Johnson Wins Individual Title, and NDSU Wins the Team at Torrey Pines
March 27, 2024
ALEXANDRIA -- It is one measure of just how good the scoring was in the Men's quarterfinals at the 98th Resorters on Friday that one player had seven birdies in a 16-hole match.Two other players had two eagles each -- and one of them lost.
Miles McCarthy produced the one result that could be called an upset, a 2&1 victory over defending champion -- and No. 1 seed -- Brian Choe.
And it was the No. 8 seed McCarthy, who will be a junior at the University of St. Thomas in a few weeks, who set the tone for the day when birdied the first two holes in his match. A par at the third gave him a 3-up lead. There were seven eagles made in the four quarterfinal matches on Friday, but McCarthy made the only one on a par-4. His 2 at the 11th increased his lead to 5-up.
Choe, a sophomore-to-be at Kansas State, had not been playing all that well up to that point.
"He's a really good player," McCarthy said afterward. "He didn't have it today, and he was telling me that. But he put it together at the end. That shows you how good he is."
Choe staged a furious rally, beginning with an eagle at the 470-yard, par-5 12th. He followed that with a birdie at the 194-yard, par-3 13th, and his birdie at the 15th (390 yards, par 4) reduced the deficit to 2 down with three holes to go. But McCarthy was able to halve the 16th and 17th holes with pars, and secure his spot in the semifinals on Saturday morning.
His next opponent will be Thomas Lehman, the recent Cal Poly graduate who tied for second in the qualifying earlier this week (he shot 70-70--140) and is the No. 4 seed. Lehman was all square with Dylan Naylor after five holes, but he hit a 220-yard 7-iron to 5 feet at the 540-yard, par-5 sixth hole and made the putt for an eagle. An ugly tee shot at the par-3 seventh cost him a bogey, but not the hole. He and Naylor halved it with bogeys.
"After that," Lehman said, "I kind of went on a run."
He certainly did, winnning the next four holes with birdies and then adding another eagle at the 12th. A par at the 13th was all he needed to win 6&5.
In the Not-Yet-in-College Match, the two-time state high school champion from Red Wing, Cecil Belisle, fell behind early, when 2019 Alexandria HS grad Noah Boraas birdied the second hole. But Belisle battled back with a birdie at the 403-yard, par-4 fifth and an eagle at the sixth. He birdied the 10th to go 2 up, but Boraas won the par-5 14th with a birdie and the 15th with a par. Suddenly, things were back to even. The match was decided of Belisle, a Minnesota State (Mankato) recruit, when the soon-to-be South Dakota freshman Boraas three-putted the 17th green and lost the hole with a bogey. The 18th hole was halved with pars, and Belisle was the winner, 1 up.
Andrew Lindberg, a junior-to-be at the University of Texas-Arlington from Coppell, Texas (which is also were Brian Choe is from), made seven birdies in a 3&2 victory over Jim Hoselton. He had four on the front nine, and two more birdies at the 10th and 11th holes gave him a 4-up lead. Hoselton, a 30-year-old former professional, responded with his second eagle of the day at the 12th, and he was 2 down with three holes to go, before Lindberg closed him out with a birdie at the 16th.
98th Resorters
At Alexandria Golf Club
Par 72
Alexandria
Men's Division
Championship Flight
Match play
Round of 32
Brian Choe (1) def. Lukas Bigger (32) 1 up
Jacob Kelber (17) def. Charlie Stuck (16) 3&2
Miles McCarthy (8) def. Alex Pries (25) 5&4
Nick Jarrett (9) def. Jeremy Decko (24) 2&1
Thomas Lehman (4) def. Alec Heinen (29) 3&1
Will Freeman (20) def. Bryant Black (13) 1 up
Clay Kucera (5) def. Shay Conder (28) 2&1
Dylan Naylor (21) def. Mason Fiddle (12) 5&4
Ben Sigel (2) def. Jordan Krulik (31) 6&4
Cecil Belisle (18) def. Dawson Wills (15) 3&2
Cade Montplaisir (26) def. Andrew Israelson (7)
Noah Boraas (10) def. Mack Farley (23) 3&2
Jim Hoselton (30) def. Lincoln Johnson (3) 1 up
Josh Galvin (14) def. Jerry Rose (19) 2&1
Andrew Lindberg (6) def. Peter Wilson (27) 3&2
Nate Adams (11) def. Jack Cummings (22) 6&5
Round of 16
Choe (1) def. Kelber (17) 6&4
McCarthy (8) def. Jarrett (9) 3&2
Lehman (4) def. Freeman (20) 3&2
Naylor (21) def. Kucera (5) 20 holes
Belisle (18) def. Sigel (2) 19 holes
Boraas (10) def. Montplaisir (26) 4&2
Hoselton (30) def. Galvin (14) 2&1
Lindberg (6) def. Adams (11) 2 up
Quarterfinals
McCarthy (8) def. Choe (1) 2&1
Lehman (4) def. Naylor (21) 6&5
Belisle (18) def. Boraas (10) 1 up
Lindberg (6) def. Hoselton (30) 3&2
March 15, 2024
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