Official Publication of the 98th Annual Resorters Golf Tournament • Echo Press
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Saturday, July 27, 2019
FREE •
VOL. 82, NO. 1
CHAMPS ALL RETURN FOR 98TH RESORTERS By Eric Morken emorken@echopress.com here are often minor changes from year-toyear at the Resorters Golf Tournament, but one constant is that there will always be plenty of good players vying for championships in their divisions. That’s true again this year as the Alexandria Golf Course gets ready to kick off the 98th Resorters Tournament on Sunday with a pro-am and qualifying rounds as the match-play event runs through Aug. 3. “(AGC Superintendent) Donnacha (O’Connor) and his staff have this course in phenomenal shape,” AGC head pro Kyle Lee said. “This place is ready to go for Resorters.” Lee is in his first season helping to run this tournament of nearly 300 golfers after the Alexandria native played in it himself multiple times over the years. One change to the field is the addition of a Grand Masters Division, which will feature some of the longest-tenured players in this event. It’s a small field with Alexandria’s Dave Harris and Tom Eidsvold and Clayton Pike of Billings, Mont. and Gary Obele of Becker being the only entries. They will play a version of a roundrobin tournament and get the chance to compete against players more in their age bracket. “It was the players coming together and they did a lot of work themselves internally to make it happen,” Lee said. “Just to compete again at a high level. These guys have been competing against each other for decades, so it’s a
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“Whether it’s Division I, II, III, they’re golfers who have been experienced in tournament play. It’s knowing you have a good field of competent golfers, and it’s pretty special.” All eight of the 2018 championship flight winners are back at AGC again this week. Davis Johnson of Chaska aged out of the Junior 13-15 Division after winning it last summer and is in the Men’s Championship field now. Junior 10-12 champ, Charlie Moen of Edina, also moved up to the 13-15 division. “I think Resorters is a pretty unique deal in the sense that it’s a lot of the same families and same players who come back year in and year out,” Lee said. “When you have someone who has won a tournament and gone through the whole experience, they become kind of a favorite in town. Having that is great because it’s going to grow the gallery and grow the buzz and always make it a Al Edenloff / Echo Press better tournament when you The 2018 Resorters championship flight winners were (back, left to right) Randy Johnson, Masters; have some names that people Brian Choe, Men’s Division; Jodi Sullivan, Women’s Execs; Troy Johnson, Men’s Execs; Chris recognize.” The returning champions Haugen, Seniors; (front) Charlie Moen, Junior 10-12; Davis Johnson, Junior 13-15; and Stephanie may come in with a bigger Herzog, Women’s. All eight players are back again in 2019 to go after another title. profile now, but there is seldom a clear-cut favorite in sophomore at the University of sure.” neat opportunity to keep that Lee called it “special” having what are often balanced fields. Kansas last season, also comes tradition alive. We wish we Anything can happen in match the kinds of amateur players into this year’s tournament could have got a few more who show up for the Resorters play, and that’s the intrigue of looking for his first Men’s names in there, but I’m still this tournament. each year. Qualifying rounds Division title at the Resorters excited about the flight.” “One thing I have always but fresh off qualifying for the in that Men’s Championship The men’s championship U.S. Amateur Championship on Division will likely have plenty seen with the Resorters is it’s flight will take center of scores in the upper 60’s and who gets hot that week?” Lee July 22. stage with 68 total golfers low 70’s if weather cooperates. said. “Even if you have a bad “There’s definitely some competing for a title. It’s match and you skate through, Up and down the divisions, talent in the field,” Lee said. a field filled with plenty of you still have a chance at that there are players who are “We have some local names local players and also talented title. Match play, you always tournament veterans. college golfers from all around who have been around for have that possibility of a more “One of my favorite things a while, and we have some the country. Included in that about seeing who is playing random champion. Usually outsider names too. There’s is returning champion, Brian the Resorters is looking a lot of handicaps scratch or Choe, a redshirt freshman it’s the person playing the around and watching all the better. I think we’re going to at Kansas State University best game, but it is open each college golf bags,” Lee said. have a lot of birdies, that’s for this past season. Ben Sigel, a year.”
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