Caleb VanArragon (Minnesota Golf Association Photo)
Caleb VanArragon is on fire.
The amateur from Blaine, Minn., is coming off a nine shot victory at the
Minnesota Open after finishing the two round tournament at 13-under par.
This week at the MGA Amateur Championship, it is hard to believe VanArragon even started at even par with the rest of the field.
Behind rounds of 66-62-65, VanArragon shot a stunning 23-under par and beat the field by 12 shots. That is not a typo. 12 shots.
He broke the record low aggregate score and score in relation to par in championship history by eight shots with a three day total of 193, 23-under par.
As we keep the insane stats coming, he played the first hole at 5 under through the first two days (he made a shocking par on day three). VanArragon started his tournament in the best way possible, making an albatross on his very first hole on the tournament. Standing on the second tee on the first day, he was 3-under.
VanArragon also did not make a bogey in his final two rounds. He totaled 13 birdies and two eagles in the final two rounds and 19 birdies, two eagles, an albatross and three bogeys for the tournament.
The lowest round any golfer not named Caleb VanArragon shot was a 66. VanArragon shot 66 or lower all three of his rounds.
Bryce Hanstad of Edina, Minn., finished in second place at 11-under par after rounds of 69-67-69. Hanstad had a great week, but VanArragon's legendary performance kept him at arms length the whole time.
Nate Stevens of Northfield, Minn., and Ben Warian of Stillwater, Minn., finished T3 at 9-under par.
A lot of his stats from these last three days don't feel real, but the game that VanArragon has right now is very much real.
VanArragon 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.
Open to all amateur golfers who are MGA Associate (GHIN) Members and who have a Handicap Index® of 6.4 or less. 54-holes, stroke play with a cut to the low 60 and ties after 36 holes. The starting field of 156 players is made up of exempt players and qualifiers from the 11 state-level qualifying sites.
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