Deitz Beats No. 2 Johnson at DL; Skarperud Knocks off No. 3 Weiss

DETROIT LAKES -- The higher seeds had a tougher time of it Friday in the Round of 32 at the Pine to Palm.

In Thursday's first round of matches, nine of the top 10 seeds advanced. By the end of Friday's second round, only five of the top 10 were still alive. 

Andrew Israelson, the medalist and No. 1 seed (the 2018 champion, Jackson Foth, who would have been the top seed, turned professional in January), made it to the weekend with a 3&1 victory over No. 33 Mason Kennedy at Detroit Country Club. The former Minnesota Mr. Golf (the top high school senior in the state) who will be a senior at North Dakota State in a few weeks, will face a long-hitting local, Tanner Schnathorst, the No. 16 seed. He beat Blake Kahlbaugh 2&1 on Friday.

A pair of Concordia College teammates from a decade ago -- Pat Deitz (Class of 2011) and Erik Weiss (2010) -- were involved in the two biggest upsets on Day 2. Deitz, the No. 34 seed, knocked off No. 2 Lucas Johnson, 1 up. Johnson is a teammate of Israelson's. The NDSU sophomore-to-be from Moorhead (he went to Shanley High School) finished second in qualifying earlier this week with a 66-69--135. Deitz shot 146 in qualifying.

Deitz's former teammate Weiss was one of the upset victims. He was the No. 3 seed, having shot 69-68--137 in qualifying. But the No. 30 seed, Alex Skarperud, who will be a sophomore at Scottsdale Community College, nipped him, 1 up. Skarperud qualified with 145 (69-76). This was the second time Weiss and Skarperud have faced each other at the Pine to Palm. Weiss won their first encountrer, 1 up in 2017. 

The 5 and 6 seeds, Bill Carlson and two-time Pine to Palm champ Rick Kuhn (who was the runner-up to Foth last year) both won, and by the same score -- 1 up. Carlson beat former Pine to Palm champ Greg Melhus, who also has 10 North Dakota state titles on his resume, plus one Minnesota state title (the 2010 MGA Mid-Players). The 49-year-old Kuhn, who first won the Pine to Palm in 1991, defeated the No. 27 seed Justin Redding.

Will Czeh set a Pine to Palm record last year by shooting 65-63--128 in qualifying. This year, he shot 139 and was the No. 7 seed. He, too, was an upset victim on Friday, losing 2&1 to Patrick Traynor, the No. 26 seed and a soon-to-be senior at North Dakota.  
 
Pat Deitz and Erik Weiss weren't the only players in the Round of 32 with Concordia connections. Isaac Cihak, the No. 24 seed will be a junior for the Cobbers this fall. Of more immediate significance, he will play in the Round of 16 on Saturday morning, after ambushing No. 9 seed Ryan Ames 2&1. And his coach at Concordia, Joe Christianson (No. 12), made it through the second round at Detroit CC, as well, with a 1-up victory over Austin Rene. 

Lucas Johnson may be gone, but Israelson still has one teammate who's alive. Actually, a future teammate. Nate Adams, who graduated from Maple Grove High School in June and will begin his freshman year at NDSU in a few weeks, was the No. 11 seed last week at the 98th Resorters, where he made it to the quarterfinals. This week, he's the No. 10 seed, and he's into the Round of 16 thanks to a 4&3 victory over Detroit Lakes native Tanner Lane.

The lowest seed still alive is Ian Simonich. He hasn't started his junior year at Moorhead High School yet, but he's already got a pretty impressive resume. He won the Section 8AAA individual medal this spring and finished 16th in the large-school class (AAA) at the state tournament. Then in July, he won the State Junior Boys Championship at Pioneer Creek with a 69-68--137, one stroke better than the totals posted by Adams and the 2019 AAA high school champ, Brock Winter of Stillwater. 

So far this week, Simonich has shot 67 in the first round of qualifying, but followed it with an 81. The resulting aggregate of 148 got him into the match-play portion of the tournament, albeit with only one stroke to spare. He's seeded No. 57, but he dismissed the No. 8 seed, Matt Kulla, 4&2 in the first round. Simonich won again on Friday, 1 up over Jack Michel (No. 40).

He will face Cihak on Saturday morning in the Round of 16, and the winner of that match will get either Israelson or Schnathorst in the quarterfinals Saturday afternoon.    


The Pine to Palm

at Detroit Country Club 

Detroit Lakes 

Championship Flight 

Round of 64

Andrew Israelson (1) def. Michael Kosiek (64) 4&2

Mason Kennedy (33) def. Ben Unruh (32) 1 up in extra holes

Tanner Schnathorst (16) def. Dieter Zuehlke 1 up in extra holes

Blake Kahlbaugh (17) def. Caleb Ketterling (48) 1 up

Ian Simonich (57) def. Matt Kulla (8) 4&2

Jack Michel (40) def. Jacob Skarperud (25) 3&2

Ryan Ames (9) def. Nathaniel Kahlbaugh (56) 4&3

Isaac Cihak (24) def. Joe Schornack (41) 4&3

Cody Cook (4) def. Blaze Ackerland (61) 5&3

Marc Vincelli (36) def. Chris Swenson (29) 3&2

Nathan Ginnaty (13) def. Matt Bekkerus (52) 3&2

Adam Van Raden (20) def. Bob Bye (45) 1 up extra holes

Bill Carlson (5) def. Andrew Johnson (60) 2&1

Greg Melhus (28) def. Coy Papachek (37) 3&2

Joe Christianson (12) def. Jordie Siverson (53) 4&3

Austin Rene (21) def. Layton Bartley (44) 1 up

Lucas Johnson (2) def. Max Karnik (63) 5&4

Pat Deitz (34) def. Andrew Passanante (31) 1 up in extra holes 

Todd Hillier (50) def. Nate Varty (15) 2&1

Jack Olson (18) Nolan Frank (47) 3&1

Will Czeh (7) def. John Fischer (58) 1 up in extra holes

Patrick Traynor (26) def. Matt Koster (39) 5&4

Nate Adams (10) def. Logan Hamak (55) 1 up in extra holes

Tanner Lane (42) def. Dylan Naylor (23) 2 up

Erik Weiss (3) def. Logan Palmer (62)  1 up in extra holes

Alex Skarperud (30) def. Sawyer Jaeger (35) 1 up

Ben Bergquist (51) def. Nick Evin (14) 1 up

Keaton Lausch (19) def. Cameron Rall (46) 5&4

Ruck Kuhn (6) def. Wyatt Blomseth (59) 3&1

Justin Redding (27) def. Ryan Steinert (38) 1 up

Cade Montplaisir (11) def. Gus Leivermann (54) 5&4

Bryant Buckellew (22) def. Brandon McGarry (43) 3&2

Round of 32

Israelson (1) def. Kennedy (33)_3&1

Schnathorst (16) def. Kahlbaugh (17) 2&1

Simonich (57) def. Michel (40) 1 up

Cihak (24) def. Ames (9) 2&1

Cook (4) def. Vincelli (36) 1 up

Ginnaty (13) def. Van Raden (20) 1 up

Carlson (5) def. Melhus (28) 1 up

Christianson (12) def. Rene (21) 1 up

Deitz (34) def. Johnson (2) 1 up

Hillier (50) def. Olson (18) 1 up

Traynor (26) def. Czeh (7) 2&1

Adams (10) def. Lane (42) 4&3

Skarperud (30) def. Weiss (3) 1 up

Lausch (19) def. Bergquist (51) 2&1

Kuhn (6) def. Redding (27) 1 up

Buckellew (22) def. Montplaisir (11) 1 up