Tylke, Conn, Scrimgeour and Jarrett Final Four Standing at MGA Mid-Players’ Championship

   TOWER, Minn. – Looking to bounce back from his runner-up finish from a season ago, Max Tylke earned two more victories on the second day of play at the 19th Minnesota Golf Association Mid-Players’ Championship at The Wilderness at Fortune Bay to reach the semifinal round for the second consecutive season.

 

Tylke tallied six runner-up finishes in 2024 and is searching for his first state match play title since winning the MGA Players’ Championship at Spring Hill Golf Club in 2021.

 

“I kept it very clean for a very long time—similar to yesterday,” said Tylke, who hasn’t trailed a single hole through his first four rounds of play this week. “I didn’t really have any issues and kept the bogeys off the card. Getting off to good starts has been key.”

 

Opening the championship with a pair of victories Monday, Tylke continued his strong play by defeating Bill Thompson, 4 and 3, during the final round of pool play to advance to the quarterfinal round against two-time Twin Cities Championship winner Dylan Gergen.

 

Once again, a steady Tylke moved in front early, winning the second and third holes before extending his lead to three after six holes.

 

Sinking back-to-back birdies at the eighth and ninth holes put Tylke up by five, but Gergen fought his way back by winning three consecutive holes, including birdies at the 14th and 15th holes to pull within two.

 

Tylke closed out the match with a two-putt birdie at the par-5 16th, 3 and 2, to reach the semifinal round in consecutive seasons.

 

“As long as I can keep bogeys of the card—the greens are good and the course is great,” Tylke said. “If you make bogeys, it’s hard to win. Keep it simple because I should run into a good match with [Conn], so I’m looking forward to it.”

 

Despite a myriad of close calls in 2024, Tylke found a silver lining with a victory at the Worthington Labor Day Classic to help secure MGA Men’s Player of the Year honors.

 

At last year’s championship, Tylke knocked out Jesse Polk during the quarterfinals before eliminating two-time defending champion Bryce Hanstad, 2 and 1.

 

Tylke fell to Peterson in the finals, 2-up.

 

Conn, who finished as runner-up two consecutive seasons to Hanstad in 2022 and 2023, downed Daniel Conley, 4 and 2, before surviving a playoff with Jonathan Hanner to earn his spot in the quarterfinal round.

 

Facing Joel B. Johnson in a see-saw battle, in which neither player held more than a 1-up lead, Conn traded jabs to earn a 1-up lead with a birdie at the 16th.

 

Johnson reciprocated with a birdie at the par-3 17th to tie the match, but Conn took advantage of a Johnson bogey at the last to reach the semifinal round for the third time in four seasons.

 

After failing to advance from pool play a season ago, Mitch Srimgeour flipped the script this week, going unbeaten through three matches, including a victory over defending champion Trent Peterson early Tuesday, to reach the quarterfinals.

 

Cruising to a 5 and 3 victory over 2018 Twin Cities Champion Erik Bredesen, Scrimgeour earned a spot on the semis for the first time in his career.

 

“I’ve been looking forward to this weekend since last year,” Scrimgeour said Tuesday. “I played Trent last year and pushed the match when I was 1-up with two holes to go. Our bracket this year was almost exactly the same. It was a little bit of an emotional day.

 

“I’ve been keeping it in play really well, I know the fairways are wide, but sometimes you lose focus of your target when they’re that big. I haven’t three-putted at all, which has been huge. I’ve played in some bigger events over the last year, so it’s been more of managing nerves.”

 

Scrimgeour squares off against Nick Jarrett during Wednesday’s semifinal round. Jarrett advanced from pool play Tuesday with a victory, 2-up, over two-time champion Justin Burleson.

 

Facing Jesse Larson during the quarterfinals, Jarrett rallied during the back nine with a pair of birdies to close out his match, 4 and 2, to meet Scrimgeour in the semifinals.

 

The semifinal round of the 19th MGA Mid-Players’ Championship gets underway at 7:50 a.m. Wednesday at The Wilderness at Fortune Bay.