Johnson Wins Individual Title, and NDSU Wins the Team at Torrey Pines
March 27, 2024
WEST ST. PAUL -- Robert Bell wasn't entirely happy about the way things were going as he headed toward the 14th hole at Southview Country Club on Saturday afternoon.
He was re-starting his round once again, after another rain delay, and the rain hadn't stopped.
"I was kind of wondering why we were going back out," he said later. "It was still raining pretty hard. We could barely see the fairway. Besides that, my hands were wet, and it was hard to hang on to the club."
Bell was 1 over through four holes (he started on the 10th hole, a 175-yard par-3, and bogeyed it), and he thought his driver slipped in his hands as he hit his tee shot at the 14th. The ball caromed off a tree and bounced back into the fairway. But instead of having a gap wedge to the green at the 386-yard par-4, he was hitting a 5-iron second shot from 185 yards. It turned out to be a good shot, ending up 18 feet from the cup. He then made the birdie putt.
The effect was almost like one of those scenes from a P.G. Wodehouse novel. A dreary day had just been transformed, and suddenly, "The sky is blue; the birds are singing; there is optimism everywhere."
The sky wasn't reallly blue at that point, but at least the rain did stop, and it now appeared that the second round would be completed before darkness set in.
His attitude having brightened and his confidence having been bolstered, Bell proceeded to birdie the 446-yard, par-4 16th, the hardest hole on the course. At the reachable par-5 17th (490 yards), he had to lay up, but he then hit a wedge to 8 feet and made another birdie. The 28-year-old former Minnesota state high school champion from Pierz -- and two-time MGA Junior Player of the Year -- made it three birdies in a row (and four out of five) by hitting a 4-iron second shot onto the green at the 481-yard, par-5 18th and two-putting from 30 feet.
For most of the other players in the field, things were still pretty dreary and scoring was difficult. On the other hand, Bell, a mini-tour pro with multiple victories on the Pepsi Tour, was 3 under for the day. So as he made the turn, he was leading the tournament by one shot with a 27-hole total of 8 under.
He didn't stop there. Instead, he rattled off another three consecutive birdies in the middle of the front nine. At the 470-yard, par-5 fourth, he laid up and hit a wedge to 3 feet. He also birdied the toughest hole on the front nine, the 211-yard, par-3 fifth, hitting a 5-iron to 40 feet and draining the putt. And he two-putted from 40 feet at the 476-yard, par-5 sixth for his seventh birdie of the day.
Bell parred out from there for a 6-under 65. It was the best score of the day, and it put him at 131 (11 under) for 36 holes.
Don Berry, the seven-time Tapemark champion, is two behind at 133, after a second-round 68. No one else is closer than four strokes.
"My score was pretty good," Berry noted afterward, "but my round was fairly ugly. I just didn't hit it very well."
Jeff Sorenson, another former winner at Southview, shot 67, and he's tied for third at 135, along with Brent Snyder and Ross Miller. Snyder reversed Sorenson's scores (67-68). Miller put together the second-best round of the day, a 66.
"I still can't birdie the 17th or 18th hole," Sorenson lamented. "I didn't birdie either of them yesterday, and I didn't birdie either of them today. You don't win this tournament like that."
In fact, those two holes are the difference between Bell and Sorenson. Both players have birdied the two par-5's on the front nine (4 and 6) both days, but Bell has also birdied 17 and 18 both days, maknig him 8 for 8 on the par-5's.
The bogey that Bell made on the 10th hole Saturday is the only one he's made in 36 holes. Likewise, Berry has made one bogey in two days, the par-3 fifth on Saturday. Sorenson also bogeyed the fifth in Round 2, one of two bogeys that he's made. The other was the par-4 11th (389 yards) on Friday, his second hole of the tournament.
It's another two shots back to sixth place at 137, where Scott Cole (71) and Chris Meyer (72) reside, along with Scott Fenwick, who shot 68 and leads the Amateur Division by four strokes over Nathan Proshek (71-70--141).
PROFESSIONAL GOLF
Tapemark Charity Pro-Am
At Southview Country Club
Par 71, 3,134 yards
West St. Paul
Second-round results
1. Robert Bell, Pierz G&CC 66-65--131
2. Don Berry, Edinburgh USA 65-68--133
T3. Ross Miller, Dellwood CC 69-66--135
T3. Brent Snyder, Troy Burne GC 67-68--135
T3. Jeff Sorenson, The Minikahda Club 68-67--135
T6. Chris Meyer, Southview CC 65-72--137
T6. Scott Cole, RTG Golf 66-71--137
T6. Scott Fenwick (a), Southview CC 69-68--137
T9. Derek Stendahl, Rush Creek GC 67-71--138
T9. Corey Johsnson, 2nd Swing Golf 69-69--138
T11. Clayton Johnson, Dellwood CC 69-70--139
T11. Grady Meyer, Windsong Farm 66-73--139
T11. Brad Schmierer, Dakota Pines 68-71--139
T14. Joh Reigstad, Keller GC 64--76--140
T14. Kris Kroetsch, Fargo CC 71-69--140
T14. Thomas Campbell, Bolstad/Univ. GC 71-69--140
T14. Eric Rolland, Augsburg Univ.. 71-69--140
T18. Nathan Proshek (a), Ridges @ Sand Creek 71-70--141
T18. Eric Chiles, Chaska TC 69-72--141
T18. Ryan Helminen, Ridgeway CC 72-69--141
T18. Jon Trasamar, Hawks Landing GC 71-70--141
T18. Scott McDonald, Minnewaska GC 71-70--141
T18. Kyle Scanlon, Rush Creek GC 70-71--141
T24. Donald Constable, Spring Hill GC 72-70--142
T24. Phil Anderson, North Oaks GC 72-70--142
T24. Craig Brischke, Tanners Brook GC 69-73--142
March 15, 2024
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