Mark Lyczewski won his sixth Ernotte Hiller Memorial Labor Day Golf tournament Monday afternoon by edging Rylin Petry, a senior at Fertile-Beltrami High School, 1up at Minakwa Golf Course in Crookston. “It feels really good,” said Lyczewski. “The course was in great shape, it has been fun to play and I keep saying I have to get out of this because I am old, but it is fun and you watch these young guys hit it 50 to 60 yards past me. But, I hit it down the middle and play my game and I lucked out and I did it again.”
The match was back and forth with Lyczewski taking a two-hole lead after four holes, but Petry settled in and took a one-hole lead after nine holes. It came down to the 18th hole with Lyczewski holding a one-hole lead. Petry needed to win the hole to force a playoff and the two split the hole to give Lyczewski the win. “I felt pretty good after a few holes, being up a few holes is important for me. I made a few putts early and it actually helped me win today,” said Lyczewski. “It was nice going into the 18th hole with a lead and I hit a really nice drive, but hit my second shot in the sand trap. I have hit terrible bunker shots playing so I wasn’t very confident, at least I got up and down in one.”
Lyczewski had won championships in 2004, 2008, 2015, 2017, and 2020 before winning his sixth championship this year. He was also runner-up four times (1990, 1994, 2106, and 2018). Petry, even though he is young is no slouch, as he is the defending Minnesota State High School League Class A Boys Golf Individual champion, and he was a member of the Fertile-Beltrami Boys Golf team that won the State Class A State Championship in the spring. Petry, the quarterback for the Fertile-Beltrami football team, led his team to a 42-16 victory over the Northern Freeze on Friday night. “I told him when we got done that he is really good, your young, you’re going to learn from this,” said Lyczewski. “He is going to have a great career, and I told him to keep playing and do your best.”
The sixth championship is sweet for Lyczewski. “I struggled doing this when I was younger and you think you play enough golf and you would win, so it is hard for me to believe I have won this six times,” said Lyczewski. “I am lucky and fortunate I can keep golfing. It is a great tournament and they do a great job here (at Minakwa), and let’s do it again next year.”
The Consolation Championship had Layton Bartley, a University of Minnesota Crookston Men’s Golfer, beat Jack Lindgren 2 up.
There were 90 golfers competing in the tournament and the Championship Flight was loaded with talent as the top qualifying score came from Jake Sanders with a 70. Wade Hanson and Layton Bartley had the next best score in qualifying with a 71. Scott Strom, Alex Stoe, Connor Humble, and Rylin Petry had 72’s.
There were several previous champs playing in the championship flight besides Lyczewski, with Jake Sanders (2010 and 2012), and Matt Hiller (2009).
The tournament results are below –
The Championship flight will have the following first-round matchups.
#1 Mark Lyczewski (Defending champ) beat #16 Josh Baldock 6-4
#8 Alex Stoe beat #9 Brady Heppner 1up
#4 Wade Hanson beat #13 Jack Lindgren 5-4
#5 Scott Strom beat #12 Brian Bekkala 1up
#15 Matt Hiller beat #2 Jake Sanders 4-3
#10 Wes Hanson beat #7 Connor Humble 6-4
#14 Nick Bergan beat #3 Layton Bartley 5-4
#6 Rylin Petry beat #11 Curtis Regan 4-2
CHAMPIONSHIP QUARTERFINALS (Sunday afternoon)-
#1 Mark Lyczewski beat #8 Alex Stoe 6-5
#4 Wade Hanson beat #5 Scott Strom 6-5
#10 Wes Hanson beat #15 Matt Hiller 5-3
#6 Rylin Petry beat #14 Nick Bergan 2-1
SEMIFINALS (Monday morning) –
#1 Mark Lyczewski beat #4 Wade Hanson 2up
#6 Rylin Petry beat 10 Wes Hanson 1up
CHAMPIONSHIP-
#1 Mark Lyczewski beat #6 Rylin Petry 1up
CONSOLATION CHAMPIONSHIP –
#3 Layton Bartley beat #14 Jack Lindgren 2-1
THE RESULTS OF THE OTHER FLIGHTS ARE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE
PICTURES FROM THE CHAMPIONSHIP/CONS. CHAMPIONSHIP MATCHES-
The brackets of each flight are pictured below –
