On a hot streak: Caleb VanArragon leading Minnesota State Am by 8 shots
Caleb VanArragon at the Minnesota Open (MGA photo)
To find the hottest players in amateur golf, you have to look beyond the big national events. Just ask Three-time Maine Amateur champion Caleb Manuel (he picked up his third-straight title last week) or another guy with the same first name, Caleb VanArragon of Blaine, Minnesota.
At the
Minnesota Open last week, VanArragon left the pros, and fellow amateurs in his wake with final rounds of 65-64 and a 13-under total -- good for a 9-shot victory.
Evidently he's still in the zone.
Today at Minneapolis Golf Club, VanArragon fired 62, carding two eagles. His second one came during a span of six holes he played in 7-under on the back nine. But get this.
Yesterday, VanArragon made an albatross on the first hole, a 474-yard par 5 that was one of his two eagles today. Playing a hole in 5-under in two days? We're pretty sure that ties a record, if it doesn't set one.
VanArragon will take an 8-shot lead into the final round. He seems to be following the same strategy he had in the Minnesota Open, when he said:
“I wanted to do what I could to put myself in the best position instead of trying to win the tournament,” he said. “The two state tournaments I won as a junior were both really close, so I’ve never had a big lead like that. It was a completely different experience for me, and I definitely didn’t feel comfortable knowing who was behind me.”
Van Arragon is a two time Minn. Golf Association player of the year. During his first four seasons at Valparaiso, he has collected three collegiate wins, more than 15 top-5 finishes and nearly 30 top-10s.
As a freshman he shattered the single-season scoring record and has since beaten it twice. The former Blaine High School standout will return for a fifth season this fall.
ABOUT THE Minnesota Amateur
In 1901, the first Amateur Championship
concluded the MGA's inaugural meeting at
the
Meadow Brook Club in Winona. Thus, the
MGA
began a tradition that has carried into the
present day. The MGA Amateur is now one
of
the largest golfing events in the state.
Nearly
900 people enter the championship every
year.
It takes more than a dozen qualifying
sites
around the state to accommodate the
competitors. 54 hole stroke play championship.
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