2009 MGA Players of the Year
By W.P. Ryan
How the Points Add Up…
By definition, MGA Players of the Year have earned the honor by consistently playing at the top of their game. Since 1975, MGA has awarded player points for top finishes in MGA (and allied association) championships, plus select regional, national and international events. Some notable Minnesota golf champions who have achieved player-of-the-year honors include, John Harris, the 1993 U.S. Amateur champion; Hilary (Homeyer) Lunke, the 2003 U.S. Women’s Open champion; and siblings Tim Herron and Alissa (Herron) Super, the former a two-time winner on the PGA Tour and the latter, the '99 USGA Women's Mid-Amateur champion. A complete list of player points can be found here.The 2009 MGA Players of the Year Have Earned Their Distinction:
 Photo by Mark Brettingen |
MGA Senior Men's Player of the Year
Gary Johnson, 62, of Eden Prairie and a member of Island View Golf Club, Waconia, Minn., (235 points). Johnson won the MGA Senior Players' Championship and finished as the low senior in the MGA Amateur Championship. He also tied for fifth place at the MGA Senior Amateur and was a sectional qualifier for the USGA Senior Amateur. This is Johnson's first player of the year title. Photo by Mark Brettingen |
MGA Senior Women's Player of the Year
Claudia Pilot, 52, of Austin and a member of both the Austin Country Club and Windsong Farm, in Independence, Minn., (445 points). Pilot earned three first-place finishes this year at the Minnesota Women's State Amateur Four-Ball Championship (paired with Brenda Williams), the MWGA Senior Four-Ball Championship (paired with Mary Hoisser), and the Minnesota Women's Senior Amateur Championship. And, with partner Brenda Williams, Pilot scored a runner-up finish at the MWPGA Four-Ball Championship. She finished third at the MGA Women's Mid-Amateur Championship, and sixth at the MWPGA Publinks. Pilot reached the match-play stage of both the U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur and the USGA Senior Women's Amateur championships, and the round of 16 and the semifinal stages of the MWGA and MWPGA Match Play Championships, respectively. This is her tenth time as an MGA Player of the Year – and her third consecutive senior women's player of the year. Photo by Mark Brettingen |
MGA Junior Boys' Player of the Year
Kyle Beversdorf, 17, of Plymouth and a member of Baker National Golf Course, Medina, Minn., (132.50 points). Beversdorf's season included a win at the MPGA State Junior Publinks, three fifth-place finishes at the Minnesota State High School AAA Tournament, the MPGA State Publinks, and the Minnesota State Junior Boys' Championship, and an eighth-place finish at the Minnesota Junior PGA Championship. This is Beversdorf's first player of the year title. Photo by Mark Brettingen |
MGA Junior Girls' Player of the Year
Gretchen Huhnerkoch, 18, of Burnsville and a member of the University of Minnesota/Les Bolstad Golf Course, St. Paul, Minn., (267.50). This year Huhnerkoch won the MWPGA Publinks and the Twin Cities Junior Championship. Her team won the MGA Junior Team Championship, where she placed second individually, and she also bagged a runner-up finish at the Minnesota Junior PGA Championship. Huhnerkoch had a pair of third-place finishes at the Minnesota State Junior Girls' and the Minnesota State High School AAA Tournament. This is her second consecutive junior girls' player of the year title.
Photo by W.P.Ryan
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MGA Men's Player of the Year
Jon Sauer, 23, of St. Cloud and a member of Tianna Country Club, Walker, Minn., (668.33 points). Sauer paired with Tom Jenkins to capture the MPGA Four-Ball Championship, and he earned a trio of runner-up finishes at the MGA Amateur Championship, the Minnesota State Open, and the MPGA State Publinks. Sauer reached the quarterfinals of the MGA Players' (match-play) Championship and he made the match-play portion of the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship. This is Sauer's first player of the year title. Photo by Mark Brettingen |
