Peterson Takes Down Schmitz at MGA Mid-Players', Faces Familar Foe in Quesnel in Finals

June 18, 2019 | 6 min.

 
By Nick Hunter
nick@mngolf.org
 
 
  HUTCHINSON, Minn. – At the Minnesota Golf Association Players’ Championship at Northland Country Club in 2008, Trent Peterson needed two late birdies to force extra holes against Sammy Schmitz before Peterson went on to win the semifinal match on the third playoff hole, eventually claiming the title by defeating Tom Jenkins in the finals.
 
Peterson and Schmitz, arguably two of the state’s best amateur golfers, squared off for the first time since, and again it was Peterson who prevailed to win his semifinal match by fending off a surging Schmitz Tuesday at the 13th MGA Mid-Players’ Championship at Crow River Golf Club.
 
“Sammy is good—I was looking forward to playing him,” Peterson smiled after advancing to the final match Tuesday. “When the tournament started, I looked at the matches and said, ‘Who is the three seed? Oh, Sammy is. Okay, hopefully we’ll meet at some point.
 
“I knew I had to play well against him and I have been playing well and putting well, but you have to make birdies to beat Sammy. You can’t give him holes and you can’t give him openings—he’s a great golfer.”
 
Peterson looked as though he was going to run away with the match early following a Schmitz bogey at the second before Peterson carded birdies at the fourth and sixth holes. A second bogey by Schmitz at the ninth gave Peterson a 4-up lead as he moved closer to advancing to his third straight championship match at the event.
 
But it was only a matter of time before Schmitz, a six-time MGA Men’s Player of the Year, made a move. Dunking three consecutive birdie putts beginning at the par-4 11th, Peterson watched as his lead dwindled to one over Schmitz as the two made their way to the 14th green.
 
In typical Peterson fashion he would answer with a two-putt birdie at the par-5 14th, then converting his birdie chance from eight feet at the 15th before closing out Schmitz at the 16th hole with a par to advance to the finals, 3 and 2, looking for his second title in three seasons.
 
“I’ve been playing really well all the way around,” Peterson said. “The key for me has been putting. I made some really good putts. Hitting the driver well, hitting fairways all day and having birdie putts all day makes it easy.”
 
Not only considered one of the state’s best overall players, Peterson has proven to be one of the state’s most dangerous match play opponents, going deep in numerous events in recent years. He claimed his first of two MGA Players’ Championships over Jenkins in 2008 and added a second in 2016, defeating Joe O’Brien at The Classic at Madden’s Resort in Brainerd. Peterson also finished runner-up in back-to-back seasons in 2014 and 2015.
 
In his first year eligible for the 30-and-over Mid-Players’ event, Peterson defeated Justin Burleson in 2017 at St. Cloud Country Club before Burleson exacted revenge on Peterson a year ago at Brackett’s Crossing Country Club.
 
Peterson will have another familiar opponent when the final match begins Wednesday in Jamie Quesnel, who was a high school teammate of Peterson’s at Eagan High School.
 
Quesnel, seeded No. 24 to begin the week, bounced ninth-ranked Daryl Schomer early Monday before downing former professional and 2015 Minnesota PGA Match Play champion Matt Norgaard during the afternoon session Monday.
 
Building an early lead against Chris Myhro in the quarterfinals early Tuesday, Quesnel continued to apply pressure and cruised to advance to the semifinals, 4 and 3.
 
“I’ve been pretty consistent the last couple of days,” Quesnel said Tuesday. “I had some spots that weren’t working, but didn’t really give much away during the first few matches.
 
“Against Joe, I was down early—he was working me. I hit one fairway and two greens on the front and kind of hung in there,” Quesnel said of his early deficit against Conzemius Tuesday. “During the first few matches I felt pretty good about my swing, but during that stretch I did not. It was the first time during the tournament when I felt like I had nothing. I was able to chip and putt to hang in there. If he was going to keep making birdies, that’s fine, but I wasn’t going to give anything away."
 
Quesnel carded bogey at the second to fall behind early and watched as Conzemius rolled in three birdies over the next five holes and Quesnel was facing a 4-down deficit after seven holes.
 
“He left the door open on nine and I started rolling from there. When you’re four down you just have to keep hanging in there. I’ve played enough golf and it’ll come around and then you just start believing again.”
 
Conzemius began the back nine with a pair of bogeys before Quesnel’s putter evened the match by sinking an 18-footer at the 12th. With a birdie at 13 and an eagle at 14, where he striped his 3-wood to two feet, Quesnel quickly flipped momentum in his favor to grab a 2-up lead with four holes to play.
 
Quesnel failed to get up-and-down for par at the 17th, but hung on to claim a 1-up victory, staging a spectacular comeback to defeat Conzemius to reach the finals for the first time.
 
“Tomorrow I expect Trent to be flawless—fairways and greens and he can certainly make a few putts. He’s solid and he’s played enough golf that if he makes a couple bogeys in a row, it doesn’t bother him and he goes on to the next hole,” Quesnel said. “He’s present and in the moment, and that’s good, especially in match play.
 
“I need to be steady and play my game. I might miss some fairways and greens, but I’ll get up-and-down and I’ll get my birdie chances.”
 
Quesnel, who was playing his senior season at Eagan when Peterson began his varsity golf career as a seventh-grader, admitted to playing less golf after graduating from college and the sport took a backseat when he was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease not long after.
 
“At one point the doctors had no idea what was wrong with me. Eventually I starting doing yoga and changing the whole life-mentality. My son was now a 2-years-old and I started playing more and wanted to try to make these events.
 
“I found some success and was able to hang around, plus it gives you something to work for. You make better life decisions when you have these tournaments lined up—eat better, work out, practice. And it’s been fun getting to know these guys.”
 
Quesnel’s game began to trend upward when he advanced to the Quarterfinals of the 2017 MGA Players’ Championship. Over the last two seasons, Quesnel has earned four top-five finishes, including his fifth-place finish at the MGA Mid-Amateur Championship last year.
 
The final match of the 13th MGA Mid-Players’ Championship is set to begin Wednesday at 7:40 a.m. at Crow River Golf Club.
 
 

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