Tentis Shoots 73 on a Familiar Track to Qualify for U.S. Senior Open

By Nick Hunter
nhunter@mngolf.org


DELLWOOD, Minn. – With the help of two late birdies Thursday, Minnesota professional Dave Tentis carded a 1-over par 73 at Dellwood Country Club to earn medalist honors and as well as a spot in the 2016 U.S. Senior Open.

A field of 32 golfers competed for one qualifying spot to this year’s championship, which will be played August 11-14 at Scioto Country Club in Columbus, Ohio.

“I knew I had a good chance coming in, which can cause a little pressure too, so I wanted to play one shot at a time,” Tentis said after qualifying Thursday. “I’m not playing my best right now, but I’ve played this course so many times, I thought I could chip away at it and it worked out.”

Tentis began his round with a bogey at the par-3 third to move to 1-over before turning at 2-over with a second bogey at the par-4 ninth. He would open the back nine with six consecutive pars before hitting his approach shot at the 16th inside 12 feet, and converted birdie to get to 1-over par for the round.

“I was making some decent par saves, I didn’t do anything spectacular but I tried to be patient. It was a slow start to the day with a couple of bogeys on the front side,” Tentis said. “I was struggling on the back and made some short par putts and finally made a birdie on 16. No birdies the first 15 holes—I didn’t know if I was going to make one all day.”

At the par-5 17th he decided to get aggressive and cut the corner from the tee. He hit a 7-iron into the green and two putted for birdie to pull even before taking bogey on the final hole to finish one shot better than the field at 1-over 73.

“I grew up here but it’s a totally different golf course compared to back then. I’ve limped around here in pro-ams and have not played good golf like I’m used to playing when I grew up here, so that’s why I wanted to try qualifying,” Tentis said.

“The course was just amazing, they’ve done a wonderful job with the re-design—it’s more user-friendly and more fun to play,” he said.

Tentis, 54, was a three-time Minnesota Golf Association Player of Year, qualifying for several USGA events as an amateur in the state prior to turning professional. He has qualified for five PGA Championships and competed in both the Masters Tournament and U.S. Open in 1984.  The 2016 U.S. Senior Open will be his first national event as a senior professional.

Craig Brischke carded a round of 2-over par 74 to finish as first alternate Thursday, while Iowa’s Matthew Weresh shot a 3-over par 75 to earn low-amateur honors and finished as the second alternate.