Peterson, Wisconsin-Superior Dominate UMAC Championships

May 7, 2021 | 3 min.


BECKER, Minn. -- Ryan Peterson is a senior at the University of Wisconsin-Superior. He has played in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference Championships four times, and he's had about as impressive a progression as possible. 

When he was a freshman, he finished fifth. As a sophomore, he was fourth. He then won the conference championship by four strokes over teammate Joey Cummings as a junior with three consecutive rounds of even-par 72 at Pebble Creek Golf Club. Last weekend, he improved on that, by posting a 54-hole aggregate of 5-under 211 (74-69-68) -- and winning the conference individual title by 14 strokes!

In the process, he helped Wisconsin-Superior win the team championship by 63.

Brady Raph of Minnesota-Morris closed with a 75 and finished second in the individual standings, although he was barely a speck in Peterson's rearview mirror at 225. The Yellowjackets' Cummings, who like Peterson, is a senior from Duluth East, ended up third at 227. He was named the UMAC Player of the Year for 2020-21.

The University of Northwestern's Noah Johnson claimed fourth with an aggregate of 231.

Superior's winning score was 912. The University of Northwestern was second at 975, and Bethany Lutheran was another 20 back in third at 995.

Golf was not Peterson's first choice for a sport after high school. He played one year of Junior Hockey with the Minnesota Wilderness in the North American Hockey League, before enrolling at Wisconsin-Superior. 

There wasn't much suspense in the final round. Peterson started off six ahead of Cummings and eight ahead of Raph, and he birdied Pebble Creek's second hole, a 505-yard par 5. He concluded the front nine with a 36, after making a bogey at the par-4 eighth (415 yards), at which point he was still eight ahead of Raph, and 10 ahead of Cummings, who shot 40 on the front nine.

Peterson created even more separation between himself and everyone else with a back-nine 32. He birdied the 11th hole (365 yards, par 4) and made three in a row at the 15th (400, par 4), 16th (556, par 5) and 17th (210, par 3) on his way to 68.  

By winning the conference team championship -- for the third year in a row -- Wisconsin-Superior earned an automatic berth in the NCAA Division III Championships, May 11-14  on the Arnold Palmer Course and Robert Trent Jones, Sr., Course at Speidel Golf Club in Wheeling, W.Va.



MEN'S COLLEGE GOLF

Upper Midwest Athletic Conference Championships

At Pebble Creek Golf Club

Par 72, 6,872 yards

  • Becker, Minn.

Final results

1. Wisconsin-Superior                 302-308-302--912

2. University of Northwestern      330-322-323--975

3. Bethany Luthern                      333-330-332--995

4. North Central                           333-337-326--996

5. St. Scholastica                         342-326-330--998

6. Martin Luther                           337-341-331--1009

7. Minnesota-Morris                     343-335-335--1013

8. Crown College                         361-345-355--1061

9. Northland College                    380-351-346--1077

Individuals

1. Ryan Peterson, UW-Superior       74-69-68--211

2. Brady Raph, Minn.-Morris             78-72-75--225

3. Joey Cummings, UW-Superior     75-74-78--227

4. Noah Johnson, Norhwestern         78-77-76--231

T5. Sam Albrecht, UW-Superior        75-82-75--232

T5. Jacob Sweeney, North Central    79-76-77--232
         


                         





 

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