Curt Vander Stoep (left) won the low gross championship of the Seniors' Club Tournament played at the Luverne Country Club Sunday. Nick Veenhof (right) won the low net title.
By John Rittenhouse
A first-time winner emerged as the low gross champion of the annual Seniors' Club Tournament played at the Luverne Country Club Sunday.
In what turned into a two player showdown during the second round of the 18-hole event, Edgerton's Curt Vander Stoep used a late birdie to nip Luverne's Dave Iverson by one stroke for the gross crown.
It didn’t look good for Vander Stoep when he faced a two-stroke deficit with three holes left to play, but the tide turned on the par-3, 16th hole.
The eventual champion drained a birdie putt on the fateful hole while Iverson put up a double-bogey five.
The three-stroke swing put Vander Stoep in front by one stroke with two holes remaining, and he protected the slim lead by matching Iverson's efforts (a par-5 on the 17th hole and a bogey five on No. 18) to win his first Seniors' Club title.
Both Vander Stoep and Iverson were competing in the division for players in the 50-59 age group, and they found themselves challenged by players within their group as well as some golfers in the 60-69 division and the 70 and older division.
Seven players were within three strokes of the gross lead when the first nine holes of play were complete.
Vander Stoep, who recorded a bogey and a double bogey during the first four holes, finished strong by recording five straight pars to finish the round with a three-over-par 39.
Iverson, who had two birdies, three pars, three bogeys and one double bogey, matched Vander Stoep's 39-stroke effort to earn a share of the lead.
Rick Serie and Bruce Olson, two more members of the 50-59 age group, both shot five-over-par 41s and trailed the leaders by two strokes.
Sam Hansen (50-59 division), George McDonald (60-69 division) and Don Lein (70 and over division) all trailed by three strokes after recording 42s.
Serie and Olson climbed to within one stroke of the leaders after recording pars on the 10th hole, but that would be as close as they would come to catching the front runners.
Iverson moved in front by one stroke when he recorded a par on the par-3 12th hole (Vander Stoep had a bogey), and he increased his lead to two strokes with a bogey on the par-4 14th hole (Vander Stoep had a double bogey).
Both men parred the 15th hole, right before Vander Stoep turned the showdown around with his birdie on No. 16.
Vander Stoep (39-41-80) and Iverson (39-42-81) set the pace in the gross competition in the 50-59 division. Serie (41-41-82) placed third in the division and overall. Olson (41-46-87), Hansen (42-45-87), Tom Serie (43-44-87) and Greg Gabrielson (43-33-87) all tied for fourth place in the 50-59 division.
The low net title for the 50-59 division went to Jerry Johnson (47-44-92), who recorded a net 65, Rick Serie was second with a net 66, and Vander Stoep third with a net 67.
Two members of the 60-69 division tied for first place in the gross competition in their division as well as earning a share of fourth place in the overall gross standings.
McDonald and Jerry Wethor led the five-player 60-69 division.
McDonald shot a 42-41-83, while Wethor checked in with a 43-40-83.
Nick Veenhof, who emerged as the tournament's low net champion, and Laurin Carroll tied for third place behind McDonald and Wethor in the gross competition in the 60-69 division.
Veenhof shot a 47-44-91, while Carroll carded a 43-48-91.
Veenhof was a run-away champion in his division and the tournament. His net 61 was 10 strokes better than Wethor's 71 and 13 shots better than Carroll’s 74 in their division.
Veenhof topped Johnson 61-65 in the overall net standings. Rick Serie, Lien and Ken Staeffler tied for third place with net 66s.
Lien coasted to an 11-stroke victory in the gross competition in the 70 and over division.
Lien shot a pair of 42s for an 84, which easily topped challengers Staeffler (48-47-95) and Jay Jackson (55-48-103), who placed second and third respectively.
Lien and Staeffler both recorded net 66s, and Lien won a chipoff to earn the low net award for his flight. Jackson placed third with a net 73.