Berry 2 Ahead of Miller, 3 Ahead of Snyder & Bell

WEST ST. PAUL -- It was almost as if the three central characters in last year's Tapemark Charity Pro-Am final-day drama decided to have a reunion -- at the top of this year's scoreboard. 

On June 10, 2018, seven-time Tapemark champion Don Berry, 57, concluded 54 holes of regulation play at Southview Country Club in a tie with a couple of 20-something mini-tour pros, Ross Miller and former Minnesota state high school champ Robert Bell. Berry was eliminated when he bogeyed the second extra hole (No. 11), and Miller won the playoff when he parred the fourth extra hole (No. 13) and Bell bogeyed it. 

After two rounds of this year's tournament, Berry is the leader with a pair of 4-under-par 67's and a 36-hole total of 134. Miller is second at 136, after posting a second consecutive 68. And Bell is tied for third at 137, along with Brent Snyder. Bell arrived at that number thanks in large measure to a stretch of five birdies in six holes on Saturday, which enabled him to shoot 66. Snyder had a 67.

Lurking just behind them, at 138, is another former Tapemark winner, Jeff Sorenson. He's tied for fifth with Eddie Wynne, who shot 68. 

In the last 24 years, only three guys have won the Minnesota Section PGA's Player of the Year Award. Berry hoarded it for the first 13 years of that span. Sorenson pried it loose from him in 2008, and has won it an additional five times since then. Berry has won it 16 times in all. Snyder has won it twice.

On Saturday, Berry shot his 67 in the morning. Sorenson went out in the afternoon wave, and for a while it appeared that he might challenge Berry for the lead. Starting on the back nine., he was 1 over through seven holes, and stayed that way when he took three from the edge for a par at the 490-yard, par-5 17th. But he nearly made an eagle at the par-5 18th (481 yards), tapped in for a two--putt birdie, then hit his second shot to within a foot of the cup at the first hole (350 yards, par 4).

The 40-year-old teaching pro at Minikahda made it three birdies in a row with an 8-foot putt at the par-3 second (166 yards), and hit a wedge to 3 feet at the 374-yard, par-4 third.

"That would have been four in a row," Sorenson noted, "and I had two par-5's coming up in the next three holes. At that point, I was thinking I had a chance to go pretty low. But I missed the 3-footer." 

Suddenly, the wind went out of his sails. He neglected to take advantage of the par-5's (No. 4 and No. 6) and, as he put it, "managed to make a bogey at the eighth (363 yards, par 4)." So despite hitting 17 of 18 greens in regulation, plus a par-5 in two, he could do no better than 70.

Berry, on the other hand, did take advantage of the par-5's -- all of them. The longtime head pro at Edinburgh USA birdied both the 470-yard fourth and the 476-yard sixth, and made it three birdies in four holes with a 3 at the 371-yard seventh. His only bogey came at the 11th (389 yards, par 4), but he redeemed himself by making birdies at both of the  back-nine par-5's, the 490-yard, 17th and the 481-yard, 18th. 

Most of the challengers, like Sorenson, surrendered a stroke before they began making birdies. In Miller's case, he bogeyed the third, but recovered with birdies on four of the next six holes -- 4, 6, 8 and 9 (331 yards, par 4). On the incoming nine, he made one birdie and one bogey. 

Bell started on the back nine and bogeyed his first hole, the 175-yard, par-3 10th. Three pars followed, and Bell then went on his birdie binge -- Nos. 14 (386, par 4), 15 (157, par 3), 17, 18 and 1. Things calmed down after that, but he birdied the par-5 sixth, bogeyed the eighth and capped off his round with a birdie at the ninth. 

Snyder had a similar round, except that he started on the front nine. After a bogey at the third, he birdied the fourth, eagled the sixth and birdied the seventh and the ninth to make the turn in 4-under 32. His back nine was less eventful. He bogeyed the longest par-4 on the course, No. 16 (446 yards), but bounced right back with a birdie at the 17th. 

Both the Men's Division and Women's Division championships will be determined on Sunday. The women's foursomes will go off both the first and 10th tees beginning at 12:05, and leaders in the Men's Division will follow. Most of the men's leaders were on teams that made the cut. That means they will start on the 10th hole. (Pros who made the cut as individuals but whose teams did not will start on No. 1 Sunday.) Berry is in the last foursome, and it is scheduled to go off No. 10 at 1:44 p.m.


Tapemark Charity Pro-Am 

At Southview Country Club

Par 71, 6,121 yards

West St. Paul

Secondt-round results 

1. Don Berry, Edinburgh USA                              67-67--134

2. Ross Miller, Medina                                        68-68--136

T3. Robert Bell, Pierz                                         71-66--137

T3. Brent Snyder, Troy Burne                            70-67--137

T5. Jeff Sorenson, Minikahda                            68-70--138

T5. Eddie Wynne, Bolstad/University                70-68--138

T7. Sam Matthew, North Oaks                          68-71--139

T7. Ryan Brockhaus (A), Brackett's Crossing  74-65--139

T9. Brady Hanson, Stillwater                            73-67--140

T9. Alex Kline, Troy Burne                               70-70--140 

T9. Luke Benoit, Interlachen                            73-67--140