Johnson Defeats Meyer to Win Fourth MGA Mid-Players' Championship

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By Nick Hunter
nick@mngolf.org
 
 
  BIWABIK, Minn. – Entering this week’s Minnesota Golf Association Mid-Players’ Championship with three titles to his credit, Troy Johnson has come to an important realization:
 
“I feel pretty comfortable in match play and I go in with the mindset that I don’t have to play perfect golf. If I have a bad hole, it doesn’t really affect the rest of my game.”
 
Johnson is the tournament’s only three-time winner, and after defeating Paul Meyer, 2 and 1, Wednesday at The Quarry at Giants Ridge, Johnson added a fourth win at the event for his first state title since 2014.
 
“It means a lot for a couple reasons; I changed my swing this winter and I feel like it’s starting to come together, and it’s fun to have my son [Aidan] caddy for me and he’s watched me play in some of these events. My older son caddied for me at the [U.S. Amateur Four-Ball], so both have been able to watch me in competition, which makes it fun to win,” Johnson said.
 
This year’s championship featured a new pool-play format in which eight groups of four players competed in three matches, with the winner of each pool advancing to the sudden death quarterfinal round.
 
During Johnson’s previous three wins, only five wins were needed to win the championship, but with a format change came a sixth round of play.
 
“It’s a little more grueling,” Johnson said. “Paul and I got pretty gassed on the back and we were just trying to hang on. We both hit some bad shots and we both hit some good shots. We made some good putts and it was a matter of making it count at the right time.”
 
Meyer struck first during the final match Wednesday with a birdie on the opening hole before Johnson countered with back-to-back wins at the fourth and fifth to swing momentum in his favor, but a string of bogeys for Johnson to close out the opening nine holes would give Meyer a 2-up lead going to the 10^th.
 
Johnson cut into the deficit by carding his sixth birdie of the week at the short par-4 13^th to trail by one.
 
“Thirteen was a great hole for me this week. I went for the green every time and I birdied it every time,” Johnson said. “That was the turning point for my round. I felt if I could get to that hole in a decent position, I had a nice strategy for that hole and it paid off.”
 
Finding his footing once again, Johnson would get-up-and-down for birdie at the par-5 14^th to recapture the lead late. Unable to capitalize on a short birdie chance at the 16^th, Johnson’s tee shot at the 17^th rolled within three feet of the cup for a tap-in birdie and his ninth state championship win.
 
“Walking up to 17 I was trying to relax and hit a solid shot right in the middle of the green and I hit it exactly how I pictured it.”
 
Posting a perfect 3-0 record in pool play this week, Johnson advanced from the quarterfinal round with a victory over two-time winner and defending champion Justin Burleson late Tuesday. Johnson surged during his back nine early Wednesday with a flurry of birdies to defeat Ryan Conn to reach the final match against Meyer.
 
Johnson’s first win came in 2007 when he paired up with Brent Jacobson to with the Minnesota Public Golf Association Four-Ball Championship at Sundance Golf Course. A year later, Johnson earned a victory at the MPGA State Public Links Championship and he would win his first MGA Mid-Players’ Championship in 2009 at Chaska Town Course.
 
After winning the MGA Mid-Amateur in 2010, Johnson went on to win the Minnesota State Open the following year at Rush Creek Golf Club. He remains the only player to win back-to-back MGA Mid-Players’ titles, claiming the 2013 tournament at Island View Golf Club and the 2014 championship at Brackett’s Crossing Country Club.
 
Prior to Wednesday’s win, Johnson’s previous victory came at end of the 2014 season when he won the MGA Mid-Amateur Championship at Chaska Town Course.
 
With his runner-up finish Wednesday, Meyer notches his best performance at a state championship since he finished in a tie for sixth at the MGA Amateur Championship at Bearpath Golf and Country Club in 2000.
 
“I did better than what I thought I’d do and I know I can play with these guys, but I just don’t have the reps and part of it was fatigue,” Meyer said following his sixth round in the past three days. “My wedge game was really good until today. My putting was good and I think I birdied the 10^th hole every round.
 
“I hit it off the golf course too many times coming in. I knew I was up against a better player, but I just don’t play in enough tournaments. That’s it—I’m not tournament tough. This is my third MGA event in the last 15 years. These guys are steady and they’ve got better command of their driver. It’s a tight window and I’m off every now and then and that got me.”
 
Meyer also escaped pool play unscathed this week before downing Ben Egart during the quarterfinal round Tuesday. During Wednesday’s morning session, Meyer outlasted Casey Nelson on the second playoff hole to reach to finals for the first time.
 
More recently, Meyer partnered with Rick Hauch to place seventh at the MGA Amateur Four-Ball Championship at The Classic at Madden’s in 2019. Meyer qualified for U.S. Mid-Amateur Championships in 2004 and 2006, as well as the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship in 2009
 
The 16th MGA Mid-Players’ Championship will be contested at Royal Golf Club in Lake Elmo, Minn.