Mitchell golf tournament kicks off today: Four repeat winners hoping to add another title

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Mitchell’s best golfers, including last year’s champion Eric Hieb, will tee off today at Wild Oak Golf Course in Mitchell with the hopes of being the next city tournament champion.

The annual two-day event, which has been held each year since 1965, begins at 8 a.m. today and wraps up Sunday with the final round taking place at Lakeview Golf Course.

Lakeview Golf Course Manager Dan Sabers said the tournament usually hosts 45 to 60 players.

Pairings for the first round can be chosen by the players or randomly given out. Before the second round, the tee times are setup with the lowest scorers teeing off last.

Two champions are crowned with a men’s division and a senior’s division.

Four players with multiple city titles will be shooting for another this weekend.

Denny Rolfes, a four-time winner of the event, is competing in his second year in the senior’s division. Last year Rolfes’ score tied for first, but Dave Fridlay was named the winner.

Other repeat winners include Eric Hieb, Jeff Meyerink and Adam Anderson. Hieb won last year’s championship and tied a record-low score for the event, finishing with a two-day total of 137.

“This tournament is one that everybody looks forward to playing in every year,” said Hieb, who finished his final year of collegiate golf at Augustana in Sioux Falls in the spring.

Hieb said most of the competitors play rounds with each other throughout the summer and the city tournament is a friendly competition.

“The nerves are kind of down,” he said, “but they’re still up because you’re playing for a city tournament.”

Anderson, who’s the Dakota Wesleyan University head coach golf coach, likes the high level of competition that the city tournament brings.

“We have a lot of good players in the city of Mitchell,” he said. “If you win the city tournament, that’s a good accomplishment that you should be proud of.”

The winners of the tournament receive gift certificates for the two courses as well as a traveling trophy.

Hieb has the trophy at his house and won’t be too upset if he has to give it up this year as long as he doesn’t make mistakes to cause him to beat himself.

“I’m going to go out and play my game,” he said. “If somebody else beats me, then I’m alright with that as long as I play well.”

Tags: sports, updates, golf