Bell Shoots 67 to Lead Round One of Minnesota State Open at Edinburgh

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By Nick Hunter
nhunter23@mngolf.org


  BROOKLYN PARK, Minn. – Just one day after turning professional, former Minnesota Gopher golfer Robert Bell jumped out to an early lead by shooting a 5-under par 67 Friday at the 2013 Minnesota State Open at Edinburgh USA Golf Club.

Bell played in his final tournament as an amateur Wednesday at the Minnesota Golf Association Amateur Championship and finished tied for third before turning pro the following day.

“It was sweet to play the round I did today in my pro debut,” he said. “I played well at the state amateur tournament this week and it really gave me some confidence coming into today. I felt really comfortable out there and wasn’t as nervous as I thought I’d be.”

Bell started his round with his only mistake of the day, a bogey on the third hole, before making an eagle on the fourth hole to quickly turn things around and sit at 1-under. He made back-to-back birdies and the eighth and ninth holes to make the turn at 3-under par.

Bell would continue to cruise on the back nine as he made birdie on the 10th hole to get to 4-under par. He birdied the par-5 12th hole before finishing his round with six consecutive pars to end his round at 5-under par 67.

“The way I wanted to attack this course, especially on a day like today, was to keep the ball low,” Bell said. “I hit a lot of 3-irons today which left me with mid-irons into the green and I gave myself several good birdie chances.”

“My game plan for tomorrow won’t change—there are still 36 holes to play, which is a lot of golf,” Bell said. “There are a lot of good players in this tournament that shot under par, even par and even a couple over par so anything can happen in the next two days.”

Dan Moline turned in an impressive 3-under par round to begin the tournament Friday. Moline, Ridgeview Country Club, had an excellent start to the morning as he birdied three out of the first four holes to quickly move to 3-under before a bogey on the seventh hole dropped him back to 2-under.

He made birdie on the ninth to again move to 3-under at the turn. Moline made par on the first four holes of the back nine and made another birdie on the par-3 14th hole to get to 4-under, but a bogey on the 17th would put Moline in the clubhouse at 69 and tied for second place.

“Today was probably the best I’ve hit the ball all year,” Moline said after his round. “I just felt good today; I don’t know what it was but I found something on the range and choked down on the club a bit and I started hitting the ball well. I was struggling to find it for a little while before this.”

“I haven’t played here yet this year, so I hit a lot of fairways and the fat part of the green and made putts early—stuff was dropping for me,” Moline said. “I made a big birdie putt to start and gave myself a lot of chances on the front. I didn’t finish as well as I had hoped but I kept it together.”

Sammy Schmitz, who played in Bell’s group, also sits tied for second place after a first-round 3-under par 69 Friday. Schmitz, Valleywood Golf Course, got all of his work done early in his round as he birdied the first hole to start strong before making birdie on the fourth to quickly move to 2-under.

Schmitz then made another birdie on the final hole of the front nine to make the turn 3-under. He then put his game on cruise control as he would par all nine holes on the back nine to finish his day at 3-under par 69.

Trent Peterson, Valleywood Golf Course, continued his strong play this year as he carded a 2-under par 70 to finish his opening round tied for fourth with Thomas Campbell, Adam Hanson, Andy Smith and Jack Holmgren.

Holmgren, Baker National, just won the Minnesota State Junior Boys’ Championship at Decotah Ridge Golf Club July 9.


EDINBURGH USA
BROOKLYN PARK, Minn.
PAR 72, 6,888 YARDS

ROUND 1 RESULTS

1. Robert Bell (p), University GC, 33-34--67
T2. Sammy Schmitz (a), Valleywood GC, 33-36--69
T2. Dan Moline (a), Ridgeview CC, 33-36--69
T4. Trent Peterson (a), Valleywood GC, 35-35--70
T4. Thomas Campbell (p), University GC, 34-36--70
T4. Jack Holmgren (a), Baker National GC, 33-37--70
T4. Adam Hanson (p), Alexandria GC, 34-36--70
T4. Andy Smith (p), Superior National GC, 35-35--70
T9. Jesse Larson (a), LeSueur CC, 37-34--71
T9. Jon DuToit (a), Chaska TC, 34-37--71
T9. Jesse Bull (a), Golden Valley G&CC, 36-35--71
T9. Dominic Kieffer (a), Somerby GC, 35-36--71
T13. Jon Hanner (a), Baker National GC, 34-38--72
T13. David Haley (p), University GC, 32-40--72
T13. Sammy Meyer (p), Rush Creek GC, 35-37--72
T13. Sam Matthew (a), Midland Hills CC, 38-34--72
T13. David Steingart (a), Edina CC, 35-37--72
T13. Luke Benoit (p), University GC, 35-37--72
T13. Alex Kolquist (a), Lester Park GC, 36-36--72
T13. Conrad Hahne (a), Links at Northfork, 35-37--72
T13. Eric Rolland (p), Woodhill CC, 37-35--72
T13. Billy Lewis (p), Hiawatha GC, 36-36--72
T13. Matt Norgaard (p), Somerby GC, 38-34--72
T13. Daryl Schomer (a), Wapicada GC, 34-38--72
T13. Ben Welle (a), The Meadows GC, 34-38--72
T13. Chris Borgen (p), Lost Spur GC, 38-34--72
T27. John Cleary (p), University of MN, 37-36--73
T27. Clayton Rask (p), Crystal Lake GC, 37-36--73
T27. Jordan Hawkinson (a), Chisago Lakes GC, 36-37--73
T27. Jeff Sorenson (p), Columbia GC, 33-40--73
T27. Jack Wawro (p), The Pines, 38-35--73
T32. Julian Ramirez (a), Riverwood Nat'l GC, 38-36--74
T32. Justin Burleson (a), Valleywood GC, 37-37--74
T32. Dalton Charboneau (a), Sundance GC, 36-38--74
T32. Tyler Ekenberg (p), Valleywood GC, 37-37--74
T32. Bennett Schroeder (a), Bent Creek GC, 36-38--74
T32. Ralph Baxley (p), Valleywood GC, 36-38--74
T32. Ian Hessels (p), New Richmond GC, 37-37--74
T32. Eric Chiles (p), Chaska TC, 34-40--74
T32. Derek Holmes (p), River Oaks GC, 35-39--74
T32. Josh Blackman (a), Mankato GC, 37-37--74
T32. Trent Sundbom (a), Ridgeview CC, 34-40--74
T43. Will Hickey (a), StoneRidge GC, 35-40--75
T43. Cameron White (p), University GC, 37-38--75
T43. Hudson Carpenter (a), Stillwater CC, 37-38--75
T43. Paul Vogt (a), Minnesota Valley CC, 35-40--75
T43. Brian Hills (p), Wild Marsh GC, 36-39--75
T43. C.J. DeBerg (p), Baker National GC, 37-38--75
T43. Tyler Lowenstein (a), Rush Creek GC, 37-38--75
T43. Troy Johnson (a), Rush Creek GC, 35-40--75
T43. Joel B Johnson (a), Links at Northfork, 36-39--75
T43. Shane Barnes (a), Twin Cities GC, 39-36--75
T43. Jonathan Reigstad (p), Reigstad Golf, 37-38--75
T43. Ryan Helminen (p), Ridgeway G&CC, 36-39--75
T43. Chris Peterson (p), StoneRidge GC, 36-39--75
T43. Justin Smith (p), University of MN, 37-38--75
T43. Grady Meyer (a), Windsong Farm GC, 38-37--75
T43. William Leaf (a), The Bridges GC, 37-38--75
T43. Dylan Gergen (a), Mendakota CC, 38-37--75
T43. Dave Nordeen (p), Somerby GC, 38-37--75
T43. Peter Jones (a), Owatonna CC, 35-40--75
T62. Jason Rhoades (a), Legends Club, 40-36--76
T62. Max Rosenthal (a), Bearpath G&CC, 37-39--76
T62. Don Berry (p), Edinburgh USA GC, 35-41--76
T62. Riley Conlin (a), Golden Valley G&CC, 38-38--76
T62. Jon Trasamar (a), University GC, 38-38--76
T62. Derek Stendahl (p), Rush Creek GC, 37-39--76
T62. Bill Israelson (p), Vintage GC, 40-36--76
T62. Jim Foss (a), Oakcrest GC, 35-41--76
T62. Sam Foust (a), Edina CC, 38-38--76
T62. Taylor Sundbom (a), Enger Park GC, 40-36--76
T72. Jeff Crouch (p), Island View GC, 38-39--77
T72. Matthew Swanson (a), Purple Hawk CC, 40-37--77
T72. Ben Meyers (p), Medina G&CC, 37-40--77
T72. Chris Conklin (a), Hazeltine National GC, 38-39--77
T72. Joe Stansberry (p), Hiawatha GC, 33-44--77
T72. Scott Cole (p), New Richmond GC, 38-39--77
T72. Danny Sinksen (p), Elmwood Park GC, 38-39--77
T72. Brent Snyder (p), Troy Burne GC, 37-40--77
T72. Mike Barge (p), Hazeltine National GC, 39-38--77
T72. Justin Doeden (a), Legends Club, 39-38--77
T72. Dylan Baker (a), Golden Valley G&CC, 39-38--77
T72. Kevin Cashman (p), Bearpath G&CC, 37-40--77
T72. Marshall Hoiness (p), The Minikahda Club, 38-39--77
T72. Brian Paulson (p), The Bridges GC, 38-39--77
T72. Chandler Fritcher (a), Eastwood GC, 38-39--77
T87. Alex Kline (a), Links at Northfork, 41-37--78
T87. Shane Sienko (a), Mendakota CC, 40-38--78
T87. Brian Seiwert (p), Bearpath G&CC, 42-36--78
T87. Colton Buege (a), Fox Hollow GC, 39-39--78
T87. Cory Blenkush (p), Baker National GC, 40-38--78
T87. Tony Gergen (a), Mendakota CC, 35-43--78
T87. Adam Guili (p), Edinburgh USA GC, 36-42--78
T87. Adam Petterson (a), Legends Club, 37-41--78
T87. Tom Heidrick (a), Valleywood GC, 38-40--78
T87. Brian Parkhurst (a), Hazeltine National GC, 40-38--78
T87. Mark Giorgi (a), Red Wing GC, 40-38--78
T87. Beau Hanson (a), Detroit CC, 37-41--78
T87. Ryan Conn (p), Alexandria GC, 39-39--78
T100. Eddie Wynne (p), University GC, 41-38--79
T100. George Smith (p), Dick's Sporting Goods, 38-41--79
T100. Jim Lehman (a), Windsong Farm GC, 42-37--79
T100. Brad Schmierer (p), Hastings CC, 42-37--79
T100. Aaron Pulanco (a), Mississippi Dunes GL, 39-40--79
T100. Pete LaCoursiere (p), Southview CC, 40-39--79
T100. Mike Zinni (p), Mankato GC, 38-41--79
T100. Andy Bang (p), Minneapolis GC, 37-42--79
T108. Craig Brischke (p), Tanners Brook GC, 40-40--80
T108. Cooper Stainbrook (a), Tanners Brook GC, 39-41--80
T108. Jeremy Tetrault (a), Forest Hills GC, 37-43--80
T108. Aaron Jacobson (p), Rush Creek GC, 38-42--80
T108. Ryan Peterson (p), Cannon GC, 43-37--80
T108. Collin Seal (a), Deer Run GC, 41-39--80
T108. Kris Kroetsch (p), Fargo CC, 41-39--80
T108. Alex Gaugert (a), University GC, 41-39--80
T116. Jesse Polk (a), Hastings CC, 41-40--81
T116. Chris Bailey (p), North Oaks GC, 44-37--81
T116. Matt Vandelac (p), Tartan Park GC, 38-43--81
T116. Ty Armstrong (p), GolfTec, 43-38--81
T116. Greg Werner (a), The Wilds GC, 41-40--81
T116. Topher Baron (a), Sawmill GC, 44-37--81
T116. Anthony Johnson (a), Stillwater CC, 40-41--81
T116. Todd Kolb (p), Willow Run GC, 42-39--81
T116. David Anderson (a), Bent Creek GC, 37-44--81
T125. Shane Kvidera (a), Rum River Hills GC, 38-44--82
T125. Timothy Brovold (p), Bunker Hills GC, 39-43--82
T125. Kyle Scanlon (a), Stillwater CC, 37-45--82
T125. Ronald Rebrovich (p), Alexandria GC, 38-44--82
T125. Doug Jeans (a), Forest Hills GC, 39-43--82
T125. Matthew Chock (a), Midland Hills CC, 38-44--82
T125. Charlie Larson (p), Thumper Pond GC, 40-42--82
T125. Dan Lensing (a), Rush Creek GC, 46-36--82
T125. Curtis Mohr (a), Chaska TC, 40-42--82
T125. David McCook (a), University GC, 39-43--82
T135. Scott McDonald (p), Minnewaska GC, 41-42--83
T135. Austin Wilson (a), Bearpath G&CC, 41-42--83
T137. Paul Meyer (p), White Eagle GC, 42-42--84
T137. John Anderson (a), Bunker Hills GC, 42-42--84
T137. Kevin Krigbaum (a), Bunker Hills GC, 47-37--84
T137. Nathan Petric (p), Gopher Hills GC, 40-44--84
T137. Andrew Benson (a), Minnetonka CC, 43-41--84
T137. Andrew Brandt (a), Medina G&CC, 41-43--84
T137. Andrew Krasaway (a), Lester Park GC, 41-43--84
T137. Tim Johnson (p), The Pines, 45-39--84
T145. Erik Toftner (p), Hiawatha GC, 43-42--85
T145. Jordan Ryan (a), Hazeltine National GC, 41-44--85
147. Jordan Peters (a), Burl Oaks GC, 42-44--86
148. Matthew Morin (p), Rush Creek GC, 41-46--87
T149. Sam Steinwand (a), Bunker Hills GC, 42-46--88
T149. Genki Hirayama (a), University GC, 43-45--88
T149. Zach Maanum (a), Island View GC, 46-42--88
T149. John Buan (a), Baker National GC, 43-45--88
153. Matt Witham (a), Keller GC, 47-44--91
154. Matthew Shawd (a), Bent Creek GC, 49-44--93
T155. Gus Kellom (a), Rush Creek GC, 49-47--96
T155. Philip Johnson (a), Valleywood GC, 44-52--96