The Ernotte Hiller Red River Valley Labor Day Golf tournament is coming up this weekend at the Minakwa Golf Course. The tournament will be a match-play tournament with a qualifying round starting on Saturday, September 3, at 8:00 a.m., with tee times going until 2:00 p.m., and all other matches playing on Sunday, September 4, and Monday, September 5.
The tournament currently has 88 people participating, with 76 people attempting to qualify for the Championship Flight on Saturday. After playing a round of 18 holes, the course will take the best 15 scoring players, along with the defending champion Mark Lyczewski and seed them based on their scores for the Championship Flight. If a person playing to qualify in the Championship Flight does not make it into the top 15, they will be added to one of the 16-seeded named regular flights based on their score. “The tournament becomes match play after the qualifying round. Everyone is seeded one through 16, with the 16th seed playing number 1, and if they lose their first match, they go to the consolation side for a second match, but if they lose the second match, they’re done,” said Minakwa Clubhouse Manager, Jessica Ross. The Championship, and the regular flights (Minakwa, Hiller, Red River, etc.), will hold two matches each day, going into Monday, September 5, with the final match with all other flights having one match on Sunday, with the winners having two on Monday. “The majority of people are attempting to qualify, and even if they don’t qualify for the Championship Flight, they will be flighted into the other flights based on what they shoot on Saturday,” Ross explained. “If you’re a pretty good golfer, you would want to try and qualify. We have a lot of really good golfers coming in from out of town that are potential qualifiers. So, it should be really competitive.” For those not looking to partake in Championship Flight, they can partake in one of the four numbered regular flights that hold eight people each for a smaller prize. All flight winners will receive gift certificates for the Golf Course, with the winner of the Championship Flight winning $300.
During the Qualifying Round on Saturday, the course will have a skins game during the round to see which player out of all of the participants can get the lowest score on the hole. Entry for the game is $10 per person, with the winner getting a piece of all of the entrants’ contributions. After the round is over and the flights’ brackets have been finalized, the Club will have a Calcutta for people to auction on the player’s odds of winning the tournament. “The tournament’s always really fun, whether you golf or not, because it’s fun just to come out and watch, and a lot of people come and just watch. On Saturday night, we have a Calcutta, so we auction on the player’s odds, so anyone is welcome to come to that, and that’s always a good time as well,” said Ross. “The tournament play is Sunday and Monday, especially on Monday in the afternoon or evening, we have a lot of people here just watching golf, which we love to see, and I think the players enjoy having a large crowd. So come on out if you’re around this weekend.”
Participants looking to participate in the Championship Flight after the Qualifying Round will have to pay an entry fee of $90, and those wishing to join a Regular Flight will have to pay an entry fee of $65, with a $30 Green Fee for any non-members that are participating. The fees include meals on Sunday and Monday served at the Club. It will consist of a brunch of a breakfast pizza, yogurt parfaits, and fruit on Sunday. For lunch, the Club will serve burgers. On Monday, the Club will hold a chili bar for lunch. While the tournament is currently full of participants, the Club does have a waitlist for people that wish to participate in case some competitors are unable to make it. The Club is also considering creating another flight for the tournament if enough people register. If you’d like to reserve a spot for the tournament, you can call the Minakwa Golf Course at 218-281-1774.
