Pine to Palm Spotlight Vol. 70 No 4

84th PINE TO PALM

Sp tlight VOL. 70 NO. 4

DETROIT LAKES, MINNESOTA • SUNDAY, AUGUST 14, 2016

Chuck Renner

k r o W d n A n I p Zto On Your Zlice. tionz Nearby Mark Theze Loca • Pelican Lake Detroit Lakez Perham • Ottertail Lake

GUNDERSON REAL ESTATE CO. Tom Hanson passed away during the 2015 Pine to Palm. Tom was my business partner and dear friend. I miss him daily.

The sponsorship of the Pine to Palm 2016 Spotlight is dedicated to Tom and his memory.

Remember: Press, roll and re-roll!

Enjoy the Spotlight and Tournament.

Mike Gunderson

714 Lake Avenue • Detroit Lakes, MN 56501 218.847.1028 • www.gundersonrealestateco.com

2

Sunday, August 14, 2016 SPONSORED BY ZORBAZ & GUNDERSON REAL ESTATE COMPANY

WILLIAM LEAF

BENJAMIN SKOGEN

WILL CZEH

Championship

Leaf, Czeh, Skogen, Hanson to vie for Pine to Palm title

BY ROBERT WILLIAMS rwilliams@dlnewspapers.com

BEAU HANSON

The 84th Pine to Palm championship will end up in the hands for the first time of either a Gopher in William Leaf, a Beaver in Will Czeh, or Badger in Benjamin Skogen or go home a second time with the 2012 champion Beau Hanson after 36 holes of match play Sunday at Detroit Country Club.

University of Minnesota’s Leaf will face Bemidji State University’s Czeh in the morning rounds, with University of Wisconsin’s Skogen taking on Hanson in the other semifinal.

“I’m excited to get back here again,” said Hanson. “Four years ago was the last time I’ve been in this situation. I’m just excited.”

Hanson is in a groove looking for his second championship after working out a glitch with the putter and finding his strokes with irons and off the tee.

“It felt good,” he said. “My driver was there and then it wasn’t. It was working pretty good though; it kept me in play. I figured out my irons, starting flushing them and got in a groove, found a swing. I had a stretch there where everything was working. It’s not often you can get into one of those zones or grooves and it’s pretty fun to keep it going like that for a while.”

Hanson’s groove ended Gopher and tri-medalist Peter Jones’ run in a 6&5 quarterfinal.

Skogen is the lone remaining medalist in the field. He dispatched of Tanner Lane 3&2. Lane provided a lot of excitement over the course of the week and needed extra holes to take out Jon Miller in the morning match to face Skogen.

“For me it’s just about coming out here and having some fun, enjoying my time and playing good golf,” Lane said. “You have to take it one at a time.”

Skogen went 1-up on 17 in his first match with

Nick Myhre to advance.

Czeh came back from 2-up on 14 against 16-year-old Lincoln Cizek in the morning session to force extra holes and won on the 19th hole.

“I’ve been in a whole bunch of those playoffs and when you’re the first guy to hit, a lot of times it’s the best if you just get something in the fairway and put some pressure on,” Czeh said. “I didn’t play as good as yesterday. It was a fight all the way to the end.”

He defeated Bill Carlson 2&1 in the afternoon session to advance to Sunday.

Leaf played a 72-hole tournament in Iowa prior to the Pine to Palm and came into qualifying having not played one practice round. His finish as the 48th seed was a disguise, as his play has improved greatly over the week.

“The first few stroke play rounds, I’m not going to lie; I was pretty lost,” he said. “I played conservative, didn’t know what I was doing just trying to survive.”

Match play has been a different story. He defeated last year’s runner-up and Gopher teammate Charlie Duensing 4&2 grabbing the lead at the turn and never relinquishing it.

“Once we got to match play I played more aggressively, knowing the course,” said Leaf. “I’ve been driving it well and my putter has been hot.

Yesterday I was seven-under through 13 and today I birdied six out of seven, so I’ve been catching some hot stretches with the putter.”

His college roommate Riley Johnson stood in the way in the afternoon match. Leaf prevailed 2&1.

The Sunday morning session will begin at 7 a.m.

Sunday, August 14, 2016 SPONSORED BY ZORBAZ & GUNDERSON REAL ESTATE COMPANY

3

Mid-Am

Johnson, Uithoven quest for Mid-Am title

BY ROBERT WILLIAMS rwilliams@dlnewspapers.com

A new champion will be crowned in the Pine to Palm Senior division Sunday.

West Fargo’s Matt Johnson will take on Belden, Mississippi’s Scott Uithoven.

Uithoven, the seventh seed from qualifying, advanced in a 3&2 victory over no. 11 Brady Opheim.

Johnson defeated Detroit Lakes; Mitch Buboltz 2-up.

“It was back and forth,” Johnson said.

“Neither one of us played great on the front nine. Mitch had a bunch of putts that could have gone in that didn’t.”

Johnson came to the 18th tee box 1-up and sent his drives right into the trees, while Buboltz had a good look at the green for the first cut on the right side of the fairway. Johnson managed a shot to short left of the green with a lot of space to work with on his chip.

Buboltz ran off the back of the green long and his chip caught the slope and

rolled well away from the hole forcing him to concede the match.

Johnson used the putter to make up for a few wayward drives.

“I was struggling off the tee but made a couple of really long putts when I needed to,” said Johnson.

He made a pair of 40-foot drains on hole no. 12 to win the hole and on 14 to birdie and halve.

“Long benders, not ones you’re expecting to make - just trying to get it close,” he said.

Johnson had an up and down day on the course and will look for more consistency in the championship fina.

“I made a bunch of birdies and a bunch of bogeys,” he said.

Being in the championship match is

somewhat of a surprise.

“I haven’t really competed in several years because I’ve been coaching; I got my amateur status back a couple years ago,” said Johnson. “My goal, honestly, was to qualify for the bracket. I was really happy with the way I played, I did not expect to get here, but I’m looking forward to it.”

The duo played a congenial match despite the fluctuating weather conditions and some golfers being on the course and together for rounds lasting close to seven hours with the weather delays.

“He probably made it easier to play him because he’s such a super nice guy,” Johnson said of Buboltz.

2016 MID-AM

CHAMPIONSHIP KENT SPRIGGS

BURNSIDE 1-UP

AARON BURNSIDE JASON JUSTESEN

BUBOLTZ 1-UP BUBOLTZ 1-UP

MITCH BUBOLTZ MATT JOHNSON

JOHNSON 2-UP JOHNSON 1-UP

DARREN HALEY

DUANE SIVERSON

JOHNSON 2 & 1 UITHOVEN 3 & 2

PAUL UITHOVEN JIM MIKKELSON TODD WAWERS

MIKKELSON 6 & 4

2016 Champion UITHOVEN 1-UP

SCOTT UITHOVEN UITHOVEN 2 & 1

BEN JURGENS UITHOVEN 3 & 2

JT JOHNSON KEVIN SWENSON

JOHNSON 3 & 2 OPHEIM 1-UP EXTRA HOLES

MICHAEL MELHUS BRADY OPHEIM

OPHEIM 1-UP

MATT JOHNSON

WACKY WEATHER DAY

Ray of hope

ROBERT WILLIAMS

A LATE AFTERNOON RAINBOW tucked behind the DCC clubhouse after the second weather delay Saturday.

Golf is the only sport played on the moon. On February 6, 1971, Alan Shepard hit two golf balls while on the lunar surface.

4

Saturday, August 13, 2016

2016 PINE

CHAMPION CHARLIE DUENSING DUENSING 5 & 4 TANNER KRETCHMAN

DUENSING 6 & 5

LUKAS DAVISON JAMES 2 & 1 CHRIS JAMES

LEAF

MICHAEL ABRAHAMSON ABRAHAMSON 4 & 3 JUSTIN NELSON

THE BEST AP PROACH AT THE P IN E TO PALM.

LEAF 5 & 4

THOMAS LONGBELLA LEAF 1-UP WILLIAM LEAF RILEY JOHNSON JOHNSON 5 & 3 AUSTIN RENE

JOHNSON 3 & 2

MICHAEL KOSIEK KOSIEK 1-UP EXTRA HOLES ANDREW ISRAELSON JORDAN HAHN HAHN 5 & 4 ALEX KOOPMEINERS

JOHN 1-UP HAHN 7 & 6

THOMAS STRANDEMO MELHUS 5 & 3 GREG MELHUS DAN JOHNSON JOHNSON 3 & 2 LUCAS JOHNSON

MONTPLAISIR 2 & 1

CADE MONTPLAISIR MONTPLAISIR 1-UP JORDIE SIVERSON BILL CARLSON CARLSON 6 & 5 LUCAS JOHNSON

CAR CARLSON 3 & 2

GRADY MEYER MEYER 6 & 5 KYLE JANDRO WILL CZEH CZEH 3 & 1 MASON FIDDLE

CZEH 4 & 2

COLTON MURPHY MURPHY 3 & 1 JON RUBIS

CZE

PAT DEITZ SIEG 1-UP MATTHEW SIEG

CIZEK 3 & 1

BLAKE KAHLBAUGH CIZEK 1-UP EXTRA HOLES LINCOLN CIZEK

JONES 3 & 1

LOWER BRACKET

HANSON 6 & 5

HANSON 2 & 1

SKOGEN 1-UP

SKOGEN 3 & 2

OPEN DAILY AT 5 P.M. RESERVATIONS GLADLY ACCEPTED. PLEASE CALL 218-847-8192.

PRIME RIB SPECIAL FRIDAYS & SATURDAYS.

LANE 1-UP EXTRA HO

FIRESIDEDL.COM FINAL • SUNDAY,

Saturday, August 13, 2016

5

E TO PALM

NSHIP FIELD

F2&1

LEAF 2 & 1

UPPER BRACKET

NSON P EXTRA HOLES

RLSON 1-UP

CZEH 2 & 1

EH 1-UP EXTRA HOLES

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

MYHRE 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

JONES 1-UP

HOLLAND 2-UP

HANSON 1-UP

SLETMOEN 1-UP

SKOGEN 1-UP

MYHRE 3 & 2

LANE 1-UP

OLES MILLER 3 & 2

AUGUST 14 • 2:45PM

Your Guy Winning 4 and 3?

N.P. You’ll Be At Shoreham Before It Fills Up.

Open daily at 4 p.m.

Bar, Bistro & Pizzeria 24110 Co hwy 22

6

Sunday, August 14, 2016 SPONSORED BY ZORBAZ & GUNDERSON REAL ESTATE COMPANY

KEITH AASEN

2016 SENIOR

CHAMPIONSHIP

AJ GREFF

KEITH AASEN AASEN 3 & 2

Seniors

TIM CARLSON

Aasen to defend Senior title

BY ROBERT WILLIAMS rwilliams@dlnewspapers.com

Bismarck’s Keith Aasen will tee off Sunday looking for a second straight Pine to Palm Seniors championship, while San Tan Valley, Arizona’s AJ Greff will look to add a championship trophy to his medalist honor from qualifying.

The match will be a duel between the no. 1 seed in Aasen and Greff at no.

2, the only division where the top two seeds advanced to the final.

Super Seniors is a no. 5 versus no. 14 battle; Mid-Ams pit no. 4 versus no 7.

The Championship division has three

players from the top 10 and charging William Leaf, who qualified no. 48.

No. 5 Joe Doughty gave Aasen his closest match of the tournament falling to the defending champ 2&1. Aasen breezed through the first two rounds with winning scores of 3&2 and 6&4.

Greff defeated Marc Redman 1-up in one of the longest matches of the night pushing past seven hours on the course.

Greff’s path to the final began with a 2&1 victory over no. 13 James Remer and a big quarterfinal win 6&4 over no.

10 Chuck Wiger.

TL SOLEIN

AASEN 6 & 4 SOLIEN 3 & 2

SCOTT LINNEROOTH

AASEN 2 & 1

DAN DRENTH DRENTH 3 & 2

JAMES REMER JOE DOUGHTY

DOUGHTY 2 & 1 DOUGHTY 2 & 1

DAN ELTON

2016 Champion

AJ GREFF GREFF 2 & 1

RUSS NEWMAN

GREFF 6 & 4

MARK FERRELL CHUCK WIGER

WIGER 1-UP EXTRA HOLES GREFF 1-UP

MARC REDMAN ROBERT SCHULTZ

REDMAN 5 & 4 REDMAN 4 & 3

JOHN BERG MARK DOYLE

DID YOU KNOW?

DOYLE 2-UP

The Lowest Score for a round of golf in the world is a 57. Wayne Meyers of Easley, S.C. was the hero at Southern Oaks golf course in Powdersville, South Carolina, USA in 1994.

The 5 year old Coby Orr was the youngest golfer to shoot a hole-in-one. He did it in Littleton, Colorado in 1975.

Sunday, August 14, 2016 SPONSORED BY ZORBAZ & GUNDERSON REAL ESTATE COMPANY

Super Seniors

Super Seniors battle of the neighbors

BY ROBERT WILLIAMS rwilliams@dlnewspapers.com

Doug Gillund and five-time defending champion Chuck Renner will wake up Sunday morning across the street from each other and do battle for the Super Senior championship in a rematch from many matches played together over the summer.

Renner continued his Pine to Palm all-time win streak record extending it to 23 matches with a victory over Ronald Vincelli 4&3.

“I’ve had a good summer and played here quite a bit and had some really good rounds, but there are always nerves when you want to accomplish something and I’m no exception,” said Renner. “You just have to deal with it.”

Renner is keeping the streak out of

DOUG GILLUND

his mind and focusing strictly on golf and what he has to do to continue his dominance in the division.

“You just have to try to suppress it,” he said. “It’s a cliche, but you just try to focus on what you need to do to make a good swing and that’s it. If you can do that and block out any extraneous things, you’re doing well.”

Gillund has been stroking the putter and will need that to continue Sunday after a 3&2 victory over another good friend in Doug Gillam.

“It was 100 percent putter,” he said. “I putted better than yesterday.

I kept it in play; hit some good shots, but I never missed any putt I needed to make. Anything within five feet I made and that was the difference.

The only way I can beat him is I have to putt like that.”

When asked what the secret formula was to consistent putting, Gillund said, “I don’t know - I’m not that good a putter.”

Renner was solid on approaches Saturday sticking his ball near the pin consistently.

“That’s the one thing I worked on this spring when I got up here,” said Renner. “I just started working on the short wedges and the pitches around the greens and it’s paid off so far.”

Neither player will have much to hide in the friendly rivalry.

“We play together a lot and I’ve beat him maybe twice,” said Gillund.

The opening match of the spring between the two was one of those rounds.

“First time I played him this spring he went around with seven birdies,” said Renner. “I hope I can stay with him.”

“The next time he hit eight birdies; I counted them,” said Gillund.

Should be a highly entertaining Super Senior final.

2016 SUPER SENIOR

CHAMPIONSHIP

BOB JAMISON

JAMISON 1-UP

JIM BROTHERS CLINT NELSON

VINCELLI 2 & 1 VINCELLI 7 & 6

RONALD VINCELLI PAUL KRUEGER

RENNER 4 & 3 KRUEGER 5 & 3

JOE SAUER CHUCK RENNER

RENNER 3 & 1

7

1st ANNUAL PARENT CHILD TOURNAMENT LAKEVIEW GOLF COURSE SATURDAY, AUGUST 13

Two playoffs within one family determined one top prize while another playoff within another family was held to determine second and third. In the 8 and under division, Breck Gatheridge sank a long playoff putt over his sister, Tatum, to win second place. Drew Simonich and his father, Mike, were the champions. Joey Simonich sank a long playoff putt over his older brother, Ian, to claim the championship trophy while his brother settled for 2nd. The Simonich’s swept both divisions and grabbed all of the loot and headed back to Moorhead. The rain did not dampen any spirits for the 1st Annual Parent Child Tournament at Lakeview during the Pine to Palm week.

Hope to see you next year!

8 and under division winners Mike and Joey Simonich, Moorhead

9 and over Division Winners.

Joey and Mike Simonich, Moorhead

8 & UNDER DIVISION

1ST: MIKE & DREW SIMONICH ������������������� -7 2ND: BRIAN & BRECK GATHERIDGE ����������-5 3RD: BRIAN & TATUM GATHERIDGE ����������-5 KEITH & TYSON ECKHOFF ���������������������������������� -1 BRIAN & BROCK BURNHANS ������������������������������ -1 SLIPER �������������������������������������������������������������������� +6 SHAWN O’SHAUGHNESSY ���������������������������������������� JUSTIN SLIPER ������������������������������������������������������� +9

PROXIMITY WINNERS

JAY HANSON HUNTER HANSON BRIAN GATHERIDGE IAN SIMONICH BRIAN GATHERIDGE BRECK GATHERIDGE TATUM GATHERIDGE

9 & OVER DIVISION

1ST: MIKE & JOEY SIMONICH ����������������������-2 2ND: LARRY & IAN SIMONICH ���������������������-2 3RD: SHAWN & JACK JUSTESEN ������������������ -1 MIKE & TOMMY SUCKERT ����������������������������������+1 JAY & HUNTER HANSON ��������������������������������������+5 ANNE FROST HENRY KELLERHUIS ���������������������������������������������+5 TAUNIA & TOMMY SUCKERT ����������������������������� +6 TJ & NICK BUBOLTZ ��������������������������������������������� +8 ALAN & ANNIKA HUGHES ����������������������������������� +8

RENNER 2 & 1

RICK SMITH THOMAS WOOD DOUG HINEY

HINEY 1-UP EXTRA HOLES

2016 Champion

GILLAM 1-UP

TED HATLEN DOUG GILLAM

GILLAM 3 & 1 GILLUND 3 & 2

STEVE SUNDBY DOUG GILLUND MICHAEL HOWELL BOB ERICKSON

GILLUND 6 & 4 GILLUND 1-UP EXTRA HOLES HOWELL 7 & 6

Golf was invented in Scotland over 500 years ago, however the Chinese claim to have developed a similar game as far back as 943 A.D.

8

Sunday, August 14, 2016 SPONSORED BY ZORBAZ & GUNDERSON REAL ESTATE COMPANY

BRAVING THE RAIN — Photos by Robert Williams —