October 2015 Official Publication

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Dellwood, MN—The hot streak continues for Don Berry of Edinburgh USA as he claimed the Minnesota Senior PGA Professional Championship for the second year straight after winning the Minnesota PGA Professional Championship, for professionals both over and under 50, just a few weeks ago. Berry, along with four others, will qualify for the Senior PGA Professional National Championship at Bayonet & Black Horse in Monterey, California on Oct. 15-18. He will have the opportunity to qualify for both the PGA and Senior PGA championships, an extremely impressive feat. Berry began the day tied for the lead at 1-under with Mike Flaherty of University GC, who will be joining Berry in California for the Senior PGA Professional National. Unlike Berry, Flaherty struggled early on in his round including 5 bogeys on the front nine. He finished 4-over on the front but recovered nicely on the back with a score of 3-under to put his round total at 1-over for the day and in a tie for second place. Also finishing at a total of even par and in second place through 36 holes were Bill Israelson of Vintage GC, Dale Jones of Mendakota CC, and Dave Tentis of Troy Burne GC. Jones and Tentis matched their first day totals of even par while Israelson posted the final round low score of 2-under including only one bogey to go with his three birdies. Berry, Flaherty, Israelson, Jones, and Tentis are the five qualifiers from the Minnesota Section who will travel to the Senior PGA Professional National Championship. The alternates are Craig Brischke of Tanners Brook GC, Mike Barge of Hazeltine National GC, and George Smith of Second Swing. Don Berry of Edinburgh USA Dellwood Country Club September 8-9, <strong>2015</strong>
Lakeville, MN— Norgaard, the ninth seed in the tournament, had a first round bye along with the other top 27 seeds. After that he faced the 24th seeded Matt Vandelac in the second round winning 7&6 comfortably, and 25th seeded Brad Pluth in the third round also advancing 4&3. From the fourth round and beyond, Norgaard’s matches would intensify and be anything but a walk in the park for the former two-time Assistants’ Section Player of the Year (2004, 2008). His last three match-ups were against familiar names in Eddie Wynne, Brent Snyder, and Don Berry; “Eddie, Brent, and Don’s playing records in the Match Play have been very good as all three have won the event (Eddie & Brent – twice) and Don – 5 times,” said Norgaard. His quarterfinal match-up was against defending champion and last year’s Section Player of the Year runner-up Eddie Wynne of University GC. The match proved to be as tough as advertised for Norgaard, but he prevailed on the first playoff hole; “I made a 50 foot putt at the right time.” In the semifinals, it did not get any easier with Brent Snyder, a participant in this year’s PGA Championship at Whistling Straits, awaiting Mr. Norgaard. This match was delayed four hours after there was an excessive amount of rain and severe weather on what was supposed to be the last day of the tournament. This was not the only delay in the match as there was another stoppage on the 17th hole with both on their second shots, but this delay may have helped more than hurt Norgaard. “Having the opportunity to think about it for a few hours, I decided to hit a safer shot that would keep me in the hole. It turned out to be the correct decision as I was able to get up and down for par to halve the hole and keep the match all square headed to the 18th hole.” Both players had birdie putts on 18 with Snyder missing his 10-foot putt first, and Norgaard who had a similar line, nailed the 6-foot putt to earn his spot in the championship match. His storied tournament run had one more obstacle in the way, last year and likely this year’s Section Player of the Year Don Berry, who was as motivated as ever to win this tournament considering his three consecutive championship match losses in as many years. The match began in the afternoon after the semifinal matches concluded, but the starting time was very late due to previous delays. Norgaard had experienced some struggles with his driver in previous matches causing him to be hesitant with it until later in the match, “I didn’t hit the driver until the par 5, 14th hole. I hit a good drive in the fairway that allowed me to get my second shot on the green. That birdie gave me a 1 up lead as we had to suspend play due to darkness.” They resumed play the next day, and Norgaard’s momentum and one shot lead did not last long, “Don chipped-in on the 15th hole to square the match,” he recalled. The score would remain square after Berry bogeyed the 18th. On the first playoff hole, Norgaard caught his big break he had been looking for after his two-putt for par; “Don came up just short of the green on his approach and chipped up to 5 feet. After making these putts routinely throughout the match, this one just missed.” This clinched Norgaard’s first major Section Title Victory in dramatic fashion. Brackett’s Crossing Country Club September 15-18, <strong>2015</strong> Matt Norgaard defeated Don Berry (19 Holes)
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October 2015 Official Publication

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