Lehman Looking for First Win at Senior Players', Squares Off Against Whaley in Finals

June 18, 2019 | 4 min.

 
By Nick Hunter
nick@mngolf.org
 
 
  HUTCHINSON, Minn. – Accumulating a trio of wins at national events and nine career victories in the state, including four Minnesota Golf Association Senior Amateur titles, 61-year-old Jim Lehman seems as though he’s getting better with age.
 
Tallying his fourth Senior Amateur win in Bemidji last fall, becoming only the third player since 1922 with at least four wins at the event, Lehman continued his formidable play into the winter months where he collected his second win since 2013 at the SOS Spring Classic in Palm Gardens, Fla., in February.
 
On Wednesday Lehman, a two-time MGA Senior Men’s Player of the Year, has the opportunity to add another senior title to his golf resume after advancing to the final match at the 20th MGA Senior Players’ Championship at Crow River Golf Club.
 
“I’ve never won this tournament, so I came in maybe more determined than ever,” Lehman said after picking up a pair of victories to reach the finals Tuesday. “I wanted to get off to a good start with all of my matches and, for the most part, I’ve done that. It’s been a pretty solid couple days of golf.
 
“I feel really good about my game. I played a fair amount of golf this winter—I played five national tournaments, won one of them and had a couple of other good results. I’ve come into the spring here with a little more confidence than normal.”
 
Lehman slipped past Terry Moores to begin the championship early Monday before downing John Hawkinson, 3 and 1, during the Round of 13 Monday afternoon. Edging Jim Prince, 1-up, during Tuesday’s quarterfinal round, Lehman advanced to face 2016 MPGA Senior Public Links champion Scott Hogan.
 
Hogan took an early lead following a bogey by Lehman on the opening hole to begin the semifianls Tuesday, but it would be the only blemish on Lehman’s scorecard the rest of the round. He took advantage of a Hogan bogey at the fourth and grabbed his first lead of the match at the fifth, pouring in his birdie putt from 10 feet.
 
With Hogan taking bogey at both the seventh and eighth holes, Lehman’s lead swelled to three. Lehman won the 12th with a par before getting up-and-down for birdie at the 13th. With a final bogey by Hogan at the 14th, Lehman advanced to Wednesday’s final match by closing out Hogan, 6 and 4.
 
“I didn’t make any bogeys after hole number one. I was hitting my driver, for me, really long today,” Lehman said. “My irons were solid—it was solid all around. Lots of good shots and I felt really good about that."
 
Lehman will face Tom Whaley, who defeated Leif Carlson during his semifinal match Tuesday, 4 and 3.
 
“Tom is a good friend of mine. We’ve known each other and played together at Minneapolis Golf Club for years. It’ll be fun to play with him. He’s a good player, so I’ll have to play very well.”
 
Whaley, who picked up wins against David Haslerud and Steve Whittaker during the first day of competition Monday before downing Brent Chozen during the quarterfinals Tuesday, carded one birdie on his opening nine during his match against Carlson, but would take a 2-up lead to the back nine.
 
Capitalizing on a bogey by Carlson at the 10th, Whaley increased his lead to three before two-putting for birdie at the 14th and closing out the match at the 15th with a par to advance to the finals, 4 and 3.
 
“I’ve hit the ball as well as I have in 20 years, back to when I won the [MGA Mid-Amateur]. I hit everything solid. My putting is still a little off, but it’s match play. You just need to get your pars and make some birdies. I put a lot of pressure on both guys I played today. I had a lot of wedges today because I missed four or five fairways all day.
 
“Jimmy [Lehman] and I have been friends for 30 years—he wrote the letter for me to get into Minneapolis Golf Club. He’s a really, really good player and a really good competitor. It’ll be a tough match because he hits the ball solid all the time. He’ll be in all the fairways and all the greens, or at least right around them. He’s a formidable opponent, but it’ll be a nice walk in the park with a good friend.”
 
The championship match of the 20th MGA Senior Players’ Championship is slated to begin at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday at Crow River Golf Club.


 

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