BEMIDJI – Anna Eckmann is getting a taste of what it’s like to play in front of a gallery at the Birchmont Golf Tournament.
“My grandparents are up here right now, and I have cousins here too. The only person that wasn’t out here is my brother, who’s slacking,” Eckmann joked. “I had like five people watching me today. It’s becoming a huge family thing this week. That’s what this tournament is all about, right?”
Eckmann, a rising senior at Park Rapids High School, will see that the further she makes it through the women’s championship bracket, the bigger the gallery will get, regardless if her brother makes an appearance at the Bemidji Town and Country Club. Her quarterfinal match on Thursday was another step in the right direction.
After pulling off the upset of the week, beating five-time champion Emily Isrealson in a playoff on Wednesday, Eckmann continued her hot streak. She handled seventh-seeded Claudia Pilot 4-and-3 to claim one of four semifinal spots.
Madelyn Haasken / Bemidji Pioneer
“I like match play because you’re just playing against one person,” Eckmann said. “You can see what the other person is doing instead of guessing how they did on a hole when you can’t see them. You can tell yourself you have to make par on a hole because they made one on the same hole. Knowing what you have to do on each hole changes everything.”
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Eckmann and Pilot traded holes to begin their match before a par on No. 6 gave Eckmann a 1-up lead. She then made par on No. 9 to take a 2-up lead at the turn. Two more pars on Nos. 10 and 12 put Eckmann in the driver’s seat before she closed out the four-hole win.
After a frustrating qualifying round, Eckmann gained a nothing-to-lose approach heading into match play. The 15th-seeded player in the field squared off against one of the best Birchmont players ever in the opening round.
“My dad actually told me before I teed off, ‘You have nothing to lose against her. Just go for it,’” Eckmann said of playing against Israelson. “I kind of thought the same thing before the playoff hole. I made it this far. I might as well win this thing.
“My qualifying day was really rough for me. Nothing really went right, especially on the back nine. I think I only had one par. After that, I told myself, ‘OK, we got to match play. I have to turn it on a little bit now.’”
Madelyn Haasken / Bemidji Pioneer
Third-seeded Morgan Hetletved of Grand Forks, N.D., will meet Eckmann in the semifinals on Friday, July 28. Hetletved beat Carrie Lundgren 3-and-2. Top-seeded defending champion Abbie Kelm breezed to a 5-and-3 win over Jaya Grube. Fifth-seeded Anna Tollette of Ramsey beat Lily Bredemeier with a par on the final hole for a 1-up win.
“I played in this tournament last year, and there are a lot of familiar faces that came back,” Eckmann said. “Everyone is super nice. It’s just a really relaxing environment to play in, which is nice. I just love this tournament. It’s so much fun to play in. I just have to remember that I’m already playing well, but tomorrow is a new day. I just have to stay focused.”
Josh Bergrud’s run continues into quarterfinals
The lowest seed in any championship bracket stayed alive on Thursday. After Josh Bergrud beat defending champion Josh Galvin a day earlier, he clinched a quarterfinal berth with a 5-and-4 win over Logan Schoepp.
Bergrud, the 32nd-seeded player out of Grand Forks, will square off against eighth-seeded Matthew Gregg of Bemidji. Gregg beat Landon Miller in a 20-hole round.
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At least one double-digit seed will make the semifinals. Jacob Skarperud, the 13th-seeded player out of Fargo, N.D., beat Luke Thompson 6-and-5. He will take on 28th-seeded Alex Robb of Golden Valley. Robb beat Jay Gregory 3-and-1.
Maggi Fellerman / Bemidji Pioneer
Medalist Nick Schaefer out of Grand Forks pulled out a 2-and-1 win over Koby Kuenzel. He will play against 10th-seeded Alex Skarperud, who beat Johnny Larson 1-up. Third-seeded Jon DuToit beat Justin Johnson 7-and-5, while 22nd-seeded Boomer Well advanced with a 2-and-1 win over Cody Cook.
The men’s quarterfinal matches begin at 12:15 p.m. off the first hole.
Logan Motzko and Carter White to meet in junior 13-17 final
The stage is set for two junior 13-17 players. Fifth-seeded Logan Motzko of Chaska knocked off top-seeded Masen Nowacki by a final of 6-and-4. Motzko won the last three holes of the match to claim a spot in the championship. He will take on second-seeded Carter White of Verndale. White won his semifinal match over third-seeded Preston Miller 6-and-4.
The junior 13-17 title match begins on Saturday, July 29.
Jeff Thompson keeps his defense bid intact
Bemidji’s Jeff Thompson is one of four reigning champions that will play in a semifinal on Friday. The men’s executive top seed beat Omar Daal 3-and-2. He will take on 13th-seeded Derek Hasselberg of Milaca, who beat Jason Kujanson 4-and-3.
At the bottom of the executive bracket, third-seeded Mark Hylden from Minneapolis advanced. He pulled out a 1-up win over Joe Burgess in his quarterfinal match. Seventh-seeded Joshua Faecke beat Derrick Johnson 4-and-3 and will take on Hylden in the semifinals.
The men’s executives resume at 8:39 a.m. on Friday from the first hole.
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Senior favorites stumble
Aside from Bemidji’s Jeff Wiltse, the lower-seeded players were triumphant on Thursday in the men’s senior division.
Sixth-seeded Curt Howard beat longtime friend and third-seeded Rick Passolt 5-and-4. He will play against seventh-seeded Trent Wilcox of Park Rapids, who beat second-seeded Dale Finck 2-up. Fifth-seeded Jeff Slupe of Windsor, Colo., got the better of Scott Hinners by a score of 2-and-1.
Wiltse, the top seed in the tournament and the defending senior champion, staved off ninth-seeded Robert Bye. He will play against Slupe in the semifinals.
Senior match play resumes at 12:35 p.m. on Friday from the first tee box.
John McEnroe wins 20-hole masters thriller
Crosslake’s John McEnroe nearly let a big lead slip in his masters quarterfinal match. Through seven holes, the 11th-seeded McEnroe held a 5-up lead. Then Taylor Douglas evened the score by winning five consecutive holes.
McEnroe regained a 2-up lead with wins on Nos. 13 and 14, but Douglas answered, winning Nos. 15 and 17 to square the match again. McEnroe eventually won with a par on the 20th hole of the match. He will take on seventh-seeded Jack Seiberlich of Gold Canyon, Ariz., who beat David Pilot 4-and-2.
Top-seeded Jeff Tweeton of Perham cruised to a 5-and-3 win over Wayne Vaughey. He will meet up with Steve Herzog of Alexandria, who beat Dale Don 4-and-3.
Masters players resume play at 1:25 p.m. on Friday from the first hole.
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For complete results and Friday tee times, visit thebirchmont.com and click on the “Register Here” tab to get to the Golf Genius portal. The portal code is 99BIRCH. Weeklong Birchmont coverage can be found at www.bemidjipioneer.com .
In additional Birchmont news, masters medalist Rick Vanyo made a hole in one on Thursday on the seventh hole. Vanyo used a 9 iron from 155-yards out for the ace.
Contributed
Madelyn Haasken / Bemidji Pioneer
Maggi Fellerman / Bemidji Pioneer
Maggi Fellerman / Bemidji Pioneer
Maggi Fellerman / Bemidji Pioneer
Maggi Fellerman / Bemidji Pioneer
Madelyn Haasken / Bemidji Pioneer
Madelyn Haasken / Bemidji Pioneer
The 99th annual Birchmont Golf Tournament schedule
- Friday: Match play continues for all divisions. (Junior champ and first flights do not play.)
- Saturday: Match play finals for all divisions.
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Anna Eckmann playing with 'nothing to lose' heading into Birchmont semifinal - The Bemidji Pioneer
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