2 Eagles Help Propel Reigstad to Tapemark Lead

WEST ST. PAUL -- In the Professional Tournament Golfer's Manual, somewhere near the beginning of the first chapter, it says that the best way to win a tournament is to minimize your mistakes, nibble away at the par-3's and par-4's with a birdie here and a birdie there -- and take advantage of the par-5's. 

That's not always true. But generally, it is, and especially in the Tapemark Charity Pro-Am at Southview Country Club, where all of the par-5's are less than 500 yards long. 

And that was precisely what the leaders did on Friday in the opening round of the 2018 Tapemark.

Jon Reigstad is in first place with a 7-under-par 64 one-third of the way through the tournament mainly because he was 5 under on the 5's. The 36-year-old director of instruction at Keller Golf Course got off to a quiet start, parring the par-3 10th hole (he started on the back nine), birdying the par-4 11th and following that with five consecutive pars. Then things got interesting, as he played his next six holes without a par. But there were two eagles in that stretch, plus a birdie.

The first of the eagles came at the 481-yard, par-5 18th, right after he birdied the 490-yard, par-5 17th. Reigstad proceeded to bogey the par-4 first, birdie the par-3 second and bogey the par-4 third, then bounced back with another eagle at the 470-yard, par-5 fourth. He parred the next three holes, before capping off his round with two more birdies at the eighth and ninth holes, both par-4's. The only par-5 he didn't take advantage of was the sixth (476 yards). 

Don Berry, who has seven Tapemark titles among his record 23 Minnesota professional major championships, is tied for second at 65, along with Chris Meyer. Each of them was 4 under on the 5's. 

The greens at Southview are a bit slower than usual this year, and several pros said it was difficult to get a feel for the speed. Which, in turn, made it tough to play the breaks correctly. If you have to hit a putt a little bit harder than you normally would, it doesn't break as much.

Berry, 56, solved that problem by hitting it so close on several occasions that it would have been difficult to miss. He blasted a bunker shot to within a foot of the cup for his birdie at the 17th, and chipped to within a foot for another birdie at the 18th. He made his longest birdie putt at the first, from 15 feet, and cashed in from 4 feet for another birdie at the third. The only 5 on his card showed up at the fourth, , which he parred, but the Edinburgh USA head pro -- and 16-time Minnesota PGA Player of the Year -- made up for that omission by hitting a 5-wood to within a foot of the cup at the sixth for an eagle 3.

That gave him five 3's on his card in the first six holes.

Meyer is a 27-year-old who has played on the PGA LatinoAmerica Tour and qualified for the 2018 European Challenge Tour (the European equivalent of the Web.com). He has a history of top-5 finishes at the Tapemark and got off to another good start on Friday. Like Berry, he was bogey free, but unlike Berry and Reigstad, he took advantage of all four par-5's, with birdies on each of them. 

Robert Bell, one of three players tied for fourth at 66, also was 4 for 4 on the par-5s, all birdies. The guy who did the most damage on the 5's, however, was Scott Cole. After pars at the first two holes and a bogey at the third Friday afternoon, he eagled the fourth, parred the fifth -- and then made another eagle at the sixth. He followed that burst of fireworks with 10 consecutive pars and concluded his round with birdies at the 17th and 18th holes (for an aggregate of 6 under on the four longest holes).

Cole and Bell, a former University of Minnesota golfer, are tied with another former Gopher, Grady Meyer. He birdied three of the 5's, on his way to 66.

As a group, those top six players -- Reigstad, Chris Meyer, Berry, Bell, Cole and Grady Meyer -- had 24 cracks at the 5's on Friday, and they were 26 under for those holes.

Right behind them, at 67, are Brent Snyder and Derek Stendahl. Another stroke behind at 68 are former Tapemark champ Jeff Sorenson, a four-time Minnesota PGA Player of the Year, along with Brad Schmierer and Casey Vangsness. 

Basically, the difference between those top six guys and the next five was the way they played the 5's, because Snyder, Standahl, Sorenson, Schmierer and Vangsness played a total of 20 par-5's, and they were 12 under on them.  

Scott Fenwick is the low amateur so far. He is in a group of six tied for 12th at 69.    


PROFESSIONAL GOLF

Tapemark Charity Pro-Am

At Southview Country Club

Par 71, 3,134 yards

West St. Paul

First-round results

1. Jon Reigstad, Keller GC                     64

T2. Don Berry, Edinburgh USA               65

T2. Chris Meyer, Southview CC              65

T4. Robert Bell, Pierz G&CC                  66

T4. Scott Cole, RTG Golf                        66

T4. Grady Meyer, Windsong Farm          66

T7. Brent Snyder, Troy Burne GC           67

T7. Derek Stendahl, Rush Creek GC      67

T9. Brad Schmierer, Dakota Pines          68

T9. Jeff Sorenson, The Minikahda Club  68

T9. Casey Vangsness, Minneapolis GC  68

T12. Scott Fenwick (a), Southview CC    69

T12. Craig Brischke, Tanners Brook GC  69

T12. Eric Chiles, Chaska TC                    69

T12. Clayton Johnson, Dellwood CC        69

T12. Corey Johnson, 2nd Swing Golf       69

T12. Ross Miller, Dellwood CC                 69