Minnesota Golfer - Spring 2012 - 39

(punch shots
)
( The President's Desk
The Gopher State: Great Golf,
Great Golfers
By Jim Lehman
M
innesota summers, short as they tend to
be, are always exciting. We are finally able
to pursue the warm weather hobbies that
we anxiously anticipate all winter: biking, fishing, golfing,
swimming and boating, plus many others. For me, I'm a
big fan of tournament golf. My travels pursuing this primary
summer hobby have taken me all over the state and
across the country, and I prize highly the friendships that
have formed over the years because of tournament golf.
The " majors " of Minnesota amateur golf are those
championships conducted by the Minnesota Golf Association
and its allied golf associations. The MGA is one
of the premier state and regional golf associations in the
United States, especially as it relates to the management
of a strong tournament schedule. Yet, there is more to the
amateur golf scene than our fine state championships.
There is also a long-standing tradition of terrific smalltown
tournament golf. There's a long list of champions,
such as Harry Legg, David Tallman, Pat
Sawyer, Bev Gammon and Jody Gumlia,
whose names appear on the silver and
crystal of the Northland Invitational
(Duluth), the Resorters (Alexandria),
the Birchmont (Bemidji), the Pine to
Palm (Detroit Lakes), and the Loren
Krugel (Mankato). If you also consider
the numerous and varied shortstops and
weekend events, you'll conclude that our
summers feature great golf.
These summers, although short, also
produce great golfers. I'm a bit biased,
but my brother Tom certainly has established
himself as a big-name golfer
and maybe the best of all time from
our state. There are so many others, and
recently Tim Herron, Cam Beckman, Hilary Lunke and
John Harris have accomplished great things as professional
golfers after playing amateur golf in Minnesota. All four
have won tournaments at the professional level, including
Lunke winning the U.S. Women's Open. It has been fun
to see all the other young players recently pursuing their
professional careers, including Troy Merritt, Clayton Rask,
Tom Hoge, Travis Ross, Josh Persons, Brett Swedberg and
Bronson La'Cassie. The trickle-down effect has been inMaybe
there's another tour
star or national champ being
developed within our golf
association. The Gopher State
has truly become a competitive
golf state.
teresting, as our Minnesota amateur events are routinely
filled with young players who are carrying college golf
bags from all over the country.
Competitive golf has caught on with our young people
in a big way. It will be fun to see who wins our state events
this summer and to watch how they progress with their
golf careers-maybe there's another tour star or national
champ being developed within our golf association. The
Gopher State has truly become a competitive golf state.
www.mngolf.org
Spring 2012 MINNESOTAGOLFER
37
PHOTO BY PAUL MARKERT
http://www.mngolf.org
Minnesota Golfer - Spring 2012

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