Neuberger managed two birdies during their final three holes to take the outright lead at 7-under 65.
Johnson won the Minnesota Public Golf Association Combination championship last season with partner Joel B. Johnson at Pebble Creek Golf Club, while Neuberger claimed the MGA Senior Amateur in 2022 at Crow River Golf Club prior to his win earlier this season.
Frieburg and Spreiter, who posted back-to-back rounds of 3-under 68 a year ago to finish third at Bent Creek Golf Club, combined for just two birdies during their opening nine before rattling off four birdies during the final nine holes to finish the opening round of play in second place at 6-under 66.
“I was out of the hole on the par-3 [No. 12], but other than that, I think we were both in every hole,” Spreiter said Monday. “That was the key—we were both putting for a lot of birdies. Keep doing the same thing and get multiple looks.”
“He can putt and I can’t,” Frieburg joked after his round. “We weren’t struggling for a bunch of pars. I’m going to watch him keep making putts, and just away from bogeys. We had a lot of drives in the fairway in perfect spots that made the hole set up a lot better from there.”
Winners of the last three straight championships, former University of Minnesota teammates John Brellenthin and Tim Peterson bounced back from a pair of bogeys mid-round with two late birdies to finish the opening round Monday in a share of third place after a round of 4-under 68, three shots back.
“My partner played exceptional today,” Peterson said. “We started out great and had multiple shots for birdie on every hole and John made them all—three in a row. It’s not an easy course, and I think [preferred lies] made it easier than it would’ve been otherwise.”
“The bogeys weren’t our best effort,” Brellenthin said. “The golf course is pretty difficult—the pins are tough; you have to hit the right distance and it’s wet. I thought 4-under was a good score. You try to hit as many fairways and greens as you can and have putts at it. The key is to have both guys in the hole and, unfortunately, I was out of a couple today.”
Also posting an opening-round 68 Monday was the team of Bob and Charlie Cavanagh, the pairing of Randy Jacobus and Tim Samuelson, the twosome of Jon Bruing and Mark Maxfield, as well as two-time champions Leif Carlson and Greg Murphy.
The final round of the 52nd MGA Senior Amateur Four-Ball Championship is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. Tuesday at Cannon Golf Club.