Darkness Suspends Second Round of State Open at Rush Creek; Kline Clubhouse Leader

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By Nick Hunter
nick@mngolf.org
 
 
  MAPLE GROVE, Minn. – Following a weather delay of over five hours Saturday, the second round of the 102^nd Minnesota State Open presented by Grand View Lodge at Rush Creek Golf Club was suspended at 9 p.m. due to darkness. The second round will be completed early Sunday before the field will be cut to the top-60 players and ties before the final round gets underway later Sunday.
 
Posting back-to-back rounds of 69 to begin the tournament, professional Alex Kline currently holds the clubhouse lead at 138, one shot better than fellow professional Brian Hills, who carded a round of 1-under 71 following his round of 68 to open the championship Friday.
 
“The fairways were a little wet to begin with, but by the end of the day they were awesome. I got off to a better start today,” Kline said Saturday. “I had a good look at eagle right away and that kind of got me going right out of the gate. I kept everything in front of me, stayed really patient and knew the middle of the green was my friend.
 
“I was able to make some putts coming in at 15 and 17, so those were two good birdies. I’m really pleased with how I’ve been striking the ball. Yesterday I hit 11 fairways and 15 greens and would guess it was around the same today.”
 
Kline, of Troy Burne Golf Club, reached the par-5 second in two and two-putted for birdie to get off to a quick start Saturday. He took a step back with his only bogey of the second round coming at the fourth, but answered by carding birdie at the short par-4 sixth and would turn in 1-under for the second round.
 
Steadying himself over the final nine holes, Kline sank a pair of 12-footers at the 15^th and 17^th holes before making a key up-and-down on the final hole to save par and finish 36 holes as the clubhouse leader at 6-under 138.
 
“Yesterday, the start to the round wasn’t very good, but I hung in there and made some birdies coming in and was able to salvage a decent round,” Kline said. “I didn’t drive it as well today, but I probably hit 15 or 16 greens, so I’m giving myself a ton of looks at birdie and it’s very stress-free, which is great.
 
“Today, with that massive rain delay, was really hard. We got to the course about 6:45 a.m. and we were at the golf course for about 12 hours. I was just trying to stay patient and kept telling myself that I wasn’t the only person dealing with this kind of draw. Take care of what you can and control what you can control.”
 
Opening the championship yesterday afternoon in blistering temperatures, Kline played his opening nine at even par, but rallied to make three birdies during the inward nine despite the tough conditions to shoot 69.
 
“Right away yesterday I thought my side of the draw was a little more difficult because of the wind we had and how hot it got,” Kline said. “But now with the storm that rolled in and delayed everything today, it’s nice to have everything in and get some rest tonight and don’t have to worry about getting back up there tomorrow morning.
 
“I hope the putter can get hot because I’m not going to chase too many pins tomorrow. Out there can get in big-time trouble shooting at pins and making big numbers.”
 
Van Holmgren, who finished runner-up to Clay Kucera Wednesday at the 116^th Minnesota Golf Association State Amateur Championship at Somerby Golf Club, posted a 4-under par 68 Friday and was 2-under par through five holes when play was suspended during the second round late Saturday, sharing the lead with Kline at 6-under for the championship.
 
Friday’s 18-hole leader Brady Madsen teed off shortly after 7 p.m. Saturday after firing a 7-under par 65 to begin the championship Friday. Struggling early on to start the second round, Madsen played his first seven holes at 3-over for the round and currently sits at 4-under when action resumes Sunday.
 
Sammy Schmitz, a six-time Minnesota Golf Association Men’s Player of the Year, fired a 2-under 69 Saturday and currently sits tied for fourth at 4-under 140. Schmitz is searching for his first state victory since beating two-time Minnesota State Open champion Ben Greve at the MGA Players’ Championship in 2018 at the Jewel Golf Club.
 
The second round of the 102^nd Minnesota State Open presented by Grand View Lodge is slated to resume at 7:30 a.m. Sunday at Rush Creek Golf Club.
 
 
For complete tournament results go to:  https://mnpga.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/mnpga19/event/mnpga1922/contest/9/leaderboard.htm