Miller, Carlson Are 1-2 after Opening Round of Tapemark

WEST ST. PAUL -- One of the goals of most of the professionals as they tee off each day in the Tapemark Charity Pro-Am is not to make any 5's. 

It's a realistic goal, considering the prodigious distances that golfers hit the ball these days, especailly the young ones, and the length of the par-5's at Southview Country Club. The shortest, No. 4, is 470 yards, and the longest, No. 17, is only 490. There are quite a few par-4's that are 490 yards -- and longer -- on the PGA Tour, and that's what several of the guys in the Tapemark field aspire to. (As an example, TPC Southwind, the course where they're playing this week's PGA Tour event, the FedEx St. Jude Classic, has par-4's of 472, 482, 485 and 490 yards.)  

On Friday, John Carlson, a two-time Tapemark champion, did a nice job of exploiting the Southview par-5's on his way to a 5-under-par 66. Carlson, who is the head coach for the University of Minnesota men's golf team, got off to a good start by hitting a wedge to 4 feet at the 353-yard, par-4 first hole and making the putt for a birdie. After making pars on the next two holes, he hit a drive of approximately 325 yards at the fourth hole, then stuck a 9-iron 7 feet from the hole and made that putt for an eagle. He was a quick 3 under.  

He also hit a hybrid second shot 30 feet from the cup at the 17th and two-putted for his fourth birdie of the day. So he was 3 under on the par-5's for the round. 

But the player who was the most efficient on the par-5's Friday was Ross Miller, a 23-year-old Riverwood National GC assistant who is in his second year as a pro. He was the only player in the field who accomplished the goal of no 5's.

Miller got off to what he described as a "slow start," which translated into seven consecutive pars on the back nine (he started at No 10). He was hitting virtually all the fairways, however, and he birdied both of the par-5's on the back nine -- 17 and 18 (481 yards). The 2015 Minnesota State-Mankato graduate also birdied both of the par-5's on the front nine -- No. 4 and No. 6 (476) -- and he capped off his bogey-free 65 with birdies at the 363-yard, par-4 eighth and the 331-yard, par-4 ninth holes.

As a result, he's the leader after Day 1.

Whereas Miller's name at the top of the leaderboard is a bit of a surprise, although he did finish top-10 in his only other Minnesota tournament this year (he tied for ninth at the Minnesota Golf Chapions a month ago), Carlson's name is not. 

He won the Tapemark the first time he played in it, in 2007, while he was still playing mini-tours in the hope of eventually getting to the PGA Tour. The former MGA Players champion defended his title successfully the following year, and even though he's cut back his tournament schedule to one or maybe two events a year since he took over as the Gophers golf coach, he always plays well in the Tapemark. In the last three years, he's finished second, fourth and seventh.

"I like the course, obviously," he said. "It's fairly tight, and that suits my game which is based on playing from the fairways. I rely on ball-striking and don't improvise all that well. I'm not Bill Israelson (the Minnesota Hall of Fame member who was legendary for his ability to make pars and birdies from previously unexplored parts of courses). I'm more of a fairways and greens kind of guy." 

Carlson his 17 greens in regulation on Friday.  

Another Gopher coach, Carlson's assistant, Justin Smith, a former Gopher player (he made the putt that sealed Minnesota's NCAA championship in 2002), is one of four players who are two strokes back at 67. Also in that group is Julian Ramiriez, Miller's fellow assistant at Riverwood National. Filling out the foursome at 67 are New Richmond GC assistant Ian Hessels and Jon Trasamar, also a former Gopher player.

Don Berry, who has won a record seven Tapemark titles, shot 68 and is one of five players tied for seventh, along with another former Tapemark winner, Dave Tentis.

Ryan Helminen, the teaching pro from Ridgeway CC (Wisconsin) who won his third Tapemark title last year, is at 69, and so is the low amateur Shell Wheeler of North Oaks.    

MINNESOTA PROFESSIONAL GOLF 

Tapemark Charity Pro-Am 

At Southview Country Club

Par 71, 6,121 yards

West St. Paul 

First-round results 

1. Ross Miller, Riverwood National GC    65

2. John Carlson, Southview CC                66

T3. Ian Hessels, New Richmond GC        67

T3. Julian Ramirez, Riverwood Nat'l.        67

T3. Justin Smith, Bolstad/University         67

T3. Jon Trasamar, Windsong Farm GC    67

T7. Don Berry, Edinburgh USA                 68

T7. Scott McDonald, Minnewaska GC     68

T7. Chris Meyer, Dallas Athletic Club      68

T7. Brent Snyder, Troy Burne GC            68

T7. Dave Tentis, Troy Burne GC              68

T12. Scott Cole, StoneRidge GC             69

T12. Ryan Helminen, Ridgeway CC        69

T12. Brian Seiwert, Minneapolis GC        69

T12. Erik Van Rooyen, Cape Town, SA    69

T12. Cam White, The Palms (Calif.)         69

T12. Shell Wheeler, North Oaks  (A)        69