Armstrong and Nasby Outduel Polk and Schmitz in Extra Holes to Win MGA Four-Ball

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  LE SUEUR, Minn. – University of St. Thomas golfers Matt Armstrong and Cole Nasby tallied two birdies and an eagle over their final three holes Thursday before prevailing in a three-hole playoff over the team of Jesse Polk and Sammy Schmitz to claim the 61st Minnesota Golf Association Amateur Four-Ball Championship at Le Sueur Country Club.

The Tommie teammates entered the final round one shot off the lead Thursday and posted a second straight round of 64, highlighted by Armstrong's hole-out on the final hole of the championship, before a birdie in extra holes lifted the two to their first state victory.

“A win feels good. I’ve been close a lot,” said Armstrong, who has now collected nine top-10 finishes at state events since 2017. “It’s great to get a win.”

“Matt finished top-10 at the State Amateur this year and I didn’t even get in,” Nasby laughed Thursday. “I know I’m a better player than that, but just never give up and keep working hard. It also helps when you have a teammate a little better than you and you can ride his coattails.”

The soon-to-be college juniors started fast with a birdie at the first Thursday, but a bogey at the fifth slowed their momentum and dropped the twosome to 6-under for the championship.

The two bounced back when Nasby’s 25-foot slider for birdie found the bottom of the cup to put them back at 7-under.

Armstrong two-putted for birdie at the par-5 12th to keep pace with Polk and Schmitz, who also birdied, to remain one shot off the lead.

After sinking his birdie chance at the 16th, Nasby rolled in a 6-footer for birdie at the 17th before Armstrong’s improbable hole-out for eagle at the 18th to force a playoff at 12-under 128.

“I wasn’t really comfortable having a run at it, but I knew I had to get it close,” Armstrong said of his approach at the 18th. “As soon as I hit it I thought it looked good, and it trickled in for two. We just kind of rode that into the playoff.”

“[At 18] I thought it was over because I hit it over the green, chunked my second and [Polk] hit his second to three feet,” Nasby said. “We were talking about it before the playoff and I said, ‘Let’s try to calm down and forget about it.’”

Armstrong and Nasby escaped the first playoff hole when Schmitz’s birdie chance from eight feet rolled past the cup, but the two would apply pressure to the former champs at each of the next two holes.

Both Armstrong and Nasby had birdie looks on the second playoff hole before Schmitz was once again unable to sink his birdie chance to clinch the match.

With both Polk and Schmitz in trouble off the tee on the third playoff hole, Nasby, whose tee shot rolled just off the back of the green, chipped to four feet and would sink his birdie to claim the victory.

“I thought yesterday we were really scrapy and we were happy to get to 6-under 64. We made a lot of birdies just by chance and made it harder on ourselves than we should have,” Nasby said. “We thought the leaders were going to be at eight or 9-under, so being only one back felt good.

“Today we came out and hit the ball better than we did yesterday. We had chances on almost every hole, we just weren’t making them. Staying patient and trusting that we were hitting good enough shots—they had to fall at some point."

“Once one of us got into a range of five or 6-footer for par, we said to just go at it,” said Armstrong. “It seemed like we made those every time, and it freed us up to go after those birdie putts.”

Armstrong, who played his high school golf at Eden Prairie, had a strong showing at the MGA Amateur Championship last month at Olympic Hills Golf Club, opening with a 2-under 70, on his way to a seventh-place finish.

His best performance at a state championship prior to Thursday’s win came at last season’s Minnesota Public Golf Association State Public Links Championship at Pebble Creek Golf Club, shooting 2-under 142 to finish third.

He finished fifth at the State Public Links in 2019 at The Jewel Golf Club.

A former member of the Edina High School golf team, Nasby’s best state finish came in 2020 when he finished tied for third at the Minnesota Junior PGA Players Tour Tournament of Champions at Keller Golf Club.

Polk and Schmitz bookended their opening nine with birdies Thursday to turn in 8-under for the championship.

The long-hitter Polk took advantage of the par-5 12th with a birdie, while Schmitz rolled in birdie opportunity at the 14th to put the two on top of the leaderboard at 10-under.

Polk rolled in a 25-footer from the left edge of the 17th green and would convert his short birdie chance at the last after Armstrong’s eagle, to force a playoff at 12-under 128.

Unable to convert a pair of birdie chances during the first two playoff holes Thursday, Polk and Schmitz were denied their second MGA Amateur Four-Ball title when Nasby sank his birdie chance.

Polk and Schmitz claimed the 2014 championship at Pebble Creek Golf Club, and also own a pair of wins at the Minnesota Public Golf Association Four-Ball Championship in 2016 and 2018.

Prior to Schmitz’s appearance at the 2016 Masters, the two teamed up to win the Mid-Amateur Division of the International Four-Ball Championship at The Fox Club in Palm City, Fla.

Tuesday’s leaders Joel B. Johnson and Blake Onkka, who fired a 7-under 63 to earn a share of the lead with Wednesday’s leaders Brett Benson and Trent Peterson, posted a 3-under 67 during the final round Thursday, highlighted by Johnson’s eagle from 50 feet at the 16th, to finish in a share of second at 10-under 130.

Benson and Peterson also carded a 3-under 67 on the final day to finish at 130, helped by a pair of late birdies from Peterson at the 16th and 17th.

After their opening-round of 3-under 67 Wednesday, the twosome of Scott Gustafson and Parker Pemberton carded the low round of the final day Thursday, posting a 7-under 63 to jump into a three-way tie for second at 130.