VanArragon, Peterson and Burleson Among Winners on Day One at MGA Players'; Schmitz and Holmgren Fall

June 24, 2019 | 5 min.

 
By Nick Hunter
nick@mngolf.org
 
 
  BECKER, Minn. – Playing only 26 holes during the first two rounds of competition Monday, 2019 Mr. Golf finalist Caleb VanArragon made quick work of both opponents to reach the Round of 16 at the 41st Minnesota Golf Association Players’ Championship at Pebble Creek Golf Club.
 
VanArragon carded four birdies over his first seven holes early Monday during his match against 2018 Class AA individual champion Nate Deziel cruising to victory, 7 and 6, to begin the championship before a string of three consecutive birdies on his front side helped VanArragon to a second-round win over Curt Groebner, 5 and 4.
 
“I thought I played pretty well today,” said VanArragon, who is heading to Valparaiso University this fall. “I was happy with the way I was hitting it and my putting was really good, especially from short range, I was really pleased with how I was making and reading putts in particular. That was probably the best part of my game.
 
“I got off to a good start—I don’t know what it is about the first few holes out here, but I like them. I missed a few more greens during the second round and my chipping was really good and that bailed me out."
 
Helped by four birdies on his front side, VanArragon jumped out to a commanding 7-up lead through seven holes en route to his victory over North Dakota State University golfer Deziel, 7 and 6. Facing Groebner in Monday’s afternoon session, VanArragon again jumped out to an early lead and continued to apply pressure when he birdied the fifth, sixth and seventh holes to take a 4-up lead.
 
“That’s where I really felt like I had control over my ball striking,” VanArragon said.
 
Carding a pair of birdies at the 10th and 14th holes, VanArragon closed out his match, 5 and 4. He will now face another Bison golfer in Andrew Israelson when the Round of 16 begins early Tuesday.
 
Claiming the Northwest Suburban Conference title during his senior season at Blaine this spring, VanArragon spent most of the year as the MGA’s top-ranked high school player. He finished tied for ninth at the Class AAA tournament at Bunker Hills Golf Club and was named a finalist for Mr. Golf honors.
 
“It was a pretty good season overall. My ball striking wasn’t as sharp as I wanted it to be, but my putting was a lot better than it has been in previous years. It was nice to finish in the top-10 at the state tournament, and with the exception of about three rounds, I thought my scoring was pretty consistent.
 
“Coming into tournaments like this I try not to have many expectations and take it one match at a time. There are a lot of really good players in this tournament so you really can’t get ahead of yourself.”
 
Among the day’s upsets was Joe Fewer, who downed defending champion Sammy Schmitz during Monday’s second round, 3 and 2.
 
“That was a really great experience. I have a lot of respect for Sammy and all that he’s accomplished and I just wanted to play my game and stick to my routine. I wanted to play the course instead of trying to play him,” Fewer said.
 
Fewer carded a pair of birdies and one bogey during his first-round match against Tony Vincelli, cruising to victory, 6 and 5. Trading jabs with Schmitz early, the two remained deadlocked for eight holes before Fewer sank his downhill putt from 30 feet for birdie to take a 1-up lead.
 
Rolling in a 20-footer to save par at the 15th, Fewer increased his lead following a Schmitz bogey and he would close out the match at the 16th when he hit a wedge to five feet and sank his birdie putt after Schmitz couldn’t convert from eight feet.
 
“It was a good day—my first time in the [Players’ Championship]. I’ve always wanted to play in a match play event and really enjoyed it. I played well this morning and got off to a good start, which was my goal coming in. I made a few putts early and kept going."
 
Fewer, a 22-year-old recent graduate from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, played four years of collegiate golf after graduating from St. Thomas Academy.
 
“I know I can stick with anyone. I play at Windsong Farm with Jim Lehman and seeing him pull through in [senior events] kind of gave me some confidence because I know that I can hang with the state’s best.”
 
Justin Burleson, winner of the 2018 MGA Mid-Players’ Championship, picked up a pair of wins Monday, looking to bounce back from an early exist at last week’s Mid-Players’ Championship when he fell to Chris Myhro during the Round of 16 at Crow River Golf Club.
 
“I think I missed one fairway all day in both matches. The first match I putted okay, nothing great, but I didn’t really get myself in trouble,” Burleson said Monday. “This afternoon I played great. I hit it just as good, but made some putts. Really no different, just made three or four putts I didn’t make this morning.
 
“I’ve been playing pretty good for a few weeks—I played good last week. [Myhro] beat me in the second round. He made so many putts, sometimes you just need to tip your cap. This afternoon was the first time I really got the putter going.”
 
Burleson got past Jordan Ryan during the Round of 64 early Monday, 3 and 2, before sinking four birdies in a five-hole stretch against Ian Mackenzie-Olson, advancing to the Round of 16 Tuesday with a victory, 6 and 5.
 
Steve Whittaker, a two-time Senior Players’ champion, earned two victories on his home courses Monday, defeating the defending MGA State Amateur champion Van Holmgren in 19 holes before getting past Andrew Macfarlane, 4 and 2, to reach the Round of 16 Tuesday.
 
At 66-years-old, Whittaker, a two-time MGA Senior Player of the Year, is the oldest player in the field. He will face Nick Jarrett when the tournament resumes early Tuesday.
 
Coming off his impressive win last week at the Mid-Players’ Championship, where he won five matches in just 71 holes, Trent Peterson advanced to the second day of competition Monday, beating Tyler Grupa, 2 and 1, before defeating Mike Fiedler, 5 and 4, to collect his seventh straight victory in match play.
 
The 41st MGA Players’ Championship continues Tuesday when the Round of 16 gets underway at 7:30 a.m. at Pebble Creek Golf Club.
 
 

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