Anderson and Jacobson Team Up for a Second Time, Earn Second Victory at MPGA Combo at Bunker Hills

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By Nick Hunter
nick@mngolf.org


  COON RAPIDS, Minn. – Pairing up together for the first time in late May, Danny Anderson and Andy Jacobson fired back-to-back rounds of 64 to claim the 40th Minnesota Public Golf Association Four-Ball Championship by three strokes.

Accustomed to playing against one another at their home course of Eagle Creek Golf Club in Willmar, Minn., Anderson and Jacobson teamed up once again Sunday, resulting in another victory at the 32nd MPGA Combination Championship at Bunker Hills Golf Club.

“We never get to play in a scramble together—at our home course they’ll never put us on a team,” Anderson said. “We’re always pitted against each other, so when we get the chance to play with each other, it seems like the world is just letting us go and it’s a lot of fun.

“Andy is a good friend of mine and plays some of the best golf in the state. It makes it easy for me because I get to freewheel because, in all reality, the pressure is on him. I’m the partner and I happened to play good today.”

The MPGA Combination Championship consists of two-player teams playing nine holes of best-ball format on the East Course followed by nine holes of alternate shot on the West Course, and finishing with a nine-hole scramble on the North Course.

Anderson carried his team early Sunday during the best ball portion of the championship, carding four birdies over the first five holes to quickly jumpstart the two to 4-under before Jacobson rolled in a birdie at the sixth.

“It was awesome watching Danny birdie four of the first five [in best ball], he pretty much set the tone,” Jacobson said Sunday. “I enjoyed watching that. It was a great way to start, but I also wanted to contribute.”

“The thing with best ball is it’s a little easier to birdie four out of the first five when you’ve got a drive out and a shot on the green. You can be more aggressive without any fear,” Anderson added.

Like the rest of the field, Anderson and Jacobson cooled off during the alternate shot format on the second nine, carding one birdie and one bogey to head to the final nine holes with a one-shot advantage at 5-under.

Anderson and Jacobson, both from Eagle Creek Golf Club, started quickly on the final nine playing in a two-person scramble when Anderson sank a 20-footer for birdie to get to 6-under before Jacobson reached the 515-yard, par-5 fourth hole on the North Course with his second shot.

“I knocked it on and Danny said he was going to make the putt and he knocked it right in the heart,” Jacobson said. “It looked closer than it was, but it was a makeable putt. I got a big shot of adrenaline when he made that.”

Jacobson carried that momentum to the ensuing hole to make birdie before Anderson stuck his approach inside of two feet at the par-3 sixth for an easy tap-in birdie to put the two at 10-under.

Anderson sank his birdie look from 18 feet at the eighth and the two made an easy two-putt birdie on the final hole to post a 12-under par 96 to earn a two-stroke victory over the team of Joe Conzemius and Erik Heltne.

“It’s exactly what happened at the [MPGA Four-Ball]; instead of worrying about not making putts we were finding ways to make birdies. To play against these fields, you have to have things go right and things went right today,” Anderson said after the win Sunday. “Realistically, the best we could’ve shot was two strokes better.

“A lot of golf is concentrated in the [Twin Cities]. It’s fun to represent outstate Minnesota,” Anderson said. “We’ve got more than just Andy and I at Eagle Creek. [Matt Gorans] finished tied for third. If we all played in as many tournaments as we could and didn’t have two or three-hour drives, I think we could have three of the top-25 players in the state. It’s nice to represent that."

Sunday’s win for Jacobson may have slightly eased the sting of letting the 2017 Mid-Amateur Championship slip from his grasp Wednesday at Southview Country Club. Carrying a two-stroke lead late, Jacobson took a bogey on the 17th hole and narrowly missed his birdie on the final hole, falling to Trent Peterson by one shot.

“That was tough—I had mixed emotions after that. I’ve got to happy with that, but it’s tough to lose by one. I thought I had that tournament," Jacobson said. "The thing about golf is the next tourney is all you’re really thinking about. I didn’t think about that at all today, it’s on to the next one—that’s the beauty of it.”

The team of Topher Baron and Peterson carded an 8-under par 100 Sunday to finish in a tie for third place along with the team of Gorans and Justin Burleson, as well as the twosome of Jamie Quesnel and Max Tylke.



THE 32ND MPGA COMBINATION CHAMPIONSHIP
BUNKER HILLS GOLF CLUB
COON RAPIDS, MINN.
EAST COURSE
3,425 YARDS, PAR 36


WEST COURSE
3,556 YARDS, PAR 36


NORTH COURSE
3,471 YARDS, PAR 36


SUNDAY’S FINAL RESULTS
1. Andy Jacobson/Danny Anderson, 36-31-29—96
2. Joe Conzemius/Erik Heltne, 34-34-30—98
T3. Justin Burleson/Matt Gorans, 34-34-32—100
T3. Topher Baron/Trent Peterson, 35-33-32—100
T3. Jamie Quesnel/Max Tylke, 36-34-30—100
T6. Mark Aldrich/Jesse Polk, 36-34-32—102
T6. Ryan Conn/Tyler Obermueller, 35-35-32—102
T6. Kane Bauer/Joel B. Johnson, 37-35-30—102
T9. Matthew Garside/Caleb VanArragon, 38-35-30—103
T9. Russ Higgins/J.B. Randall, 34-34-35—103
T9. Jon Holmes/Sammy Schmitz, 36-34-33—103


For complete tournament results go to: www.golfgenius.com/pages/3467948675324467368