Tylke Defeats Anderson in Playoff to Win 92nd MPGA State Public Links Championship at Loggers Trail

View full size image

By Nick Hunter
nhunter@mngolf.org


  STILLWATER, Minn. – Carding a final-round 69 Sunday at Loggers Trail Golf Course, Max Tylke finished in a tie at 141 with Danny Anderson before surviving a one-hole playoff to win the 92nd Minnesota Public Golf Association Public Links Championship.

The victory Sunday gives Tylke his first state amateur golf title since winning the Minnesota Junior PGA Championship at Marshall Golf Club in 2011.

“Winning this gives you a lot of confidence. I don’t think I’ve won anything in the state really and it’s nice to have that under your belt and knowing you can do it regardless of how you play,” Tylke said after his win Sunday.

Struggling with his driver recently, Tylke said he had some doubts ahead of Saturday’s opening round.

“I was a little concerned—the driver’s been very wayward,” Tylke said Sunday. “But with my putting, I found a little something and my stroke was really on. That’s the only reason that kept me in it. A lot of par saves and a lot of five, six, 7-footers.”

Despite an early eagle by Anderson at the par-5 second, Tylke did his best to keep pace by rolling in his birdie putt from six feet to move to 1-under for the championship. Tylke fell back to even after taking bogey at the par-3 sixth. At the par-5 10th, Tylke would sink his first of three birdies on the back nine, rolling in his birdie look from four feet to get back to 1-under.

Converting his birdie from 10 feet at the 14th, Tylke moved to 2-under before sinking his final birdie of the round at the 16th to finish at 141 with Anderson who played the final three holes at 3-under par to force a playoff.

Tylke’s approach at the 10th during the first playoff hole landed pin-high and spun to 15 feet where he two-putted for par. Anderson’s third landed short of the flag and spun off the front edge of the green. Lagging to three feet, Anderson’s par putt hit the lip and refused to fall, giving Tylke the victory.

“It was really an up-and-down battle between Danny and I,” Tylke said of the final round Sunday. “You don’t expect a guy to miss that putt and you don’t expect a par on a par-5 to win, but golf’s golf.

“Yesterday was up and down; I had a lot of bogey-birdies, but overall I hit the ball really well. A lot of greens and a lot of two-putts,” he said. “Today I thinking we’d have to be pretty low—realistically we had to go four or five [under par]. I didn’t think [3-under] would make it, so I guess we lucked out a little bit. There were some really good players behind us and they hit some good shots.”

Tylke, 23, earns redemption after finishing runner-up at the 2016 MPGA Match Play Championship where he fell to Mike Barrette during the final match, 2-up, at Southern Hills Golf Club.

This season Tylke has collected a pair of top-10 finishes at both the MGA State Amateur at North Oaks Golf Club in July, as well as the Twin Cities Championship at Bunker Hills and Keller Golf Clubs in late June.

In 2013 Tylke qualified for the U.S. Public Links Championship at Laurel Hill Golf Club in Lorton, Va., where he carded rounds of 72 and 76, respectively, to miss the cut for match play by three strokes.

A 2011 graduate of Eastview High School in Apple Valley, Minn., Tylke played one season at St. John’s University where he made two appearances as a freshman. His best finish came at the St. John’s Fall Invitational where he finished tied for 14th.

Shooting even par 72 to begin the tournament Saturday, Anderson started quickly with an eagle at the second before taking back-to-back bogeys at the fifth and sixth. He would cap off the front nine by converting his birdie look to turn at 1-under for the round.

Following a bogey at the 15th, Anderson would sink his second eagle of the round to get to 2-under for the championship and finished with a birdie at the 17th to shoot 144 and force a playoff with Tylke.

“This is kind of my first foray back into state golf, I had taken about five years off and Andy Jacobson is at my home course and he’s the one who got me back into it,” Anderson said Sunday. “I had a great time—I love this stuff. Competitive golf is fun for me and I missed it. It was fun to get back into it.

“I was hoping to finish in the top-5 and I finished really strong today. This is more than I expected. I hit the ball great and putted pretty good, if I can do that, I’m happy.”

A former professional who played his collegiate golf at St. Cloud State University, Anderson said playing in the Midwest Cup  with Jacobson three weeks ago got the competitive juices flowing.

“It stings to lose, don’t get me wrong because I’m super competitive, but Max played great all day and I was lucky to catch him and I just missed a putt.”

Will Hickey opened the championship Saturday with a 2-under par 70 and followed it with a 1-over par 73 during the final round Sunday to finish two shots back of Tylke and Anderson at 143.

Topher Baron took the early lead after firing a 3-under par 69 during the first round Saturday. Baron came back with a 75 during Sunday’s final round to finish tied for fourth with Joel B. Johnson and Jordan Hawkinson at 144.

Defending champion Jacobson’s final-round 73 Sunday put him into a tie for seventh place at 148.



92ND MPGA PUBLIC LINKS CHAMPIONSHIP
LOGGERS TRAIL GOLF COURSE
STILLWATER, MINN.
6,924 YARDS, PAR 72


FINAL RESULTS
1. Max Tylke, 72-69—141 (won playoff)
2. Danny Anderson, 72-69—141
3. William Hickey, 70-73—143
T4. Joel B. Johnson, 74-70—144
T4. Topher Baron, 69-75—144
T4. Jordan Hawkinson, 70-74—144
T7. Nick Jarrett, 74-74—148
T7. Andy Jacobson, 75-73—148
9. Derek Rolle, 75-74—149
T10. Pat Muellerleile, 75-75—150
T10. Max Fox, 74-76—150
T10. Justin Burleson, 75-75—150
T10. Trent Peterson, 79-71—150
T10. Caleb VanArragon, 74-76—150


For complete tournament results go to: http://p.hostingprod.com/@mpga.net/2016_Publinks_Results_Multi_Round.pdf