8 An Echo Press Publication | Friday, August 6, 2021
A look back at the history of the Resorters Editors note: This is the third of a four-part series about the history behind the 100th Resorters Golf Tournament. It’s written by Ron Way, a former reporter for the Minneapolis Tribune, who writes occasional opinion columns for the, now, StarTribune. Special thanks to the Douglas County Historical Society for this series.
Part 3: Memorable matches The Resorters’ golf tournament celebrates its centennial this summer at the Alexandria Golf Club. The tournament’s rich history includes two brotherly matches: In 1933, ranked amateur Earl Larson and Brother Stan, both of Minneapolis, played 36 holes (then the format) to even. Both birdied the first playoff hole before Stan drove over the second green as Earl’s landed just short for an easy chip to “gimme.” Incredibly, Stan then holed a difficult short pitch to win. In 1984, Steve Herzog edged his brother, Pat (both now of Alex), on the fourth extra hole in a downpour. Steve’s approach found the green but Pat’s short chip was stopped by a puddle on the soggy surface; Pat missed the resulting longish putt before Steve parred to win. Steve won again in 1993, and Pat in ’82 and ‘86. Into the 1980s The Resort Circuit was known for eye-popping betting calcuttas, up to $250,000 in current dollars. Kenny Pinns, an outstanding amateur from Las Vegas, won a bundle for those who bought him in calcuttas as he swept The Birchmont, The Resorters, and Pine to Palm in 1965, the only player to win all events in a single year. And perhaps The Resorters’ most controversial match: A 23-year-old Californian, Ed Fiori swaggered
Echo Press file photo
The 1984 Resorters champions Steve Herzog (men’s champ), center, and Tuffy Nelson (senior men’s winner), right, were congratulated by Resorters Tournament chairman Ted Hill. Herzog defeated his brother, Pat, in 22 holes. into town in 1976. Given his star-status at the University of Houston, Fiori was considered the guy to beat even though two PGA-destined players, Bill Israelson of Bemidji and 17-year-old Tom Lehman, were in the field. I played that year and witnessed what may be the wildest tale of The Resort Circuit. Fiori cruised in early matches before facing 17-year-old Mark Norman of Bloomington in the quarterfinals. Fiori started early with his trademark intimidation, telling the kid on the first tee he had zero chance. Fiori frequently stopped the match for a picky ruling. One Fiori complaint was that Norman’s caddie, Joe Stansberry, couldn’t give advice since he played the course that morning (that was true; I was Stansberry’s opponent in the earlier match). The gallery, angered by the
gamesmanship, shouted in vain that Fiori shut up. Incredibly, Fiori was just 1-up at the par-3 17th. Norman hit first to 25 feet and Fiori, ignoring gallery taunts, stroked his tee shot to a few feet. Norman’s putt was true but stopped on the cup’s rim; Fiori said “good” and quickly knocked the ball away. Stansberry went apoplectic, tossing Norman’s bag to the ground and screaming at Fiori that the ball was still moving (no, it wasn’t). Amid bedlam, Fiori tapped for bird and apparent match closeout. Norman sought a ruling. After a long delay, the USGA confirmed pro John Basten’s decision that a player must be given time to determine his putted ball’s status. The penalty: Fiori lost the hole. The now-even match was played before a larger, noisier gallery that
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crowded the players and 18th green. Both on in two, Norman putted first and canned for birdie; the crowd erupted. Fiori missed; another eruption. His swagger less so, Fiori went to the clubhouse, downed a drink, flipped the bird to everyone around, and left (he later was medalist in PGA qualifying, and took four Tour titles). The galleries were ginormous in those years, most following top matches as others gathered on shaded lawns around the 9th and 18th greens. Twin Cities and other media, including then-giant WCCO radio, covered the week-long event while Alex townsfolk tuned to folksy play-by-play on KXRA by popular locals Poik Weatherwax and Cap Paciotti. Local KCMT-TV news anchor Jon Haaven, who later bought the Echo Press, published The Resorter newspaper
that still appears daily at the tournament. Echo News Editor Al Edenloff has covered more than a third of the Resorters’ years. This year is his 37th. In the 1980s, calcutta wagers at the event became too large to ignore and state officials warned that betting was illegal. Things changed: Big bettors left, and with them their excitement and backhanders. Plus, ranked amateurs headed to higher-status national events to pad golf resumes. Meantime, AGC has a state gambling permit so that (much smaller) calcuttas can continue. The Resorters will continue to draw highly-skilled players, but given amateur golf’s reality it’s unlikely elite names will again pack the leaderboard. More and more the field is filled by locals or seasonal residents, as resorts
were replaced by lakeshore homes. Through the 1970s and ‘80s, The Resorters added divisions for juniors (boys and girls), mid-aged “executives,” seniors, masters and, now, plus-75 super masters. Smaller galleries tend to follow locals they know. Too, carts have mostly replaced caddies and walkers, so now a clutter of machines pack around popular matches, changing the event’s “feel.” The Resorters has morphed into “An All-American Family Tournament,” a more intimate affair that seems just fine with players and watchers. Given its broad fan base, exceptional operation, and a finely-manicured course, the Resorters is certain to fill for a very long time. In this centennial year, the field sold out within days of open entry.
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