Pine to Palm Spotlight Vol. 70 No. 2

84th PINE TO PALM

Sp tlight VOL. 70 NO. 2

DETROIT LAKES, MINNESOTA • FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2016

Lincoln Cizek Matthew Sieg

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Friday, August 12, 2016 SPONSORED BY ZORBAZ & GUNDERSON REAL ESTATE COMPANY

Tanner Lane, left, William Leaf, and Greg Melhus all got on the upset train Thursday at the 84th Pine to Palm Championship. Photos by Robert Williams

Upsets sprinkle field at Pine to Palm

BY ROBERT WILLIAMS rwilliams@dlnewspapers.com

There were 10 upsets during the opening round of championship match play at the 84th Pine to Palm golf tournament in Detroit Lakes Thursday.

Half of the players seeded in the 40s moved on and no. 53 Matthew Sieg of Osseo, Wisconsin and no. 44 Lincoln Cizek from Shakopee came out of the same foursome and will face each other in the next round.

Both players finished late in the day with Sieg defeating no. 12 Pat Dietz 1-up, while Cizek made a late comeback to upset no. 21 Blake Kahlbaugh of Mahnomen on the first extra hole.

“I was just keeping my composure and not worrying about what he was doing,” said Cizek.

Cizek had an advantage in extras with a drive straight down the middle and long on the par-5 first hole, while Kahlbaugh found the right rough about 40 yards back.

Both players were right of the green with Kahlbaugh short and Cizek right with little green to work with.

Kahlbaugh put his approach to within 12-feet for a birdie opportunity, while Cizek pulled off a minor miracle drop-

ping his high chip softly on the green and rolling to within three-feet leaving an easy uphill birdie putt. Kahlbaugh missed his attempt right and Cizek drained his putt for the 1-up win.

“I just wanted to get it on and I don’t even know, man, it just happened to go good,” he said. “I visualized it and it was about one of the only times it happened today, so it was good.”

Cizek trailed 3-down on the front nine and made a big putt on hole no. 10 to keep it that way before mounting a charge.

“I just have to keep it in my head and not worry about when I get down, because now I know I can come back from a lot down,” Cizek said.

He closed to one-down at no. 16 and missed birdie putts on 16, leaving one on the lip on 17. Kahlbaugh found trouble with the trees on 18 giving up an opportunity.

“That’s when the adrenaline kicked in,” said Cizek. “I went over the green and had to make a good up and down.”

Matthew Sieg was the highest seed to advance and playing in his first Pine to Palm. He won a back-and-forth match with Dietz with very few halved holes and plenty of lead changes.

“I hit the ball a lot more poorly to-

day, which was frustrating,” said Sieg.

“I grinded a lot and made a lot of sixfooters for par, which was big. It took a lot out of me that match.”

Sieg had the biggest advantage at 2-up but the lead ranged between 1-up and 1-down for both players.

“It was a big confidence booster,” said Sieg. “I’m going to be more aggressive tomorrow with match play format and on this course, especially. There are a lot of risk/reward holes.”

Other upsets from high seeds Thursday, no. 48 William Leaf 1-up over no.

17 Thomas Longbella; no. 43 Jon Miller over no. 22 Bryant Buckellew 5&4; no. 42 Hunter Thorsen 3&2 over Jacob Dehne, and no. 41 Greg Melhus, the 2001 runner-up and 2003 champion, winning 5&3 over no. 24 Thomas Strandemo.

The three medalists from Wednesday advanced. Last year’s runner-up Charlie Duensing received the top seed of the three for finishing first Wednesday and quickly dispatched of no. 64 Tanner Kretchman 5&4. No. 2 Peter Jones defeated Caleb Ketterling 2&1. no. 3 Benjamin Skogen finished early in a 6&5 win over no. 62 Joey Wagner.

The 2012 champion Beau Hanson of Frazee is seeded seventh and advanced 4&3 over Tim Sanford.

Two-time medalist Grady Meyer, of the University of Minnesota, had a quick match winning 6&5 over no. 45 Kyle Jandro.

Will Czeh nabbed the five-seed in qualifying and won Thursday 3&1 over Mason Fiddle.

Local golfers Tanner Lane and Ben Mallow found success in the opening round. Mallow (31) defeated Jackson Foth (34) 2&1; Lane (38) upset Rick Kuhn (27) 2&1. Tanner Schnathorst of Detroit Lakes fell to a tough opponent in Nick Olsgaard 1-up.

Fergus Falls’ Chris Swenson (11) defeated Aaron Smith (54) handily 5&4.

NDSU senior Connor Holland (15) took out Eric Harris (50) 4&2. Bison freshman Andrew Israelson fell to Michael Kosiek 1-up on extra holes.

Gophers Riley Johnson (5&3), Justin Doeden (4&3), Matt Rachey (2&1), and Gus Minkin (5&3) all advanced.

Brandon Sletmoen, of the University of Omaha, defeated Fargo South product Coy Papacek 2&1. Other winners were Chris James (2&1), Michael Abrahamson (4&3), Jordan Hahn (5&4), Cole Johnson (3&2), cade Montplaisir (1-up), Bill Carlson (6&5), Colton Murphy (3&1), Nick Myhre (4&3) and Marc Vincelli (3&2).

Friday, August 12, 2016 SPONSORED BY ZORBAZ & GUNDERSON REAL ESTATE COMPANY

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ROBERT WILLIAMS

Aaron Burnside, left, and Mitch Buboltz both pulled off upsets Thursday in Mid-Am play and will square off in an all-Detroit Lakes quarterfinal Friday at noon.

Mid-Am

Defending champ falls in Mid-Am

BY ROBERT WILLIAMS rwilliams@dlnewspapers.com

Detroit Lakes’ own Aaron Burnside, who needed a playoff victory to nab the final spot in the Mid-Am championship field, pulled off the upset of the day taking down two-time defending champion Kent Spriggs Thursday at the 84th Pine to Palm.

Burnside defeated Moorhead’s Tom Welle and Eric King of Power Springs, Georgia just to get a shot in match play.

Burnside won by a score of 1-up and moves on to an all-Detroit Lakes quarterfinal against Mitch Buboltz.

The ninth-seeded Buboltz defeated no. 8 Justin Justesen 1-up to advance.

The eight Mid-Am matches were split with four upsets and four wins by favorites.

The 12-seed Paul Uithoven defeated no. 5 Duane Siverson 3&2 and the fourth upset came from from Brady

Opheim, the 11-seed, with a 1-up victory over no. 6 Michael Melhus.

Spriggs’ loss was the lone defeat for the top four seeds.

Jim Mikkelson at no. 2, had little trouble in dispatching no. 15 Todd Wawers 6&4.

No. 3 JT Johnson defeated no. 14 Kevin Swenson 3&2.

No. 4 Matt Johnson took out No. 13 Darren Healy 1-up and no. 7 Scott Uithoven defeated no. 10 Ben Jurgens 2&1.

Friday’s quarterfinals tee off at 12:15 p.m., with Buboltz versus Burnside; Matt Johnson versus Paul Uithoven; Mikkelson versus Scott Uithoven and JT Johnson and Opheim.

The bracket is set up with both Johnsons and Uithovens on opposite sides of the drawing allowing the possibility for either a Johnson/Johnson or Uithoven/ Uithoven final.

2016 MID-AM

CHAMPIONSHIP KENT SPRIGGS

BURNSIDE 1-UP

AARON BURNSIDE JASON JUSTESEN

BUBOLTZ 1-UP

MITCH BUBOLTZ MATT JOHNSON

JOHNSON 1-UP

DARREN HALEY

DUANE SIVERSON

UITHOVEN 3 & 2

PAUL UITHOVEN JIM MIKKELSON TODD WAWERS

MIKKELSON 6 & 4

SCOTT UITHOVEN UITHOVEN 2 & 1

BEN JURGENS JT JOHNSON KEVIN SWENSON

JOHNSON 3 & 2

MICHAEL MELHUS BRADY OPHEIM

OPHEIM 1-UP

2016 Champion

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. d n u o R e r A z Golf Ball . d n u o R z I a z Piz Accident? . o Z k n i h T We Don’t

Friday, August 12, 2016

2016 PINE

CHAMPION CHARLIE DUENSING DUENSING 5 & 4 TANNER KRETCHMAN LUKAS DAVISON JAMES 2 & 1 CHRIS JAMES MICHAEL ABRAHAMSON ABRAHAMSON 4 & 3 JUSTIN NELSON THOMAS LONGBELLA LEAF 1-UP WILLIAM LEAF RILEY JOHNSON JOHNSON 5 & 3 AUSTIN RENE MICHAEL KOSIEK KOSIEK 1-UP EXTRA HOLES ANDREW ISRAELSON JORDAN HAHN HAHN 5 & 4 ALEX KOOPMEINERS THOMAS STRANDEMO MELHUS 5 & 3 GREG MELHUS DAN JOHNSON JOHNSON 3 & 2 LUCAS JOHNSON CADE MONTPLAISIR MONTPLAISIR 1-UP JORDIE SIVERSON BILL CARLSON CARLSON 6 & 5 LUCAS JOHNSON GRADY MEYER MEYER 6 & 5 KYLE JANDRO WILL CZEH CZEH 3 & 1 MASON FIDDLE COLTON MURPHY MURPHY 3 & 1 JON RUBIS PAT DEITZ SIEG 1-UP MATTHEW SIEG

LOWER BRACKET

BLAKE KAHLBAUGH CIZEK 1-UP EXTRA HOLES LINCOLN CIZEK

tionz Nearby Mark Theze Loca • Pelican Lake Detroit Lakez Perham • Ottertail Lake

FINAL • SUNDAY,

Friday, August 12, 2016

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E TO PALM

NSHIP FIELD

UPPER BRACKET

AUGUST 14 • 2:45PM

JONES 2 & 1

PETER JONES CALEB KETTERLING

MALLOW 2 & 1

BEN MALLOW JACKSON FOTH

HOLLAND 4 & 2

CONNOR HOLLAND ERIC HARRIS

OLSGAARD 1-UP

NICK OLSGAARD TANNER SCHNATHORST

HANSON 4 & 3

BEAU HANSON TIM SANFORD

VINCELLI 3 & 2

THYLER SCHLOTFELDT MARC VINCELLI

SLETMOEN 2 & 1

BRANDON SLETMOEN COY PAPACEK

THORSEN 3 & 2

JACOB DEHNE HUNTER THORSEN

SKOGEN 6 & 5

BENJAMIN SKOGEN JOEY WAGNER

MINKIN 5 & 3

ERIK WEISS GUS MINKIN

RACHEY 2 & 1

MATT RACHEY ALEX GABRIEL

NYHRE 4 & 3

NICK MYHRE ANDREW PASSANANTE

DOEDEN 4 & 3

JUSTIN DOEDEN AUSTEN STROM

LANE 2 & 1

RICH KUHN TANNER LANE

SWENSON 5 & 4

CHRIS SWENSON AARON SMITH

MILLER 5 & 4

BRYANT BUCKELLEW JON MILLER

THE STE AK S ARE HI GH AT THE PINE TO PAL M .

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Friday, August 12, 2016 SPONSORED BY ZORBAZ & GUNDERSON REAL ESTATE COMPANY

DAN DRENTH

JOE DOUGHTY

KEITH AASEN

Seniors

Top five advance comfortably

BY ROBERT WILLIAMS rwilliams@dlnewspapers.com

The top five Senior division seeds all advanced without needing an 18th hole to clinch their matches during the opening round Thursday.

Defending champion Keith Aasen defeated no. 16 Tim Carlson 3&2 for a fourth consecutive match victory at the Pine to Palm.

Aasen will face the no. 8 seed T L Solein, who defeated no. 9 Scott Lin-

nerooth, the 2012 and 2015 champion.

The second-seeded golfer and trimedalist with no. 3 Marc Redman and no. 4 Dan Drenth, AJ Greff defeated no. 15 Russ Newman 2&1. Greff will take on no. 10 Chuck Wiger.

Wiger needed extra holes to take out no. 7 Mark Ferrell 1-up.

Redman defeated Robert Schultz 5&4 to advance and plays no. 11 Mark Doyle. Doyle defeated no. 6 John Berg 2-up.

Drenth beat no. 13 James Remer

2016 SENIOR

CHAMPIONSHIP MARC REDMAN

KEITH AASEN AASEN 3 & 2

TIM CARLSON TL SOLEIN

SOLIEN 3 & 2

SCOTT LINNEROOTH DAN DRENTH DRENTH 3 & 2

JAMES REMER JOE DOUGHTY

DOUGHTY 2 & 1

DAN ELTON AJ GREFF GREFF 2 & 1

RUSS NEWMAN MARK FERRELL CHUCK WIGER

WIGER 1-UP EXTRA HOLES

MARC REDMAN ROBERT SCHULTZ

REDMAN 5 & 4

JOHN BERG MARK DOYLE

AJ GREFF

DOYLE 2-UP

2016 Champion

3&2 and will take on the five-seed Joe Doughty. Doughty won 2&1 over Dan Elton. Elton was coming off a Masters division victory at Resorters last week and was the 2015 Senior medalist at the Pine to Palm.

Friday’s quarterfinal tee times are early afternoon with Aasen and Solein beginning play on no. 1 at 12:51 p.m.

The three remaining matches will follow suit with Drenth/Doughty at 1 p.m sharp; Greff/Wiger at 1:09 p.m.; Redman/Doyle at 1:18 p.m.

DID YOU KNOW?

Golf balls travel significantly further on hot days. A golfer swinging a club at around 100 mph will carry the driver up to eight yards longer for each increase in air temperature of 25°F.

Friday, August 12, 2016 SPONSORED BY ZORBAZ & GUNDERSON REAL ESTATE COMPANY

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ROBERT WILLIAMS/TRIBUNE

Five-time champion Chuck Renner, left, and the inaugural winner Paul Krueger square off in Friday’s quarterfianls in a matchup of the only Super Seniors champions. Renner has a 21-match win streak on the line.

Super Seniors

Title holders rematch

BY ROBERT WILLIAMS rwilliams@dlnewspapers.com

The two men who have held Pine to Palm Super Seniors championship titles square off Friday in the quarterfinals in a rematch of the final from 2010, 2012 and 2015.

Paul Krueger won the first meeting in 2010 and Chuck Renner has swept the bracket since.

With Thursday’s 2&1 victory over no. 12 Rich Smith, Renner extended his Pine to Palm winning streak to 21 matches.

No. 4 Krueger advanced with a comfortable 5&3 win over no. 13 Joe Sauer. Both Krueger and Renner played in the same foursome today.

Four of the top six seeds advanced but only one of the co-medalists moved to the quarterfinals. Topseeded Bob Jamison defeated no. 16 Jim Brothers 1-up, while co-medalist no. 2 Thomas Wood lost in extra holes to no. 15 Doug Hiney 1-up in the upset

of the bracket.

Thursday was good for Doug G’s.

Doug Gillund, the no. 14 seed, took out Detroit Lakes Steve Sundby, the three-seed 6&4.

No. 6 Michael Howell defeated no.

11 Bob Erickson 7&6.

The remaining two matches were won by the higher seeds.

No. 9 Ronald Vincelli defeated no. 8 Clint Nelson 7&6. No. 10 Doug Gillam defeated no. 7 Ted Hatlen of Detroit Lakes 3&1. While the seeding makes the match appear an upset, both players shot 78 in qualifying. In fact, the five through 16 seeds in Super Seniors were separated by only three strokes in qualifying making most first round matches toss-ups.

Friday’s tee times are scheduled for 8:44 a.m. for Jamison vs. Vincelli on hole no. 1 and Hiney vs. Gillam on hole no. 10. Krueger and Renner are on the first tee at 8:52 a.m., while Howell and Gillund square off on no.

10 at the same time.

2016 SUPER SENIOR

CHAMPIONSHIP

BOB JAMISON

JAMISON 1-UP

JIM BROTHERS CLINT NELSON

VINCELLI 7 & 6

RONALD VINCELLI PAUL KRUEGER

KRUEGER 5 & 3

JOE SAUER CHUCK RENNER

RENNER 2 & 1

RICK SMITH THOMAS WOOD DOUG HINEY

HINEY 1-UP EXTRA HOLES

TED HATLEN DOUG GILLAM

GILLAM 3 & 1

STEVE SUNDBY DOUG GILLUND MICHAEL HOWELL BOB ERICKSON

GILLUND 6 & 4

HOWELL 7 & 6

2016 Champion

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Friday, August 12, 2016 SPONSORED BY ZORBAZ & GUNDERSON REAL ESTATE COMPANY

AROUND THE GREENS Photos

by Robert Williams