EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. – A 64-man bracket was whittled to 16 in a single day Monday, as the opening rounds of match play at the 49th MGA Players' Championship trimmed the field at Olympic Hills Golf Club — and left fourth-seeded Jack Wetzel looking like the man to beat heading into Tuesday.
Wetzel, of MN Golf Community: Metro, was the most overpowering player on the property, racing through his Round of 64 match with an 8-and-7 rout of Roger Borgeson before closing out Andrew Burstad 6 and 5 in the afternoon Round of 32. As the highest seed still standing, he carries the cleanest line through the top half of the draw.
The day belonged to the favorites only in part. Top-seeded and 2025 Players' champion, Kyler Schwamb (Southern Hills), was the morning's biggest casualty, falling 2 and 1 to No. 64 Matt Rachey of StoneRidge in a 1-versus-64 opener that rarely rewards the underdog. No. 3 Trent Peterson (Bunker Hills) followed him out, edged in 19 holes by No. 62 Isaac Ahn of Rochester Golf & Country Club. And second-seeded Maxwell Tylke (Legends Club) survived the morning only to be dismissed 6 and 5 by Jason Pendleton in the Round of 32.
That result gave host Olympic Hills plenty to cheer. Pendleton, a club member, and fellow Olympic Hills man Bryce Hanstad both punched their tickets to the Round of 16, Hanstad doing so with a 6-and-4 handling of Aradheea Mast Gawade — who had needed 20 holes to escape his own opening match.
Extra holes were a recurring theme. Kagan Kollar outlasted Chase Larson in 19, Jack Holtz needed 19 to get past Ryan Cronin, and more than one seed leaned on late, clutch golf to advance. Isa Khan of YOC Minnesota authored one of the day's notable upsets, bouncing seventh-seeded Jesse Larson 3 and 1 before slipping past Jason Folstad 1 up.
By nightfall only one match remained unsettled: sixth-seeded Joseph Rohlwing (USGA/Minnesota GC) held a 1-up lead through 16 holes over Landon Miller, with the winner set to meet No. 22 Collin Ramos of TPC Twin Cities in the Round of 16.
Match play resumes Tuesday morning, when the 16 remaining tee off with the quarterfinals to follow in the afternoon. Wetzel opens against Jon Dutoit, Pendleton draws Ryan Stendahl, and Hanstad faces Khan in an all-or-nothing meeting of two players riding momentum.