118th MGA Amateur Championship
July 19-21, 2021, Rush Creek Golf Club, Maple Grove, Minn.
GENERAL INFO/FORMAT – The 118th MGA Amateur Championship will be held at Rush Creek Golf Club, Monday through Wednesday, July 19-21. One hundred and fifty-six competitors will play 36 holes – 18 on Monday and 18 on Tuesday. After 36 holes, a cut will be made and the remaining 60 players and ties will play 18 holes on Wednesday to determine the champion.
LIVE SCORING ON THE WEB
Live Scoring will be available on the MGA website at
www.mngolf.org.
SOCIAL MEDIA COVERAGE – Follow us for updates, photos, and results
Facebook: Minnesota Golf Association
Twitter Handle: @MNGolfAssn; #MGAAmateur
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RUSH CREEK GOLF CLUB OFFICIALS –
Derek and
Jenny Stendahl, General Manager and Golf Operations Manager, respectively;
Tom Wall, Head Golf Professional; and
Matt Cavanaugh, Golf Course Superintendent.
RUSH CREEK GOLF CLUB – Rush Creek was founded in 1996 by W. Duncan MacMillan, whose vision was to turn an existing golf course and farm into a first-class golf facility. An avid sportsman, he wanted to make sure golf was a sport that everyone could participate in, so he created a private club experience for public golf patrons. Working with renowned architects, John Fought and Bob Cupp, the course and original clubhouse were built and his dream became a reality. In 2012, Rush Creek added a nine-hole short course, The Mac 9.
Rush Creek hosted the 2004 U.S. Amateur Public Links, a match-play championship won by
Ryan Moore. The facility has played host to three professional women’s events: the 1999 Samsung World Championship of Women’s Golf, which featured the top-20 LPGA players in the world, won by
Se Ri Pak (280, 8-under par); the 1998 Rainbow Foods LPGA Classic, won by
Hiromi Kobayashi (206, 10-under par); and the 1997 First Bank Presents the Edina Reality LPGA Classic, won by
Danielle Ammaccapane (208, 8-under par).
LAST YEAR’S CHAMPIONSHIP – Entering the 117th Minnesota Golf Association Amateur Championship’s final 18 holes with a four-stroke lead, Frankie Capan stumbled with back-to-back bogeys late to relinquish his lead. Fortunately, he found his footing and rallied with a pair of birdies to hold off the surging Van Holmgren, the 2018 Amateur champ, and Andrew Israelson, to earn his first state amateur championship.
After lengthy putts to start, Capan was unable to make any substantial putts for the next 14 holes. Bogeys at four and six trimmed his lead to one over Holmgren, but Capan rolled in a short birdie at the eighth to turn at 11-under for the championship.
A two-putt birdie at the par-5 12th stretched Capan’s lead to two, yet he would find trouble at the 13th by hitting his second shot into the water. Limiting the damage with a bogey, Capan bogeyed the next, the par-4 14th, to fall one back.
Capan responded by sticking his approach inside of six feet at the 15th and rolled in his birdie to pull even with Holmgren. Missing the fairway at the 16th, he took control by hitting one of his best shots of the tournament: from thick rough, Capan chopped his approach to 25 feet and drilled his birdie opportunity to take sole possession of the lead.
Thanks to back-to-back bogeys by Holmgren on the final two holes, Capan carded a pair of pars to clinch the victory, setting a tournament record in relation to par at 12-under 204.
Entering the final round eight shots off the lead, the 2019 MGA Players’ champion Andrew Israelson posted a tournament-low 7-under-par 65, that included a stretch of five birdies in a seven-hole span to quietly finish in second place at 10-under-par 206
THE FIELD –
Frankie Capan returns to defend his title amongst a formidable field of challengers including nine former MGA Amateur champions:
Jesse Bull, Golden Valley G&CC (2014);
Dave Carothers, Wild Marsh GC (2017);
Dave Christensen, Elk River Golf Club (1997);
Mike Christensen, Pokegama GC (1995);
Eric Deutsch, Rochester Country Club (2004);
Bryce Hanstad, Alexandria GC (2007);
Van Holmgren, Baker National GC (2018);
Clay Kucera, Chaska Town Course (2019); and
Trent Peterson, Valleywood GC (2008).
Should Capan successfully defend his title, it would be the eleventh time a champion has accomplished this remarkable achievement – the most recent being current PGA Tour player
Tom Hoge, who won in 2009-2010.
Notable competitors in the field include the 2021 NJCAA Division II Individual National Champion and 2020 MGA Players’ champ,
Cecil Belisle (Red Wing GC); the 2019 Minnesota PGA Junior Boys’ champ,
Gunnar Broin (Chaska Town Course); the 2001 MGA Mid-Amateur and 2014 MPGA State Public Links champ,
Tony Brown (Wayzata CC); the 2020 MGA Mid-Players’ and 2019 MGA Mid-Amateur champ,
Justin Burleson (Mendakota CC); the 2017 MPGA State Public Links champ,
Joe Conzemius (Interlachen CC); the 2020 MGA Senior Player’s champ,
Jay Gregory (Bemidji T&CC); the 2021 Trans-Mississippi Amateur champ,
Derek Hitchner (The Minikahda Club); the 2019 MGA Players’ and 2016 Minnesota State Junior Boys’ champ,
Andrew Israelson (Vintage at Staples); the 2012 MGA Player’s and the 2016 MGA Mid-Players’ champ,
Andy Jacobson (Eagle Creek GC); the 2021 Mid-Players champ and 2011 Minnesota State Open champ,
Troy Johnson (Medina G&CC); the 2019 Minnesota State Open champ,
Brady Madsen (Hawk Creek CC); the 2020 Minnesota State Junior Boys’ champ,
Dayne Mann (Refuge Golf Club); the 2005 MGA Players’ champ,
Parker Pemberton (Hazeltine National GC); the 2021 MGA Senior Players’ champ and 3-time MGA Senior Player of the Year,
Jerry Rose (Alexandria GC); the 2018 MGA Players’ champ and six-time MGA Player of the Year,
Sammy Schmitz (StoneRidge GC); the 2016 Class AAA High School individual champ and Mr. Minnesota Golf (2017),
Ben Sigel (Windsong Farm); the 2021 MGA Players’ and 2018 MPGA State Public Links champ,
Max Tylke (Links at Northfork); and the 2018 Minnesota State Junior Boys’ and Minnesota PGA Junior Boys’ champ,
Caleb VanArragon (Bunker Hills GC).
CLUB TEAM EVENT – The MGA Amateur Championship includes a team competition during the first two rounds (MGA member clubs are represented by three or four golfers, whose low three scores are totaled). Ties are broken by a matching of scorecards, per the
Official Guide to the Rules of Golf, see Section 5A(6) of the Committee Procedures.
Last year,
Windsong Farm Golf Club (Dave Carothers, Jack Ebner, Jacob Pedersen and Ben Sigel) won with a two-day total of 427 (5 under), four shots better than the Bunker Hills Golf Course team (Topher Baron, Ralph Baxley, Blake Onkka and Caleb VanArragon).
COURSE SET UP – 7,268 yds, Par 36-36 – 72
Hole #1 – 433 yards, par 4 Hole #10 – 580 yards, par 5
Hole #2 – 537 yards, par 5 Hole #11 – 416 yards, par 4
Hole #3 – 201 yards, par 3 Hole #12 – 184 yards, par 3
Hole #4 – 338 yards, par 4 Hole #13 – 389 yards, par 4
Hole #5 – 440 yards, par 4 Hole #14 – 470 yards, par 4
Hole #6 – 348 yards, par 4 Hole #15 – 189 yards, par 3
Hole #7 – 203 yards, par 3 Hole #16 – 468 yards, par 4
Hole #8 – 613 yards, par 5 Hole #17 – 426 yards, par 4
Hole #9 – 458 yards, par 4 Hole #18 – 575 yards, par 5
Out – 3,571 yds Par 36 In – 3,697 yds Par 36
Course Rating/Slope Rating: 75.7/149
ELIGIBILITY – To enter the MGA Amateur Championship, a player must be an associate member of the MGA (through membership of an MGA member club) and carry a USGA Handicap Index of 6.4 or lower at the time of entry.
As of July 12, there are 112 players in the field with “plus” USGA Handicap Indexes (that is, having an index that is better than scratch), with
Frankie Capan atop the list of competitors at +6.4.
The oldest competitor in the field is
Leif Carlson, Keller Golf Club, 67 years, 11 months and 21 days; the youngest,
Ryan Stendahl, Rush Creek Golf Club, 15 years, 9 months and 29 days.
PAIRINGS/NOTICE TO COMPETITORS
Complete pairings and the notice to competitors are available online at
https://www.mngolf.org/Tournament/MGA_Amateur_Championship_11
ABOUT THE MGA
Founded in 1901, the Minnesota Golf Association is the governing body over amateur golf in the state, responsible for administering the
Rules of Golf, and committed to uphold and promote the game of golf and its values for all golfers in Minnesota. The MGA conducts 23 major amateur championships and 14 USGA qualifying events each year. Thanks to the support of its member clubs and associate members, and the efforts of its volunteers and staff, the MGA provides a variety of services such as handicapping, course rating and measuring, an online golf news and information resource,
mngolf.org, and an official publication,
Minnesota Golfer magazine, which benefits all golfers throughout Minnesota.
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