Peterson Collects Another State Title with 4th Publinx Championship

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STILLWATER -- What Trent Peterson did on Sunday at Loggers Trail wasn't so much a round of golf as it was a clinic in how to win tournaments. There were a couple of misclubs and suspect chip/pitch shots, but for the most part, his 5-under-par 67 was a flawless masterpiece. It was textbook stuff -- hit fairways (12 of 14), hit greens (14 of 18), and make the crucial putts when you have to -- and it gave him a 36-hole total of 134 (11 under). That was good for a three-stroke victory in the 2024 MPGA Public Links Championship.

Unfortunately, only one player can win, and that's a lesson that keeps being reinforced on Max Tylke. A year ago, Tylke tied Matt Armstrong for first in the State Publinx, but lost in a playoff. Starting with that, he has put together one of the best runs of championship level performances in the history of Minnesota golf, but the problem is that he hasn't won. He keeps finishing second, and that was where he finished Sunday -- yet again. His runner-up streak in state championships is at five in a row. 

So far this year, he and his partner, Ryan Tschann, have posted a 36-hole score of 13 under at Royal Golf Club and lost by one stroke to Justin Burleson and Jesse Larson in the State Publinx Four-Ball; Tylke has lost to Peterson 2 down in the final of the MGA Mid-Players Championship; Tylke has lost the State Open to Carson Herron in a playoff at Rush Creek; and a week after that, he lost by one shot to Nate Deziel in the State Amateur at Minnesota Valley. And now another second in the Publinx. Tylke, a 31-year-old with three State Publinx victories to his credit, has eight state titles in his resume, but right about now, he has to be shaking his head, wonderiing what it will take to win another.

Peterson, 37, now has four Publinx titles -- and 40 state titles in all, more than any other Minnesota male amateur has ever won. (Leigh Klasse has the record for women, with more than 50 Minnesota state titles. She has also won a few in Arizona.) In addition to those 40 state titles, Peterson has won about a dozen other tournaments with fields comparable to the ones he's conquered in state championships, from tournaments such as the Krugel Invitational in Mankato, which he won for the second consecutive year in July, the Lyle Cran in Stillwater, the Twin Cities Championship and the Twin Cities Junior (twice).

"I really don't know how many I have," he conceded Sunday. "I've lost count." 

When Sunday's round began, there was a three-way tie for first. Peterson, Tylke and former State Publinx runner-up Yarri Bryn (2010) had all shot 67s on Saturday.

Bryn routinely hits drives over 300 yards, but he couldn't find the fairways at Loggers Trail on Sunday and fell behind early, leaving Peterson and Tylke in a two-horse race. They both birdied the 533-yard, par-5 second hole, and Tylke was the first man to 8 under for the tournament when he birdied the 228-yard, par-3 sixth hole. But he gave that stroke back when he bogeyed the next hole, the 357-yard, par-4 seventh. Peterson birdied it, and thereby took his first lead of the day. But then he bogeyed the long (475-yard) par-4 eighth when he hit his second shot over the green -- the wind stopped just as he was making his swing -- and hit a week pitch from behind the green. He nearly saved par with his putt, but the ball ended up hanging on the back lip.

The pin at the par-5 ninth (568 yards) was only four steps from the back of the green, and there was nothing good behind the green. Neither Peterson nor Tylke could reach the green in two, but they hit two of the best approaches of the day, both to within 12 feet. In what was to become a kind of recurring theme over the last 10 holes, Peterson made his putt, and Tylke didn't.

That meant Peterson was one ahead of Tylke -- minus 9 to minus 8 -- as they went to the par-5 10th (507). Ten minutes later, it appeared that Tylke would leapfrog Peterson after he hit a gorgeous second shot to within 5 feet of the cup, and Peterson was 40 yards from the green, hitting his third shot. But he got the ball to take one hop and stop 6 feet from the cup. He made the 6-footer for birdie, and Tylke missed his 5-footer for eagle. So the potential two-shot swing disappeared, and Peterson was still one ahead going to the 11th tee. 

On each of the next three holes, Tylke had the advantage. At the 470-yard, par-4 11th, Peterson was 70 feet away from the cup in two, and Tylke was 20 feet. Peterson's first putt went 7 feet past the cup, but he made the comebacker for par, and Tylke just missed his his 20-footer for biridie. No blood. At the 12th (387 yards), Peterson two-putted from 30 feet, and Tylke came close but couldn't drop his 15-footer for birdie.

Nevertheless, Tylke was able to gain a stroke -- finally -- and pull even at the par-3 13th, a hole that goes steeply uphill and that was playing only 87 yards on Sunday. The difficulty of the hole, despite its lack of length, was made apparent when Peterson came up 5 yards short of the green. His chip/pitch came up 10 feet short, and he missed the putt for par. Tylke two-putted from the front fringe, and the two were tied with five holes to go, both at 2 under for the round, and 8 under for the tournament.

"My chipping and pitching weren't all that great today," Peterson said. "They've actually been kind of suspect all year. I think that might be because I've been hitting a lot of greens this year, and I haven't had to hit a lot of chips or pitches. I should probably be working on those things a little more in practice. But my putting has been good, and that was the thing that saved me a couple of times today. I putted pretty well all weekend."  

Peterson began his sprint to the finish line -- and reclaimed the lead -- at the 441-yard, par-4 14th, where he hit a wedge shot to 3 feet. He made the birdie putt, and Tylke missed his birdie chance from 15 feet. 

Golf in the 21st Century has become a game of power. It always was, but it's even more so now. Peterson may very well be the most accurate driver in Minnesota amateur golf, but he's never been a long hitter. That has changed a little bit this year, since he got a new driver, and he's probably up from averaging 270 or 275 yards with his tee shots, to 280 or 285. And on Sunday, he essentially sealed his victory at the 490-yard, par-5 16th hole, thanks in no small part to a 310-yard drive. He followed it with a 5-iron from 180 yards to 15 feet.

Tylke did well to two-putt for a birdie from the back of the 16th green, 90 feet away, but Peterson made his eagle putt.

"It was a perfect putt," he said, smiling. "I had to be careful, because it was going to break (about 9 or 10 inches), but if you hit that putt too hard, it could get away from you. But the speed was exactly right, and it died into the cup."

So the three-time MGA Player of the Year was two ahead with two holes remaining, and he doesn't make many mistakes. At that point, Tylke had to be thinkiing that he needed a birdie-birdie finish to catch Peterson. When he didn't birdie the 220-yard, par-3 17th, he was discouraged, and that probably explains why he missed his short  putt for par.  

That was the clincher.     



Minnesota State Public Links Championship

At Loggers Trail

Round 1 -- Par 73, 6,870 yards

Round 2 -- Par 72, 6,805 yards

Stillwater

Final results

1, Trent Peterson, Bunker Hills               67-67--134  (-11)

2. Max Tylke, Legends Club                    67-70--137

T3. Herman Connor, Fox Hollow GC      72-71--143

T3. Jonathan Hanner, Goodrich GC        71-72--143

T5. Joel Johnson, Links at Northfork       70-74--144

T5. Max Ulen, Bunker Hills GC                71-73--144

7. Charlie Williams, Hastings GC             77-68--145

T8. Matt Armstrong, Stoneridge GC         75-71--146

T8. Ralph Baxley, Bunker Hills GC           73-73--146

T8. Stephen Kondratuk, Fox Hollow GC  75-71--146

T8. Brandon Sperling, Willinger's GC       75-71--146

T8. Jacob Dixon, Loggers Trail                 74-72--146

T13. Matt Norgaard, Willow Creek GC      76-71--147

T13. ERik Bredesen, Oak Marsh               71-76--147

T15. Blake Onkka, Bunker HIlls GC          79-69--148

T15. Brody Pass, Bunker Hills                   69-79--148

T17. Leif Carlson, Keller GC                      77-73--150

T17. Luke Ehmke, YOC Minnesota            76-74--150

T20. Bobby Frazzini, Pioneer Creek GC     78-73--151

T20. Ryan Tschann, Legends Club              77-74--151

T20. Gavin Newkirk, Stoneridge GC            77-74--151

T20. Drew Bosley, Braemar GC                   75-76--151

T20. Ryan Conn, Alexandria GC                  74-77--151

T20. Baron Topher, Bunker Hills GC             71-80--151

T20. Yarri Bryn, Bunker Hills GC                  67-84--151