Jake Erickson knocks off top seed in Men’s Regular

By Eric Morken

Alexandria Echo Press

The final four in the Men’s Regular 1st flight is set, and the defending champion is still standing after a day of upsets in the division’s quarterfinals.

Nicholas Adams continues his run for a repeat after winning 4-3 on Thursday.

Eighth-seeded Jake Erickson beat top-seeded Tyler Wanous, and 13th-seeded Michael Herzog and 14th-seeded Brandon Bistodeau will join them in the final four on Friday morning at 7:30 from the first tee. Here is a look at how all four got here.

Erickson def.

Wanous, 4-2

Top-seeded Tyler Wanous survived a 21-hole match on Wednesday, but he could not survive another close match as Jake Erickson won 4-2 on Thursday morning.

Erickson shot even on the front, and Wanous struggled a bit with a 41. That led Erickson to a 4-up lead at the turn before Wanous scored a couple of wins at 10 and 11. Erickson bounced back with a birdie win on 12, and a par and birdie win on 15 and 16 secured his win.

Herzog def.

Kulics 5-4

Michael Herzog never let Mason Kulics in the match on Thursday. He jumped out with a par win at No. 1 and then added four straight wins with pars on 3, 4 and 5 before a birdie win at 6 moved him to 5-up. Kulics’ only win of the day was with a birdie on 12, but it was a 6-hole deficit at that point as both players parred Nos. 13 and 14 to end the match.

Adams def.

Larson, 4-3

Nicholas Adams used a par win at the 5th hole to jumpstart four straight wins for him.

Two of those came with birdies on Nos. 6 and 8 before Riley Larson countered with a par win at 9. Adams did not let that loss linger as he won the first three holes on the back to move to 6-up.

Larson won 13 and 14, but it was too steep a hill to climb as Adams put the match away with a par on 15.

Bistodeau def.

Swedberg, 21 holes

Alexandria’s Brandon Bistodeau had a marathon match against Drew Swedberg on Thursday, but he got the job done on a third playoff hole.

Jake Erickson hits a iron shot off the first tee box on Aug. 5, 2021. Erickson beat top-seeded Tyler Wanous in the quarterfinal round of the Men’s Regular Division by a final of 4-2. He will take on Michael Herzog on Friday morning.

Swedberg shot a 38 on the front and was 2-up at the turn and 3-up after a birdie win at 11. Bistodeau rallied from there, getting par wins on each of the next four holes to take his first lead.

Swedberg tied it with a par on the par-3 17th and another par for both players on 18 forced the playoff. They remained deadlocked until the 21st hole when Bistodeau escaped with the win. The win sets up a rematch of last year’s Men’s Regular final. Adams walked away with a 1-up win in 20 holes as the field’s seventh seed.

FRIDAY MEN’S REGULAR 1ST

FLIGHT PAIRINGS — 1ST TEE

7:30 A.M.