HOPKINS, Minn. – Playing in familiar surroundings at the 64th Minnesota Golf Association Amateur Four-Ball Championship at Oak Ridge Country Club this week, the twosome of Kevin Fecho and Tim McKenney carded seven birdies over their first 11 holes Monday, helping them earn a share of the first-round lead by carding a 6-under 64.
The Oak Ridge members would bogey their final hole Monday to finish tied atop the leaderboard with the team of William Lewis and former Augsburg College golfer Stellan Orvick and the twosome of T.J. Moore and Adam Rosenthal.
“We ham and egged it pretty well on the back nine,” Fecho said after the opening round Monday. “The back nine we kind of cooled down over the last seven holes. Overall, pretty content with today’s results.”
“We missed a few putts when we had some opportunities for birdies coming in,” McKenney added. “But being our home golf course, we’re very happy with an opening round such as this. [Fecho] played amazing and I helped out where I could.”
Only twice since the tournament began in 1962 has a team won the championship on its home course, most recently in 1977 when Jerry Gruidl and Bob Wernick won at The Club at Golden Valley. Rollie Seitz and Paul Turner became the first three years prior at North Oaks Golf Club.
Asked if it’s a benefit or added pressure when playing within the friendly confines of a team’s home course, McKenney replied, “I think it has to help.”
“We’re pretty comfortable with every shot out here and know where to hit it and where not to hit it,” Fecho said. “Doesn’t mean we always execute, but at least we know where to put the ball.”
The top-16 teams from Monday’s first round will advance to play the final 18 holes of competition Wednesday, while the top-20 teams, plus ties, from Tuesday’s round will also advance to Wednesday’s final round.
Fecho came out firing Monday, carding back-to-back birdies at the first and second holes before McKenney reciprocated with birdies at the fifth and seventh holes. A birdie at the ninth by McKenney would put the two at 5-under with nine holes to play.
McKenney tallied his fourth birdie in a six-hole span at the 10th and Fecho rolled in a birdie chance at the par-3 11th to help put his team at 7-under for the day.
But the pairing carded their only bogey of the opening round at the par-4 18th to settle for a three-way share of the lead with a 64.
“We have to keep making putts,” McKenney said looking forward to Wednesday’s final round. “Making birdies is what matters."
“We can’t really get complacent or play conservative, you have to keep making birdies,” said Fecho. “If someone’s in trouble, you make a decision from there, but it’s all go, all the time.”
Lewis and Orvick bounced back from a bogey on their opening hole Monday by rolling in four birdie chances over their next five holes to quickly move to 3-under for the round.
Taking a step back with a second bogey at the eighth, the two would go bogey-free over the remaining 10 holes, tallying four more birdies along the way, including Lewis’ birdie on the final hole to send the two into a share of the lead with a 6-under 64.
“Hit it really solid and made a couple bombs,” Orvick said following the opening round Monday. “I was playing really well and my partner said, ‘When am I going to hop off your shoulders?’ Then [Lewis] made two huge birdies on the back nine and an awesome birdie to finish for us on 18.
“Couple bad bogeys that we had to take, which everyone knows in a best ball is the worst feeling. But those grounded us and made us battle harder. Tomorrow, we rest up and hydrate. Then as long as we don’t have to take anymore bogeys, we will have a fighting chance.”
Also playing on his home course this week, T.J. Moore and partner Adam Rosenthal, a former University of Missouri golfer, carded four birdies over their first five holes Monday before they were slowed with back-to-back bogeys at the eighth and ninth holes.
Moore and Rosenthal capitalized on four birdie chances during their inward nine to finish in a three-way share of the lead at 6-under 64.
Justin Burleson and Ryan Conn combined to post a bogey-free 5-under 65 Monday to earn a share of fourth with the team of Bryan Francis and David Niemi, who benefitted from an eagle-birdie start to kickstart their opening round.
Conn claimed the 2019 championship at The Classic at Madden’s on Gull with partner Hunter Rebrovich, while Burleson has earned back-to-back wins the last two seasons at the Minnesota Public Golf Association Four-Ball Championship with partner Jesse Larson.
The 64th MGA Amateur Four-Ball Championship continues Tuesday when the second wave of the 169-team field begins its opening round at 7:30 a.m. at Oak Ridge Country Club.