FARGO — Around a year of planning to resurrect the Suite Shots Fargo-Moorhead All-City golf tournament will come to fruition this weekend. A champion will be crowned on Sunday for the first time since 2017.
It’s the result of a quest started by Village Green Golf Course assistant Randy DeBolt in Moorhead. The first two rounds in the match-play format will be at Village on Friday and Saturday and the conclusion on Sunday at Moorhead Country Club.
The last champion in ‘17 was Coy Papachek, which was the last of his three straight titles. The winner this year will be awarded the Dr. R.W. Pots Trophy, named after the first winner in 1931, as well as $700 cash prize.
“Just get it going,” DeBolt said.
The plan was to get the top four players from the eight 18-hole courses in the area for the 32-man championship flight. It didn’t quite work out that way with the tournament broken down to seven players from Village Green, six from Meadows, six from Rose Creek, five from Maple River, four from Moorhead Country Club, three from Edgewood and one from Oxbow. A pairings party Thursday night at Suite Shots in Fargo determined the matchups.
The Senior division has eight players with some notable golf accomplishments to their resume. Craig Palmer, for instance, is a former four-time All-City champion.
“We have good players in both divisions,” DeBolt said.
Papachek is one of six players to win at least three titles in the tournament history, joining Bill Kostelecky (1939, ‘40, ‘48, ‘52), Don Kirstofitz (1955, ‘59, ‘61), John Dahl (1967, ‘69, ‘73), Palmer (1976, ‘77, ‘88, ‘92) and Mike Podolak (1983, ‘84, ‘91).
DeBolt says he’s open to looking at a different weekend next year. The tourney this year worked around the Bobcat North Dakota Open, with the possibility of the All-City next year shifting prior to that, possibly in July.
Championship field
Scott Beckman, Maple RiveSkyler Belgarde, OxbowJeff Bernstrom, Village GreenCody Card, Village GreenAndy Carr, Maple RiverBrandon Eisenbeis, Rose CreekTim Fiechtner, Village GreenConnor Holland, Moorhead CCMike Holm, Moorhead CCCole Holzer, Maple RiverNathan Kapaun, Maple RiverMason Kennedy, Rose CreekMatthew Koster, Village GreenCarter Kretchman, Village GreenTom Kyllo, Rose CreekJohann Landman, EdgewoodDan Matheson, MeadowsAaron Melby, EdgewoodJim Mikkelson, Village GreenLance Olson, Rose CreekLogan Palmer, Moorhead CCAdam Parkinson, Maple RiverIan Powers, Rose CreekJon Ronquillo, Rose CreekAlex Schwab, MeadowsAndrew Seaver, Village GreenTaylor Schuck, Moorhead CJordan Siverson, Village GreeAlan Spriggs, Village GreenAustin Streifel, EdgewoodTrevor Swangler, Village GreenBen Welle, Meadows
Senior division
Mark Ecklund, Village GreenJim Johnson, Maple RiverBill Malone, Village GreenSteve Murdock, Village GreenJay Olafson, MeadowsCraig Palmer, Moorhead CCPerry Piatz, OxbowHenry Prien, Rose CreekDaniel Ystebo, Meadows
Jeff Kolpack, the son of a reporter and an English teacher, and the brother of a reporter, worked at the Jamestown Sun, Bismarck Tribune and since 1990 The Forum, where he’s covered North Dakota State athletics since 1995. He has covered all 10 of NDSU’s Division I FCS national football titles and has written four books: “Horns Up,” “North Dakota Tough,” “Covid Kids” and “They Caught Them Sleeping: How Dot Reinvented the Pretzel.” He is also the radio host of “The Golf Show with Jeff Kolpack” April through August.