Leaf Wins Again in Pine to Palm; Montplaisir Upsets Johnson

August 12, 2016 | 5 min.

DETROIT LAKES -- William Leaf looked like a dangerous No. 48 seed when the match-play portion of the Pine to Palm Golf Tournament moved from stroke play to match play on Thursday.

The soon-to-be senior at the University of Minnesota is a former second-place finisher in the state high school tournament (he played for Winona), and he's better than the pair of 73's that he shot in qualifying. Which he demonstrated by knocking off the No. 17 seed, Thomas Longbella, 1 up in the first round of matches. Leaf now seems to be playing better each day, because in Friday's second round, he beat the No. 16 seed, Michael Abrahamson, 5&4.

In  what could be thought of as the biggest upset of the day, Cade Montplaisir, the No. 29 seed, bounced No. 4 Dan Johnson out of the tournament 2&1. Montplaisir, who is from Mesa, Ariz., led the MIAC Championships going into the final round last fall, but the then-junior at Concordia (Moorhead) closed with a 77 and tied for third place (222). He was named an All-American Scholar at the end of the 2015-16 college season. 

The three players who tied for medalist honors all won again. Top-seeded Charlie Duensing, who has yet to see the 15th tee in a match, cruised to a 6&5 victory over No. 33 Chris James. His co-medalists both won 1 up, No. 2 Peter Jones over No. 31 Ben Mallow, and No. 3 Ben Skogen over No. 35 Gus Minkin. Duensing and Jones, like Leaf, both play for the Gophers.

Next up for Duensing is Leaf. They will play Saturday morning in the Round of 16.

Skogen plays for Wisconsin. His teammate Jordan Hahn has (No. 9) played the fewest holes of anyone in the two rounds thus far. After dismissing (No. 56) Alex Koopmeiners 5&4 on Thursday, the Badger sophomore-to-be from Spring Grove, Ill., crushed former Pine to Palm champ Greg Melhus (No. 41) 7&6 on Friday. 

There are four Gophers and two Badgers still alive, and there will be one match pitting Minnesota vs. Wisconsin in the Round of 16. That will be between Hahn and Riley Johnson. Johnson, who will be a junior for the Gophers in 2016-17, finished second in the Minnesota State Amateur this summer, the victim of a dramatic final hole reversal. Johnson had just birdied the 500-yard, par-5 18th hole at North Oaks GC to take a one-stroke lead when Alex Uloth hit a 190-yard, severely uphill 7-iron second shot onto the green and then made a 30-foot putt for eagle to win the tournament by a stroke.  

Pine to Palm Golf Tournament

At Detroit Country Club

Detroit Lakes

Match Play

First round


(1) Charlie Duensing, Sandy, Utah, def. (64) Tanner Kretchman, Fargo,  5&4

(2) Peter Jones, Owatonna, def. (63) Caleb Ketterling, Napoleon, N.D.,  2&1

(3) Ben Skogen, Onalaska, Wis., def. (62) Joey Wagner, Dickinson, N.D., 6&5

(4) Dan Johnson, Elk River, def. (61) Cole Johnson, Fargo, 3&2

(5) Will Czeh, Roseau, def. (60) Mason Fiddle, White Bear Lake, 3&1

(6) Justin Doeden, Lakeville, def. (59) Austen Strom, Fargo, 4&3

(7) Beau Hanson, Frazee, def (58) Tim Sanford, Elk River, 4&3

(8) Riley Johnson, Fargo, def. (57) Austen Rene, Jamestown, N.D., 5&3

(9) Jordan Hahn, Spriing Grove, Ill., def. (56) Alex Koopmeiners, St. Cloud, 5&4

(10) Brandon Sletmoen, Dilworth, def. (55) Cory Papachek, Fargo, 2&1

(11) Chris Swenson, Fergus Falls, def. Aaron Smith, Mahnomen, 5&4

(53) Matthew Sieg, Osseo, Wis., def. (12) Pat Dietz, Moorhead, 1 up

(13) Bill Carlson, Fargo, def. (52) Lucas Johnson, Moorhead, 6&5

(14) Matt Rachey, Waconia, def. (51) Alex Gabriel, Princeton, 2&1

(15) Connor Holland, West Fargo, def. (50) Eric Harris, Rushford, 4&2

(16) Michael Abrahamson,Chicago, def. (49) Justin Nelson, Wahpeton, 4&3

(48) William Leaf, Winona, def. (17) Thomas Longbella, Chippewa Falls, Wis., 1 up

(18) Nick Olsgaard, Moorhead, def. (47) Tanner Schnathorst, Detroit Lakes, 1 up

(19) Nick Myhre, Rolette, N.D., def. (46) Andrew Passanante, Moorhead, 4&3 

(20) Grady Meyer, Fargo, def. (45) Kyle Jandro, Fargo, 6&5

(44) Lincoln Cizek, Shalopee, def. (21) Blake Kahlbaugh, Mahnomen, 19 holes 

(43) Jon Miller, Moorhead, def. (22) Bryant Buckellew, Tempe, Ariz., 5&4

(42) Hunter Thorsen, Moorhead, def. (23) Jacob Dehne, Bismarck, 3&2

(41) Greg Melhus, West Fargo, def. (24) Thomas Strandemo, Fargo, 5&3

(25) Michael Kosiek, Minnetonka, def. (40) Andrew Israelson, Staples, 19 holes

(39) Marc Vincelli, Denver, def. (26) Tyler Schlotfeldt, Moorhead, 3&2

(38) Tanner Lane, Detroit Lakes, def. (27) Rick Kuhn, Mandan, N.D., 2&1

(28) Colton Murphy, Mandan, N.D., def. (37) Jon Rubis, West Fargo, 3&1

(29) Cade Montplaisir, Mesa, Ariz., def. (36) Jordie Siverson, Moorhead, 1 up

(33) Gus Minkin, York, Pa., def. (30) Erik Weiss, Moorhead, 5&3

(31) Ben Mallow, Pelican Rapids,  def. (34) Jackson Foth, Lenexa, Kansas, 2&1

(33) Chris James, Walker, def. (32) Lukas Davison, Sioux Falls, 2&1 


Second round 

(1) Duensing def. (33) James 6&5

(2) Jones def. (31) Mallow 1 up

(3) Skogen def. (35) Minkin 1 up

(29) Montplaisir def. (4) Dan Johnson 2&1

(5) Czeh def. (28) Murphy 4&2

(38) Lane def. (6) Doeden 1 up

(7) Hanson def. (39) Vincelli 1 up

(8) Riley Johnson def. (25) Kosiek 3&2

(9) Hahn def. (41) Melhus 7&6

(10) Sletmoen def. (42) Thorsen 1 up

(43) Miller def. (11) Swenson 3&2

(44) Cizek def. (53) Sieg 3&1

(13) Carlson def. (20) Meyer 3&2

(19) Myhre def. (14) Rachey 3&2

(15) Connor Holland def. (18) Olsgaard 2 up

(48) Leaf def. (16) Abrahamson 5&4 


Qualifying results 

T1. Charlie Duensing    68-66--134

T1. Peter Jones            67-67--134

T1. Ben Skogen           65-69--134

T4. Dan Johnson         70-65--135

T4. Will Czeh             67-68--135

6. Justin Doeden          67-69--136

T7. Jordan Hahn          68-70--138

T7. Beau Hanson        71-67--138

T7. Riley Johnson        69-69--138

T7. Brandon Sletmoen 71-67--138

T11. Chris Swenson     72-67--139

T11. Pat Deitz               72-67--139

T11. Bill Carlson           69-70--139

T11. Matt Rachey         69-79--139

T11. Connor Holland    71-68--139


 

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