Minnesota Golfer - Fall 2019 - 28
BACK
MGA AM RECAP
2019 Tournament Champions
Clay Kucera Earns His First State Victory at
MGA Amateur Championship.
* BY NICK HUNTER *
* PHOTOS BY MARK BRETTINGEN * JEFF LAWLER * W.P. RYAN *
W
ith a late-round eagle and a pair of key par saves, Clay Kucera posted
an even-par 72, fending off charges from both Van Holmgren, the
fi rst-round leader, and Andrew Israelson at the 116th MGA Amateur
Championship. Kucera's steady play at Somerby Golf Club earned him his fi rst state
victory.
Kucera dropped his eagle chance from 30 feet at the par-3 15th and scrambled
to save par at the 16th and 17th, overcoming a rocky start to the fi nal round. He
extended his lead to two strokes before a par on the fi nal hole made him the fi rst
player since Eric Deutsch (2004) to win the championship after making the fi eld
as an alternate.
" This is big for confi dence, " Kucera said. " I've played well in some tournaments,
but haven't found myself on top of the leaderboard at the end of the
day. To win in a fi eld like this, which is full of great competition, proves that
I can do that against the best players in the state. "
The 20-year-old Kucera traded two bogeys with two birdies over his
fi rst four holes before stumbling with back-to-back bogeys at the sixth
and seventh holes. An up-and-down at the eighth hole kept Kucera level
with Israelson and provided momentum for the fi nal nine holes, where
Kucera made consecutive pars before his eagle at hole number 15.
" I hit a good shot in [on No. 8]; the wind just blew it off a little bit, "
he said. " I read it like a putt, had a good line and was trying to make it. I
cleaned it up and that's where the round kind of got going. "
" I got a little more comfortable, " Kucera said of beginning his back
CLA Y KUCERA
2019 MGA AMATEUR CHAMPION
nine Wednesday, where he shot 7-under 29 the day before. " I was able
to hit some greens and got the putter rolling a little bit. "
Watching Holmgren hit a 3-wood inside of six feet at the drivable
par-4 15th hole, Kucera opted for a driver and rolled his ball to the
back edge of the green. Dropping his right-to-left breaker for a 2,
Kucera regained a one-shot lead before increasing his lead at the
par-3 17th hole with a par.
Israelson's tee shot landed short of the 17th hole green and rolled
back into the penalty area. He wasted little time taking off his shoes before
punching his second out to the middle of the green. Both Israelson
and Holmgren two-putted for bogey to fall two shots back of Kucera.
>> FIELD FACTS Field: 156 | A v g Score: 77 .55 | R ound 1: 7 9.6 9 | R ound 2: 79 .54 | R ound 3: 74 . 6 2 |
28
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Minnesota Golfer - Fall 2019
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Minnesota Golfer - Fall 2019 - Contents
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