Amateur Jon DuToit Wins Minnesota State Open

Amateur Jon DuToit Wins Minnesota State Open

Amateur Jon DuToit claimed his spot on the leaderboard early by making birdies on four out of the first five holes during the final round of the Minnesota State Open.

The 20-year old University of Minnesota sophomore and Minnesota alumnus Clayton Rask were neck and neck during the final nine holes of the tournament. Rask, 2010 State Open champion, made birdie on the 10^th hole, putting him up by two. On the 11^th, Rask made double bogey, but rebounded with a shot out of the bunker and a subsequent tap in for birdie on 12, putting him back up by one. On the 14^th, DuToit missed an opportunity to take the lead with a soft shot out of the bunker and both players would make bogey. With Rask leading by two, DuToit made birdie on the par 3, 16^th to close to one behind Rask going into the final hole.

After missing his approach shot, Rask was unable to get up and down to save par, falling back to a tie at 8 under par. Amateur, Sammy Schmitz (Valleywood GC), would then make a stellar putt for birdie, creating a three way tie at 8 under, bringing the tournament to sudden death.

On the first playoff hole, Rask found trouble in the sand while DuToit made his way to the green after sticking a 172-yard, 8-iron to within 10-feet.

“I was very nervous,” recalled DuToit. “Standing up on the tee I hit a good one in regulation to kind of give me some confidence to go back to and hit a good one right down the right side. I don’t really remember anything after that.”

With ease, DuToit made the putt for birdie, capturing the 2013 State Open title.

“I didn’t really expect to win,” said DuToit. “I was in a good position after the second round, so it was nice to come out and play well and just see what happens.”

DuToit as an amateur wins $750 in golf shop credit. Rask, the low professional earned $8,500.

The Minnesota Section PGA consists of PGA Professionals who are experts in the game and business of golf. Our mission is to promote the enjoyment and involvement of the game of golf and to contribute to its growth by providing services to golf professionals, the golf industry, people who play golf or would like to start playing golf. PGA Section Offices oversee the 41 geographic regions throughout the United States and provide the grass-roots network for the nation’s 25 million amateur golfers and with the PGA’s 27,000 members.