Gerzsenyi to Captain Minnesota's USGA State Team

MGA

EDINA, Minn. (July 7, 2014) – Ken Gerzsenyi, 57, of Rochester, Minn., has been selected to captain the men’s squad representing Minnesota to the 2014 USGA State Team Championship, Sept. 30-Oct. 2 at the French Lick Resort, French Lick, Ind.  
 
Gerzsenyi is president of the Minnesota Golf Association (MGA), a long-time tournament volunteer, and a past president of the Minnesota Public Golf Association (MPGA).   

“I am very honored by this selection. Minnesota has such a great reputation on the national golf scene with the USGA that to represent our state, our players, and our association will be amazing yet humbling as we attempt to bring the James R. Hand Trophy (USGA State Team Trophy) back to Minnesota,” he said. 

Gerzsenyi is an avid, accomplished golfer, with six hole-in-ones and several men’s and senior club championships at his home course, Eastwood Golf Club.  Now, as the men’s state team captain, his competitive passion is focused on the national stage.   

“This is our ‘Ryder Cup.’ I know how exciting that is and can only imagine what it will be like to participate in this event. I'm already impatiently awaiting the selection of our team. There are so many qualified players. I know we’ll have an extremely competitive team to go after the trophy,” Gerzsenyi explains.

Aside from his competitive experiences, Gerzsenyi has a history of volunteer service to the amateur game locally. He is a member of the MGA board of directors, having served since 2004, and has chaired several MGA committees including Finance and Investment, Government Relations, and Management. Prior to his volunteer time serving the MGA, he was president of the Eastwood GC, a former director of the MPGA, and served as a volunteer at the 1991 U.S. Open, and the 2002 and 2009 PGA Championships, all hosted at Hazeltine National Golf Club. In 2004, Gerzsenyi assisted the chairman of the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship at Rush Creek Golf Club. 

More recently, Gerzsenyi is a member of the board of directors of the First Tee of Rochester, where he is a volunteer coach.   

Later this summer, an MGA selection committee will pick three amateur golfers to round out Minnesota’s men’s team. New York is set to defend its title when the 11th USGA Men’s State Team Championship takes place Sept. 30-Oct. 2 at the French Lick Resort, French Lick, Ind.  

About the USGA State Team 
The USGA State Team Championship, a biennial event in which each state is represented by non-collegiate, amateur golfers, grew out of the USGA’s Centennial celebration in 1995. The men’s and women’s state team championships are held in even- and odd-numbered years, respectively. Team scores are based on the best two-of-three stroke-play scores from each day.

Minnesota’s Winning Record at the USGA’s Men’s State Team Championship
In less than two decades of competition, Minnesota amateur teams have shined: the men’s team has won twice (1997, 2001), nearly won in 1999, and holds two more top-ten finishes. In 2001, the MGA’s centennial year, Minnesota played host to the 4th USGA State Team championships –  the men’s team was victorious at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, and the women’s team also claimed a win at Woodhill Country Club in Wayzata – making Minnesota the only state to claim the men’s and women’s state team titles concurrently. 

Also that year, with the conclusion of the men’s and women’s state team championships, Minnesota became the only state to have hosted all 13 USGA national championships, plus the Walker Cup and Curtis Cup.  

About the MGA
Founded in 1901, the Minnesota Golf Association is the governing body over amateur golf in the state, responsible for administering the Rules of Golf, and committed to uphold and promote the game of golf and its values for all golfers in Minnesota. The MGA conducts 15 major amateur championships and eight USGA qualifying events each year. Thanks to the support of its member clubs and associate members, and the efforts of its volunteers and staff, the MGA provides a variety of services such as handicapping, course rating and measuring, an online golf news and information resource, mngolf.org, and an official publication, Minnesota Golfer magazine, which benefits all golfers throughout Minnesota. 

About the USGA
The USGA is the national governing body of golf in the USA and Mexico, and conducts 13 national championships, including the U.S. Open, U.S. Women’s Open and U.S. Senior Open. Ten USGA national championships are exclusively for amateurs, and include the U.S. Amateur and the U.S. Women’s Amateur. The association also writes the Rules of Golf, in collaboration with the Royal and Ancient Golf Society, conducts equipment testing, maintains the USGA Handicap SystemTM, celebrates the history of the game, and administers an ongoing “For the Good of the Game” grants program, which has allocated more than $67 million to successful programs that bring the game’s values to youths from disadvantaged backgrounds and people with disabilities. 


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