Pars on 18 Are Golden for Pine to Palm Champ Swenson

DETROIT LAKES -- Chris Swenson came to the 18th hole at Detroit Country Club twice on Sunday with his matches all square. Each time, he won the 18th with a par, which gave him a pair of 1-up victories at -- and as a result, he is the champion of the 2017 Pine to Palm Tournament.

Conditions weren't exactly ideal for the title match, which didn't begin until 2:45 p.m. The players had to battle wind and rain, in addition to each other, but both Swenson and Jon Miller hit the fairway at No. 18, and both were roughly 120 yards from the back pin.

With an uphill shot and the wind into him, Miller hit his approach as if it were from 140 yards, not 120. It landed on the green but took a huge bounce. The ball rolled onto the cart path behind the green, and Miller ended up getting a free drop back by the 10th green. It was essentially an impossible position.

"I saw a pretty big bounce, and I knew long was dead," Swenson said afterward. "I had a pretty good feeling that's where it was. I just wanted to make sure I didn't get all the way back there, as well." 

Swenson nearly went too far, but his ball stopped at the back of the green, From there, he two-putted for par, and that was good enough for the victor, 1 up. 

"I hit a 140 club and just flushed it over the green," Miller said ruefully. "And I'm dead, basically. From there, I'm just trying to keep it on the green and maybe make a putt for par."

Earlier in the day, Swenson, who will be soon begin his junior year at Minnesota Community & Technical College in Fergus Falls (that's where he played high school golf), had beaten Connor Holland, a recent North Dakota State graduate, 1 up, in a match between lefties. In that one, Swenson hit the 18th fairway, and Holland missed it to the right. Holland's ball ended up dead behind a tree. All he could do was chip out.

Just as he would do a few hours later, Swenson won the hole -- and the match -- with a par.

Miller earned his way into the final with a 2&1 victory over Andrew Passanante. Passanante led 1 up after 10 holes, but Miller birdied the par-4 11th and the par-5 12th to take a lead he would never relinquish.

For a while, it appeared that Miller, the No. 24 seed, might do the same thing to Swenson (No. 31). Swenson was 1 up after 11 holes, but then Miller birdied the 12th and 13th to pull ahead. 

The 39-year-old Miller didn't take up golf until he was 19 and had joined the U.S. Army. While in the service, he played a lot of golf, and when he got out, at age 22, he enrolled at NDSU, where he played on the golf team and won a school-record four tournaments, having reduced his handicap from 5 when he left the military to Plus 2 during the latter part of his time with the Bison. 

On Sunday morning, he played the back nine at DCC in 2 under. But in the afternoon, he followed the birdies at Nos. 12 and 13 with a bogey at the par-3 14th. Swenson made a par there to level the match, and he went 1 up when he made a long putt for birdie at the par-4 15th.

"I hit it a little too hard," he noted, "but it went in." 

It was the fourth time in the match that Swenson led, but that one didn't last, either. Miller drew even once again when he parred the par-3 17th and Swenson bogeyed it.  


MEN'S AMATEUR GOLF 

Pine to Palm

At Detroit Country Club

Par 71

Detroit Lakes

Qualifying (36 holes Tuesday and Wednesday)

(The top 64 qualifiers will begin match play Wednesday morning.)

Final results

T1. Nick Myhre, Rolette, N.D.         67-69--136

T1. Noah Lawson, Blaine               67-69--136

3. Lucas Johnson, Moorhead         69-68--137

T4. Dax Wallat, Horace, N.D.         70-68--138

T4. Bill Carlson, St. Paul                68-70--138

T6. Grady Meyer, Independence    70-69--139

T6. Bryant Buckellew, Scottsdale   67-72--139

T6. Erik Weiss, Moorhead              67-72--139

T9. Benjamin Dirck, Alexandria      73-67--140

T9. Nate Varty, Fargo                      71-69--140

Match Play 

Round of 64 (Thursday)

(1) Nick Myhre def. (64) Dieter Zuehlke 6&5
(32) Ben Hauge def. (33) Joe Schornack 5&4
(49) Pat Dietz def. (16) William Leaf 2&1
(17) Matt Rachey def. (48)Nathaniel Kahlbaugh 3&2
(8) Erik Weiss def. (57) Alex Skarperud 1 up
(40) Cody Cook def. (25) Cade Montplaisir 2&1
(9) Benjamin Dirck def. (56) Marc Vincelli in extra holes
(24) Jon Miller def. (41) Cole Hanson 3&2
(61) Alan Spriggs def. (4) Dax Wallat 2&1
(29) Andrew Passanante def. (36) Alex Uloth 2&1
(13) Rick Kuhn def. (52) John Fischer 6&5
(45) Spencer Hilde def. (20) Gus Minkin 3&1
(60) Brennan Hockman def. (5) Bill Carlson in extra holes
(28) Jack Holmgren def. (37) Ryan Cooper 2&1
(12) Coy Papachek def. (53) Matt McElveen 3&2
(44) Cody Christensen def. (21) Greg Melhus 1 up
(2) Noah Lawson def. (63) Wyatt Blomseth 2&1
(31) Chris Swenson def. (34) Peter Jones 6&5
(50) Regan Steen def. (15) Alexander Schwab 2&1
(18) Nick Olsgaard def. (47) Nolan Frank 6&4
(7) Bryant Buckellew def. (58) Jack Kluge 8&7
(26) Tanner Lane def. (39) Benji Miller 8&7
(10) Nate Varty def. (55) Hunter Thorsen 2&1
(42) Robert Wagner def. (23) Thomas Strandemo 3&1
(3) Lucas Johnson def. (62) Tanner Kretchman 7&6
(35) Connon Holland def. (30) Ben Frazzini 3&1
(14) Adam Gronaas def. (51) Charlie Duensing in extra  holes
(19) Jacob Dehne def. (46) Lincoln Cizek 2&1
(6) Grady Meyer def. (59) Trevor Swangler 5&4
(27) Mason Fiddle def. (38) Dylan Naylor in extra holes
(54) Jon Stecher def. (11) Mason Kennedy 2&1
(22) Thomas Longbella def. (43) Caleb Ketterling 6&5

Round of 32 (Friday)

Myhre def. Hauge 3&2
Rachey def. Deitz in extra holes
Weiss def. Cook 3&2
Miller def. Dirck 5&4
Passanante def. Spriggs 3&2
Kuhn def. Hilde 3&2
Hockman def. Holmgren 1 up
Papachek def. Christensen 1 up
Swenson def. Lawson 5&4
Olsgaard def. Steen 3&2
Lane def. Buckellew in extra holes
Varty def. Wagner 5&4
Holland def. Johnson 4&2
Gronaas def. Dehne 2&1
Meyer def. Fiddle 5&4
Longbella def. Stecher 2&1

Round of 16 (Saturday morning)

Myhre def. Rachey in extra holes
Miller def. Weiss in extra holes
Passanante def. Kuhn in extra holes
Hockman def. Papachek 1 up
Swenson def. Olsgaard 1 up
Varty def. Lane in extra holes
Holland def. Gronaas 5&3
Meyer def. Longbella 7&6

Quarterfinals (Saturday afternoon)

Miller def. Myhre in extra holes
Passanante def. Hockman 2&1
Swenson def. Varty 4&2
Holland def. Meyer 1 up

Semifinals (Sunday morning)

Miller def. Passanante 2&1
Swenson def. Holland 1 up

Final (Sunday afternoon) 

Swenson def. Miller 1 up