Warian Is Medalist & Gophers Are Team Champs at Highland Meadows
April 16, 2024
By Nick Hunter
nick@mngolf.org
STILLWATER, Minn. – Following the opening round of the Minnesota Public Golf Association State Public Links Championship last year at the Jewel Golf Club, Noah Rasinski sat in a tie atop of the leaderboard with Maxwell Tylke before stumbling to a third-place finish with a final-round 75.
Rasinski found himself in a similar situation this week, pacing the field by firing a 2-under par 70 to begin the championship Saturday at Loggers Trail Golf Course, but earned a bit of redemption during the final round Sunday.
Curling in a birdie putt from eight feet on the first playoff hole, the former University of Minnesota golfer claimed victory over Justin Burleson and Yarri Bryn for his fifth state title as he becomes the fourth player to win both the Junior Public Links and the State Public Links Championships.
“The biggest key was just patience. The first day I felt like I hit the ball really well and wasn’t making any putts, I should’ve had a couple more birdies," Rasinski said after his win Sunday. "Today I was pretty steady—it went a little wayward at the end, but I stayed patient and got it done in the playoff.
“The MPGA has been a big part of my career growing up at a public golf course. I loved the events they put on and my high school teammates and friends from our course would come play in the [Junior Public Links]. It was nice to bring it back for them and have a trophy sitting in the clubhouse.”
Rasinski rolled in a 20-footer for birdie on the opening hole Sunday to move to 3-under for the championship and keep pace with Bryn, and would get up-and-down for birdie at the ninth to turn in 4-under with a share of the lead.
Converting his birdie opportunity from eight feet at the par-4 11th, Rasinski regained the outright lead at 5-under, but a pair of late bogeys dropped him into a three-way tie for the lead heading to the final hole. Rasinski sent his tee shot far right at the 18th, but recovered by hitting a blind approach inside of 15 feet, where he would two-putt for par to force a playoff.
Forced to lay up in the playoff at the par-5 10th, Rasinski’s third came to rest eight feet left of the cup, and after Bryn’s birdie putt came up short, Rasinski curled in a left-to-right breaker for birdie. Left with four feet to extend the match, Burleson’s putt missed as Rasinski earned his first victory in four years.
“I thought I had a good chance to win coming in this week. I was leading after the first round of the tournament last year and didn’t have a great second round,” Rasinski said. “I kind of felt like the same thing was going to happen there at the end, but thankfully it all worked out.”
Rasinski, a graduate of Lakeville South High School, began his collegiate at Concordia University-St. Paul, where he collected a pair of victories and was a three-time Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Player of the Week during his freshman and sophomore seasons.
Transferring to the University of Minnesota to begin his junior year, Rasinski competed in 11 tournaments during his final two seasons, with his career-best finish coming last fall where he tied for 13th at the Macdonald Cup before his senior season was cut short in March.
“It was a grind at times, but I’ve been finding my game over the last month coming off the weird end to the college season,” said Rasinski, who graduated from Minnesota earlier this spring. “It was kind of tough getting back into it, but I’m finally seeing some hard work pay off.”
Rasinski won the 2015 MPGA Junior Public Links Championship at Emerald Greens and was a member of two winning Minnesota Golf Association Junior Team championships, claiming individual honors in 2016. He notched a pair of top-5 finishes in 2019, including a fourth-place finish at the MGA Amateur Championship at Somerby Golf Club.
Rasinski will be in the field at Monday’s MGA Players’ Championship at Hastings Golf Club, but says he will decide to either play in the MGA Amateur-Four Ball Championship next month or turn professional before moving to the Phoenix area this winter.
“I’ll be working on my game to get ready for either the [Mackenzie Tour or Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying School] next year, so it’s exciting and a good time for me start playing well and get a win.”
Beginning the final round two shots back Sunday, a pair eagles during his back nine helped put Burleson into contention, chipping in at the 10th before rolling in an 8-footer at the 16th to pull within one shot of Rasinski. Burleson would card a tournament-low 3-under 69 to force extra holes.
Looking for his third eagle of the day, Burleson reached the par-5 10th in two during the playoff, but left his eagle putt four feet short and watched his birdie chance roll right of the cup.
“Overall, it was a pretty good week. I started off kind of shaky on the first nine yesterday, but my last three nines I played well and made some putts,” Burleson said Sunday. “At the end of the day, the putter ruined it on the last hole.
“I was pretty steady—no complaints. The last hole I left the second shot where you want to be, below that hole with the back-to-front slope. The greens were rolling, they were smooth, but a little thick. I couldn’t make myself hit it and I didn’t want to leave it four feet above the hole. But you have to make right-edge 4-footers all day and I didn’t make it.”
Claiming the MGA Mid-Amateur late last season, Burleson was searching for his first win of the 2020 season, but will have to settle for his eighth runner-up finish at a state championship since 2013.
“[My game] is finally coming together,” Burleson said of the unusual circumstances to begin the 2020 golf season. “This has been the first tournament I’ve pieced everything together for the most part.”
Burleson has a pair of MPGA Mid Public Links titles to his credit as well as the MGA Mid Players’ Championship. He earned his first stroke play title last fall when he claimed a two-stroke victory over Tony Vincelli at Bearpath Golf and Country Club.
Bryn, who claimed the Twin Cities Championship at Hastings Golf Club in late June, entered Sunday’s final round one shot off Rasinski’s lead and began his day with a bogey before rolling in four birdies over his next five holes to move to the top of the leaderboard.
Carding a birdie and two bogeys over his final nine holes, Bryn had the advantage off the tee during the playoff, but was eventually eliminated after chipping his third shot to the front edge of the green and lagging his birdie chance to three feet before Rasinski dropped his birdie putt.
Defending champion and a two-time winner of the event, Trent Peterson carded a final-round 71 Sunday to finish in fourth place at 1-under 141.
THE 96TH MPGA STATE PUBLIC LINKS CHAMPIONSHIP
LOGGERS TRAIL GOLF COURSE
STILLWATER, MINN.
6,959 YARDS, PAR 72
SUNDAY’S FINAL RESULTS
1. Noah Rasinski, Willinger’s GC, 70-71—141 (won playoff)
T2. Yarri Bryn, Bunker Hills GC, 71-70—141
T2. Justin Burleson, Fountain Valley GC, 72-69—141
4. Trent Peterson, Fountain Valley GC, 72-71—143
5. Brooks Beutler, Pioneer Creek GC, 73-71—144
6. Jordan Rykal, Braemar GC, 75-70—145
T7. Carter Spalding, MN Youth on Course, 74-73—147
T7. Sam Skaar, Eagle Ridge GC, 71-76—147
T9. Pranay Singh, MN Youth on Course, 75-73—148
T9. Joe O’Brien, Rush Creek GC, 75-73—148
For complete tournament results go to: www.golfgenius.com/pages/6627639288659990756
April 9, 2024
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