A Birdie on the Final Hole Earns Bauer and Johnson MPGA Combo Title

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By Nick Hunter
nick@mngolf.org
 
 
  COON RAPIDS, Minn. – Bouncing back from a bogey on the 26^th hole Sunday, Joel Johnson converted a birdie putt on the 27^th and final hole Sunday, earning him and teammate Kane Bauer a one-stroke victory at the 34^th Minnesota Public Golf Association Combination Championship at Bunker Hills Golf Club.
 
Playing their first nine in 1-under Sunday, Bauer and Johnson played their final 18 holes in 8-under, improving on a seventh-place finish a year ago. Bauer picks up his first state championship victory since he won the MPGA Match Play Championship, while Johnson collects his second win of the season, successfully defending his title at the Loren Krugel Invitational at Mankato Golf Club in July.
 
“This is fun—it’s fun to get together with a buddy and any time you win a state tournament, it’s a cool thing,” Johnson said after his team’s win Sunday. “Today we got some putts to fall—I don’t know how. You’ve got to get a little lucky, but we were able to make some putts. We putted great in the best ball, that’s what saved us.”
 
“We combined for six birdies in the best ball. We thought 10-under was going to be the number and bogeyed the second to last hole, but Joel birdied the last hole to get us to [9-under],” Bauer added.
 
The MPGA Combination Championship consists of two-player teams playing nine holes of best ball format on the North Course, followed by nine holes of alternate shot format on the East Course and finishes with a nine-hole scramble on the West Course.
 
Nearly acing the par-3 sixth hole on the North Course, Johnson tapped in the twosome’s only birdie during their opening nine holes before Johnson hit his approach inside of three feet at the par-4 second hole on the East Course to put his team at 2-under.
 
Finding their rhythm midway through the second nine, Johnson and Bauer carded three consecutive birdies to jump 5-under for the championship with 12 holes remaining. Johnson birdie the opening hole on the final nine before Bauer drilled his birdie chance from 30 feet at the second, moving the pair to 7-under.
 
Bauer wedged his approach to 12 feet on the 23^rd hole and Johnson answered by rolling in his birdie look on the ensuing hole before the two carded their only bogey at the par-3 eighth hole on the West Course. Johnson would sink his birdie opportunity on the final hole to give his team a one-stroke victory over the twosome of Adam Arola and Ralph Baxley and the team of Kevin Barr and Corey Schommer.
 
Johnson’s first state win came at the Minnesota Golf Association Amateur Four-Ball Championship in 2008 with teammate Curt Carbaugh. He claimed the 2010 MPGA Mid Public Links Championship in a playoff and then teamed up with J.T. Johnson to claim the MPGA Combo the same season. Since 2008, Johnson has earned 35 top-10 finishes at state championships.
 
With his lone win coming in 2011, Bauer has placed inside the top-10 nine times since 2008.
 
 
 
THE 34^TH MPGA COMBINATION CHAMPIONSHIP
BUNKER HILLS GOLF CLUB
COON RAPIDS, MINN.
 
NORTH COURSE
3,317 YARDS, PAR 36
 
EAST COURSE
3,255 YARDS, PAR 36
 
WEST COURSE
3,404 YARDS, PAR 36
 
 
SUNDAY’S FINAL RESULTS
1. Bauer/Johnson, 35-32-32—99
T2. Arola/Baxley, 34-33-33—100
T2. Barr/Schommer, 36-29-35—100
T4. Burleson/Sexton, 35-30-36—101
T4. Holmes/Schmitz, 37-31-33—101
T4. Quesnel/Tylke, 35-31-35—101
T7. Brown/Carlson, 36-29-37—102
T7. Engwall/Hanner, 336-31-35—102
T7. Higgins/Randall, 35-32-35—102
T10. Barnes/Vaughn, 35-31-37—103
T10. Buege/Buege, 38-32-33—103
T10. Butler/Carbaugh, 34-32-37—103
T10. Duffey/Nelson, 33-33-37—103
 
 
For complete tournament results go to: 
https://www.golfgenius.com/pages/4940133593440606349