63 Gives Lehman & Rose Share of Four-Ball Lead with Haselrud & Yeager

August 10, 2020 | 6 min.



FARMINGTON -- Jim Lehman and Jerry Rose did not get off to what you would describe as a propitious start in the defense of their MGA Senior Four-Ball championship on Monday.

Rose is one of the longest hitters in the field. Lehman is long enough to defend himself, and he is also one of the best wedge players in the field. Nevertheless, they did not birdie the first hole, a relatively short (504 yards) par 5, and they followed their par at the first with a bogey at the second, a 194-yard par 3. 

"I think he (Rose) was ready to send me back to the car after the first two holes," Lehman joked. "He missed his par putt on 2 from about 4 feet, and then I missed mine from even closer, about 3 feet." 

Rose, who has been the MGA Senior Player of the Year each of the last three years, got the defending champs going in the right direction with a birdie at the 320-yard, par-4 third, and they added eight more birdies in the last 15 holes, which gave them an 8-under 63 and a share of the first-round lead, along with Dave Haselrud and Matt Yeager. 

John Brellenthin and Tim Peterson are tied for third with Scott Hinners and Curt Howard, one behind with 64's. Another shot behind them were two more teams -- John Spreiter and Reed Kolquist, and Mark Mueller and Matt Mueller.

Lehman, who is 62, has won four MGA Senior Amateur titles in the seven years he's been eligible. Haselrud won the 2017 Senior Am, and he nearly did it again last year, when he finished second, two behind the winner, Trent Wilcox. Yeager has had a limited tournament schedule in recent years, but he has an MGA Four-Ball championship on his resume. He and J.B. Lloyd combined to win it in 1999.

Haselrud and Yeager had only one bogey apiece on their card Monday, and like the Lehman-Rose team, they made their first birdie at the third hole, thanks to Yeager. Haselrud added birdies at the par-3 fourth (174 yards) and the par-4 seventh (376), but they were still only 3 under after 11 holes. Their back-nine assault on par began when Yeager birdied the 547-yard, par-5 12th.

They parred the 13th, and Haselrud took it from there. He played the last five holes in 4 under, making birdies at the 14th (407 yards, par 4) 15th 147, par 3), and he capped off his round with an eagle at the 514-yard, par-5 18th. 

Playing a couple of hours later than Haselrud and Yeager, Rose and Lehman made up for their misstep at the second by making birdies at each of the other four par-3's at Southern Hills, beginning with the 174-yard fourth, which Lehman birdied. Rose made 2 at the toughest par-3 on the course, the 206-yard eighth hole, and Lehman birdied the 472-yard, par-5 ninth, giving them a 32 for the front nine.

He also birdied the par-4 10th (417 yards), and Rose added a birdie at the par-3 11th (163). It was Rose who birdied the 14th, and Lehman birdied the last of the par-3's, the 147-yard 15th, which was actually playing more like 125 on Monday. Rose, who is 61 but can still hit the ball a long way -- even though he doesn't bother to use a tee most of the time when he hits his driver -- reached the 18th with a 6-iron second shot and two-putted for his team's ninth birdie of the day. 

Neither of the top two teams doubled up on any of their birdies. That was not the case for the two teams right behind them.

Like Lehman and Rose, Brellenthin and Peterson both bogeyed the second. But Peterson had  the first, and he also birdied third, seventh and eight holes. Brellenthin is a former Minnesota state high school champion who played for the University of Minnesota in the 1980's, then gave up tournament golf for a successful business career. He announced his return to tournament golf by winning the 2019 Minnesota State Senior Open. On Monday, after his partner made four birdies in the first eight holes, Brellenthin capped off the team's front nine with an eagle at No. 9.

Peterson and Brellenthin made two birdies each on the back nine, but they were on the same holes, the two par-5's. They both birdied the 12th, and they both birdied the 18th. 

As for Hinners and Howard, they didn't make much noise on the front side. Howard birdied the fourth and fifth, but the both bogeyed the sixth. So they were 1 under when they arrived at the 11th tee. Then the fireworks began, and in the next seven holes, they made a combined nine birdies. They both birdied the 11th, the 13th and the 16th. Hinners tossed in birdies at the 12th and 14th, and Howard birdied the 17th. Then, as if to demonstrate what a strange game golf is, they didn't birdie No. 18, the easiest hole on the nine.  
  
In the Masters Division, the Anderson brothers, Bill and Bob, shot 65 and took a two-stroke lead over the defending champions, Denny Barr and Don Howe, and last year's second-place finishers, Rick Ehrmanntraut and Rob Wight. The Andersons won the regular division of the Four-Ball in 2009, and they won the Masters Division in 2017 and '18. 


Minnesota State Senior Four-Ball Championship

At Southern Hills Golf Club

Par 71, 6,343 yards

Farmington

First-round results


T1. Dave Haselrud, Southview CC
Matt Yeager, Minnesota Valley CC                        32-31--63

T1. Jim Lehman, Windsong Farm
Jerry Rose, Alexandria GC                                   32-31--63

T3. John Brellenthin, The Minikahda Club
Tim Peterson, Forest Hills GC                               30-34--64

T3. Scott Hinners, Bemidji Town & Country Club  
Curt Howard, Bemidji T&C                                    34-30--64

T5. John Spreiter, Litchfield GC
Reed Kolquist, Lester Park GC                             31-34--65

T5. Mark Mueller, Majestic Oaks GC
Matt Mueller, Majestic Oaks                                  32-33--65

T7. Rick Frieburg, Monticello GC           
Mark Frie, Monticello                                             33-33--66

T7. David Kokesh, Bent Creek GC
Dave Rehfeldt, StoneRidge GC                            35-31--66

T7. Peach Larson, The Ponds @ Battle Creek
Mike McKay, The Ponds                                       33-33--66

T10. Carl Horsch, Hazeltine National
Mark Knutson, Hazeltine                                       34-33--67

T10. Jeff Teal, Island View GC
Jon Empanger, Island View                                   32-35--67

T10. Michael Toninato, Prestwick GC
Mark Seagren, Hiawatha GC                                 33-34--67
 

Contact Us

Contact Us

6550 York Avenue South, Suite 411 • Edina, MN 55435 • (952) 927-4643 • (800) 642-4405 • Fax: (952) 927-9642
© 2024 Minnesota Golf Association. All Rights Reserved