2003 Hastings graduate Joe Conzemius found himself in familiar territory on June 19th when he took to the links at Hastings Golf Club for the 46th Minnesota Golf Association’s (MGA) Players Championship. Conzemius held off Bryce Hanstad to win the event by one stroke.
During Monday’s qualifying round, Conzemius carded five birdies and two eagles on his former home course enroute to a nine under 63 despite unforgiving weather that forced the tournament to switch to a shotgun start. Conzemius started on hole four and played 12 holes to be three under before sinking his first eagle of the day, moving to five under.
Back-to-back birdies extended his lead to seven under and he extended that even further in inclement weather on his final hole, the par five hole three. Conzemius dropped a three-foot putt for eagle and finished the round bogey free to end at nine under.
The win gave him the top spot for the final round on Wednesday where he finished three under with a 69. At 39, Conzemius is the oldest player to win the championship since 1995 when Joe Stansberry won it, also at age 39.
Hanstad and Conzemius traded shots all day long and were tied through nine holes until Conzemius two-putted for birdie on the 10th hole which gave him the lead for good. He followed the birdie up with another birdie, this time he dropped a 30-footer to go up by two.
Hanstad did take advantage of one single mistake by Conzemius, a bogey on the thirteenth hole that brought Hanstad within one. On the 15th, Conzemius countered with a 10-foot birdie putt and held off Hanstad’s late charge to win the MGA State Championship for 2024, his fourth title win.