Pro golfers from Arizona and Nebraska tamed Moccasin Creek Country Club Friday in Aberdeen.
Matthew Smith of Scottsdale, Ariz., and Kevin Stanek of Bellevue, Neb., each shot seven unders (65) to take the first-round lead in the three-round, three-day 22nd annual Western Printing Pro-Am. Nick Delio of Valencia, Calif., was third at 67 while three others followed with 69s: Brandon Crick of McCook, Neb.; Kevin Starr of Tulare, Calif.; and Jordan Elsen of Kenosha, Wis.
"I putted great and made a lot of long putts," Smith said. "I really rolled the rock quite well today. I also had great playing partners and the course was in great shape. I had a lot of fun out there today."
To keep having fun, Smith said he will need to "keep holing putts." Smith played with the Watertown trio of Todd Freimark, Jerry Peterson and Jeff Orthaus.
The American News was unable to connect with Stanek Friday night. He played with Mic Daggett of Aberdeen, Ryan Karst of Sioux Falls and Eric Payne of Mina.
A couple of area pros, Travis Slaathaug of Wilmot and Riley O'Neill of Aberdeen, put in a good day of work as well. They were even after the first round with 72s, very much in contention for the $15,000 pro prize.
Today's schedule
The three-day, 54-hole pro-am in Aberdeen continues today.
There are 50 pro golfers are competing for $68,560. The 150 amateurs are playing for prizes worth more than $20,000.
Tee times today start at 7:30 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. Tonight, there will be a golf derby starting on Hole No. 10 at 7:30 p.m.
On Sunday, there are 8 a.m. shotgun tee times for amateurs and a 1:15 p.m. start time for the top 20 pros - could be more if ties - who survived the cut. The awards ceremony is set after the tourney, approximately 6:30 p.m., at the clubhouse.
U.S. Open qualifier
Dakotas Tour pro golfer Brandon Crick feels good about his game, and he should.
"The last month has been great," said Crick, a former University of Nebraska golfer from McCook, Neb. "I got off to a good start in the tour and I have been hitting the ball well."
Crick won the first stop on the 2013 tour, earning $10,500 at The Bluffs in Vermillion. This is his third time golfing in the pro-am in Aberdeen.
"I really enjoy playing in Aberdeen, and Moccasin Creek is one of my favorite stops on the tour," Crick said. "The course is always in great shape and it is always fun to play."
He also qualified this summer to golf in the 113th U.S. Open Championship in mid-June at the Merion Golf Club outside Philadelphia. There for the first two rounds, he golfed against the world's best and met golfers like Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson.
"It was a great experience, and I learned a lot from it," said Crick. "I didn't play particularly well, and I had trouble off the tee. And that makes it very difficult when you are playing as long of a course as Merion. But I putted and chipped well. If I would have hit the ball better, I would have had a shot at making the cut."
Crick said playing in front of huge crowds was an amazing feeling.
"I feel like I can really build on that experience and I want to get back there again soon," Crick said. "To play against the best in the world is what every player on the Dakotas Tour wants to accomplish. It was nice to get a taste of that for a weekend, but in the future, I want to be playing on that stage every weekend."
Moccasin supporter
When it comes to Moccasin Creek and its annual pro-am, club head golf professional Dean Zahn said he gets great support on hosting the tourney from his teammates at the course, members and sponsors.
And tourney supporters such as Jeff Stockert of Aberdeen can't seem find enough ways to help. Stockert has been around for all 22 tourneys and has played in most of them, including this year's event. He volunteers to help out with tourney events, he and his wife open their home to host pros every year, his company is one of the sponsors and he is a board member at the country club.
He loves to promote this tournament and Moccasin Creek. "This is a great opportunity for golfers in this region to play with pros around the country and get to know them," Stockert said. "Some of these guys will have real success and we will see them on the big tour."
The pros who have played Moccasin Creek always seem to fondly remember the Aberdeen stop on the Dakotas Tour. "Earlier this year, I had the chance to play in the pro-am at the Colonial PGA tournament (in Fort Worth). When I walked into the clubhouse with my Moccasin Creek shirt on, right away Joe Ogilvie (1996 Moccasin Creek pro-am champ) came up to talk to me."
Stockert said Zahn and everyone at the club do a great job of hosting the tourney. "Year after year, the pros say they love coming here. They tell us this is one of the best run tourneys that they play. Dean and his staff work their tails off and do a great job."
Plus, the pros love the course. "Moccasin Creek is a real test for them. They have to use every club in their bags, and they appreciate that.
"I encourage people to come out to watch the golf derby on Saturday night (7:30 p.m.) or come out on Sunday afternoon and watch the pros final round," Stockert said. "There is a lot of talent out there. These guys are all on a mission to make it to the next level. It is inspiring to see the passion and commitment these guys have for the game."
After each tourney, Stockert likes to tell the pros with whom he says good-bye: "Hope not to see you next year. Meaning, I hope the next time I see you is on TV at the next level."
Stockert looked like a pro himself on Friday. He shot a 66 to lead all amateurs.
Groton winner
Californian Nick Delio got off to a slow start on the Dakotas Tour.
"I didn't play very well in the first tournament (The Bluffs) at Vermillion," said the 23-year-old from Valencia who turned pro two years ago. "But I started to play a lot better at the two tournaments in Sioux Falls. Then it felt great to win (the Olive Grove Pro-Am Thursday at Groton).
"I have kept progressing each week. I am playing pretty solid right now."
Delio earn $2,300 for his win at Groton. On Friday during the first round of the Western Printing Pro-Am in Aberdeen, he continued his good play with a 5-under round at the Moccasin Creek Country Club.
Delio likes playing the Moccasin Creek course. "It is a good test. It is the toughest course that I've seen so far on the tour."
This is his first year on the Dakotas Tour. "I thought I would give it a try. So far, it is working out great for me."
In college, Delio was an impact golfer for Division I Cal State Northridge. As a freshman in 2008, Delio earned the Big West Conference Freshman of the Year award. As a senior in 2011, he was the Big West Player of the Year. Delio was a four-year, first-team all-conference selection as well.
Dakotas Tour
After Aberdeen, there are seven main stops left on the Dakotas Tour:
Monday-Wednesday: At Marshall, Minn.
July 26-28: At Fox Run Golf Course in Yankton.
Aug. 1-4: At Hillcrest Country Club in Yankton.
Aug. 8-10: At Arrowhead Country Club in Rapid City.
Aug. 16-18: At Casper, Wyo.
Aug. 23-25: At Fargo, N.D.
Aug. 28-30: At Sioux Center, Iowa.
There are also two one-day satellite stops at Milbank (Aug. 26) and Oxbow, N.D. (Aug. 21).
Here are the first-day results for the 22nd annual Western Printing Pro-Am at Moccasin Creek Country Club in Aberdeen.
|PROS|
65: Matthew Smith, Scottsdale, AZ; Kevin Stanek, Bellevue, NE.
67: Nick Delio, Valencia, CA.
69: Brandon Crick, McCook, NE; Kevin Starr, Tulare, CA; Jordan Elsen, Kenosha, WI.
70: Christopher Evans, Shelton, WA.
71: Kelly Kretz, Antigo, WI; Jonathan Carlson, Kelseyville, CA.
72: Riley O'Neill, Aberdeen; Travis Slaathaug, Wilmot; Jay Myers, Saratoga, CA; Jamie Estrada, Santa Ana, CA; Jon Beaver, Willmar, MN; Trevor Blair, Colfax, CA.
73: Tom Carlson, Sioux Falls; Ryan Lenahan, Grosse Pointe Shores, MI; Paul Peterson, Salem, OR; Jeff Burton, Scottsdale, AZ; Casey Pyne, Bloomington, IL; Doug Quinones, Hidden Valley Lake, CA; Michael Vance, Jackson, TN; Dustin Wigington, Oklahoma City, OK.
74: Shane Feist, Bismarck; Tim Frazer, Wentworth Falls, Australia; Austin Miller, Gering, NE; Ryan Nielson, Boise, ID; Jeff Berkshire, Scottsdale, AZ.
75: Kevin Gillick, Lincoln, NE; Kyle Warren, Los Almitos, CA.
76: Peter Lansburgh, Sacramento, CA; Neil Frederickson, White Bear Township, MN; Andrew Funk, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; R. Scott Pugh, Harrisburg, PA; Jon Sauer, St. Cloud.
77: Aaron Kilian-Smith, San Antonio, TX; Matthew Moxness, Edina, MN; Sean Jones, Hoffman Estates, IL.
78: Mike Wuertz, Bettendorf, IA; Patrick Strandemo, San Diego, CA; Travis Stockholm, Springfield, SD.
81: Travis Davis, Lincoln, NE; Coy Breen, San Antonio, TX.
82: Taylor Stamp, Colorado Springs, CO; Lucas Reuter, Forman, ND.
85: Sam Jandel, Dayton, OH.
87: Josh Porter, Scottsdale, AZ.
WD: John Hurley, Spring, TX.
|AMATEUR LEADERS|
|Hometowns listed for|
|all but Aberdeen golfers|
|Gross Score (without handicap)|
1. Jeff Stockert 66
2. Chris Dohrer 71
T3. Brian Jorgensen 72
T3. Mike Sipe (Milbank) 72
T3. Sanjay Mukerji 72
T6. Bob Lind (Maple Grove, Minn.) 73
T6. Brad Pinkman 73
T6. Chris Knight (Sioux Falls) 73
T9. Austin Hieb 74
T9. Steve Brown (Moorhead, Minn.) 74
T9. Steve Pelzl 74
|Net Score (with handicap)|
1. Jeff Stockert 63
T2. Charlie Jakober 67
T2. Sanjay Mukerji 67
4. Mike Lynde (Sioux Falls) 68
T5. Bob Lind (Maple Grove, Minn.) 69
T5. D.B. Garber (Bath) 69
T5. Dennis Kindt (Sioux Falls) 69
T5. Jon Sorensen (Beresford) 69
T9. Brent Dell (Houston) 70
T9. Dave Planteen (Britton) 70
T9. Jim Stephenson 70
T9. Kent Delaney (Webster) 70
T9 Lon Gellhaus (Groton) 70
|Teams|
T1. Max Pfeiffer, Chris Knight (Sioux Falls), Jon Sorensen (Beresford) -18
T1. Jeff Stockert, Chris Dohrer, Joe Cesario (Chicago) -18
3. Todd Freimark, Jerry Peterson, Jeff Orthaus -16
4. Jim Patterson, Heath Rylance, Sanjay Mukerji -14
T5. Mark Adam (Surprise, Ariz.), Mike Lynde (Sioux Falls), Dennis Kindt (Sioux Falls) -13
T5. Mark Jorgensen, Brian Jorgensen, Craig Jorgensen (Lenexa, Kan.)-13
T5. Brad Pinkman, Rick Biegler (Las Vegas), Bob Lind (Maple Grove, Minn.) -13
8. Rob VanLaecken (Watertown), Dustin Sinner (Watertown), Eric Schmidt (Sioux Falls) -12
9. Mike Brown, Steve Brown (Moorhead, Minn.), Tom Brown (Park Rapids, Minn.) -11
10. Nathan Golz, Nick Golz (Rosemount, Minn.), Jason Golz (Haslet, Texas) -10
John Papendick is the managing news-sports editor for the American News:
Twitter: @jpapendick