No, these guys aren’t having any fun at all. That’s the Wisconsin Hickory Open field at the Lawsonia clubhouse bar.
The 6th annual Wisconsin Hickory Open (formerly the Kummel Cup) is in the books.
Congratulations to our Champions:
Steve Simer – Madison, Wisconsin – Overall Champion
Dr. Dave Brown – Omaha, Nebraska – Senior Division
Dan Norstedt – Eau Claire, Wisconsin – Super Senior Division
The tournament opened with a practice round on Thursday and the annual two-man Best ball event. A stunning 58 was turned in by the father son team of Joe and David Guerard.
On Friday, the tournament started with some morning mist that quickly burned away to reveal a sunny, beautiful day for golf. Some stellar scores were turned in on day one but none better than Dr. Dave Brown with a 74 to take the lead in the Senior Division. His nearest competitor was John Mabry with a solid 80.
In the Open Division. Ernie Ernst led the field with a 79 followed closely by Eric Hjortness with 81 and David Gerard’s 82. The Open Division was a packed field and was far from settled. In Super Seniors, Frank Rosenzweig shot an outstanding 90 to take the lead on day one. After golf on Friday, all the competitors and their guests were treated to a Wisconsin traditional fish fry on the patio of Lawsonia Golf Course. The evening rain held off just long enough to allow for a wonderful evening on the deck for dinner.
Contestants woke to a beautiful sunny Saturday. As we began it was obvious Mother Nature had some fun in store. The winds picked up to a brisk 20 mph which quickly dried out a course that had taken on more than five inches of rain the previous two nights. Lawsonia, holding up to its tradition, still played fast and firm. The leading Open Division score for the day was a fine 78 posted by Simer that no one in the field could match. That led him to the overall championship. In second Place was Eric Hjortnes, who posted two consistent rounds; and in third, Eddie Breeden. In the Open Net Division, Rich Schmidt was the first place award winner, followed by Ernie Ernst and in third, Jeff Guerard.
In the Senior Division, Bert Coghill tried to make a run at Dave Brown’s excellent score on Friday, but fell short and finished with a 78 on day two, good enough for second place. Ken Holtz had a fine scoring day with a 79, but could not catch the leader, who posted a solid 80. So the final standings in the Senior Division were: Overall Champion, Dave Brown; second place, Bert Coghill; and in third place Chuck McMullin. In the Net Division, first place went to John Mabry, second to Ken Holtz, and third to Mark “Lars” Larson.
In the Super Senior Division, Dan Norstedt posted an outstanding 87 on day two to overtake the day one leader and to win the division. Frank Rosenzweig won the net.
Congratulations to all the participants. The Wisconsin Hickory Golfers would like to thank you for making it such a fun event. The highlight of the evening on Saturday before the awards dinner was a one-hour cruise around Green Lake on a perfect late summer evening.
We look forward to next year’s U.S. Hickory Open at Lawsonia on Sept. 22-24. The Heidel House will once again act as our host hotel and the Wisconsin Hickory Golfers as the host playing group. One last note of interest – we would like to congratulate Gary Trapani on being the winner of the Whistling Straits golf package. Gary’s name was drawn on Saturday night from all the entrants and earns himself and three friends a trip to Kohler, Wisc.
Steve Simer, left, with his Open Championship trophy, and Wisconsin hickory player Todd Stevenson.
Senior Division Champ Dave Brown, right, with event host Bill “Ernie” Ernst.
Super Senior Champ Dan Norstedt with event host Ernie Ernst, far right, and Ray De Roche, left.