{"id":792941,"date":"2026-07-30T07:54:26","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T07:54:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/792941\/"},"modified":"2026-07-30T07:54:26","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T07:54:26","slug":"carson-skarperud-goes-way-low-to-win-birchmont-mens-division-medalist-convincingly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/792941\/","title":{"rendered":"Carson Skarperud goes way low to win Birchmont Men\u2019s Division medalist convincingly"},"content":{"rendered":"

BEMIDJI \u2014 Carson Skarperud took the drama out of Tuesday\u2019s Men\u2019s Division qualifying round quickly.<\/p>\n

The Grand Forks native and University of North Dakota men\u2019s golf junior carded a 4-under-par-68 on Monday to put himself in a comfortable position to qualify for the championship field at the 102nd Birchmont. Within his first three holes on Tuesday in his second round of qualifying, he led the field.<\/p>\n

What followed came as a surprise to most, including Skarperud. In tapping in his 7-foot putt on the 18th hole, he carded his seventh birdie to go with his eagle on No. 3 for a 9-under-par-63.<\/p>\n

He beat the rest of the field by at least six strokes with his head-turning two-day score of 131.<\/p>\n

Earlier this summer, Skarperud said he shot 9 under in a casual round.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t in a tournament,\u201d he said with a laugh, \u201cso it doesn\u2019t count.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was definitely the best round I\u2019ve had in one of these tournaments before. I haven\u2019t gone that low before, so it felt really good to do it today.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"080126.S.BP.BIRCHQUALIFYING<\/p>\n

Carson Skarperud putts on the 11th green during his second qualifying round in the Men\u2019s Division at the 102nd Birchmont Golf Tournament on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, at the Bemidji Town and Country Club.<\/p>\n

Jared Rubado \/ Bemidji Pioneer<\/p>\n

Skarperud birdied the first hole, then eagled the third. Two more birdies on Nos. 4 and 9 put him at 9 under for the tournament at the turn. Skarperud birdied the par-5 10th hole, then made birdies on three of the final five holes to pull away from North Dakota State\u2019s Joey Mackinac, who tried closing in on the lead all day before finishing in a tie for fifth with Jon Sauer (139).<\/p>\n

\u201cI kind of felt like the ball was just finding the hole on the putting greens,\u201d Skarperud said. \u201cI was hitting it well the past two days and the putts just kept falling. It was really nice. It definitely gives you a lot of confidence, but it doesn\u2019t matter anymore. The scores erase now that it\u2019s time for match play. The real deal is here.\u201d<\/p>\n

The runner-up finisher in the medalist hunt went to Jacob Skarperud, Carson\u2019s cousin, and UND teammate Carver Larson (137). In total, six members of the Skarperud family entered the Men\u2019s Division, including his dad, Tim, who finished in a tie for 13th with current and former Bemidji State men\u2019s golf team members Logan Schoepp and Teagan LaPlante.<\/p>\n

Chad Skarperud, Carson\u2019s uncle, also qualified with a two-day score of 147. Alex and Zach Skarperud, cousins of Carson, played but missed the championship cut.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur family has been coming here for many years,\u201d Carson said. \u201cIt\u2019s great to get all of the family and friends together for the whole week and just have a great time together playing golf. \u2026 As I get older, I realize that family comes first. They\u2019re all here, and we\u2019re all here for each other. It\u2019s fun to be around everybody and make good memories.\u201d<\/p>\n

As he walked up the 18th fairway, the remaining members of the Skarperud family clan at the Bemidji Town and Country Club on Tuesday evening were waiting behind the green.<\/p>\n

\"080126.S.BP.BIRCHQUALIFYING<\/p>\n

Carson Skarperud chips toward the 12th pin during his second qualifying round in the Men\u2019s Division at the 102nd Birchmont Golf Tournament on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, at the Bemidji Town and Country Club.<\/p>\n

Jared Rubado \/ Bemidji Pioneer<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it shows how fun this tournament is,\u201d Skarperud said. \u201cTo come up on 18 and see everybody, to see them supporting you and each other, having a good time, it\u2019s what this tournament is all about.\u201d<\/p>\n

If Carson outlasts the 31 other qualifiers this week, he will become a Birchmont champion for the first time. He nearly won the Pine to Palm tournament in 2022 as a high schooler out of Grand Forks Red River before he was eliminated in the semifinals.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s best to look back and learn from the things you want back in (previous tournaments),\u201d Skarperud said. \u201cI\u2019m going to tell myself to slow it down and play my game. The results will show.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to have to play well at the right times. It\u2019s just you versus another person now, so you have to control what you can control and take it one match at a time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Match play begins<\/p>\n

No playoff holes were required this year \u2014 Bemidji State\u2019s Cullen Ryan, Bemidji State hockey equipment manager Toby Palmiscno, 2026 Minnesota Class 3A state champion Jack Hagberg, 2025 Bemidji High School graduate Weston Seitz, 2024 BHS graduate Ryan Daman and UND\u2019s Landon Miller all tied for 26th in qualifying with scores of 148.<\/p>\n

Miller will take on the defending champion, Nate Peyerl, who also plays for UND. Peyerl didn\u2019t need to qualify as the reigning champ. Second-seeded Carson Skarperud draws Hagberg, while No. 3 Jacob Skarperud will play against Seitz. <\/p>\n

\"080126.S.BP.BIRCHQUALIFYING<\/p>\n

Brock Amundson hits out of the sand on the 12th hole during his second qualifying round in the Men\u2019s Division at the 102nd Birchmont Golf Tournament on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, at the Bemidji Town and Country Club.<\/p>\n

Jared Rubado \/ Bemidji Pioneer<\/p>\n

Brody Johnson, a 2026 graduate from East Grand Forks High School, tied for sixth in qualifying with Josh Bergrud. Concordia-Moorhead\u2019s Ryan Engel and NDSU\u2019s Carter White each shot scores of 141 to tie for eighth, while Jim Foss and three-time champion Nick Schaefer carded scores of 142.<\/p>\n

Brock Amundson and NDSU\u2019s Sean Moore tied for 16th at an even-par 144. Alex Barrett and Drew Gumlia tied for 18th at 1 over par, while Lucas Feterl, the runner-up in the medalist hunt a year ago, placed 20th at 2 over par.<\/p>\n

Along with Chad Skarperud, South Dakota State\u2019s Parker Brock, 2025 Junior 17U Division champion Koby Koerner, U-Mary\u2019s Evan Booth and former BSU player Matthew Gregg tied for 21st with scores of 147 to round out the qualifiers.<\/p>\n

Match play in the Men\u2019s Division will commence at 12:15 p.m. on Wednesday. <\/p>\n

Men’s Championship Division matchups<\/p>\n

No. 1 Nate Peyerl vs. No. 32 Landon Miller
No. 2 Carson Skarperud vs. No. 31 Jack Hagberg
No. 3 Jacob Skarperud vs. No. 30 Weston Seitz
No. 4 Carver Larson vs. No. 20 Toby Palmiscno
No. 5 Jon Sauer vs. No. 29 Cullen Ryan
No. 6 Joey Mackinac vs. No. 27 Ryan Daman
No. 7 Brody Johnson vs. No. 26 Chad Skarperud
No. 8 Josh Bergrud vs. No. 25 Evan Booth
No. 9 Carter White vs. No. 24 Matthew Gregg
No. 10 Ryan Engel vs. No. 23 Parker Brock
No. 11 Nick Schaefer vs. No. 22 Kolby Koerner
No. 12 Jim Foss vs. No. 21 Lucas Feterl
No. 13 Rylin Petry vs. No. 20 Drew Gumlia
No. 14 Teagan LaPlante vs. No. 19 Alex Barrett
No. 15. Tim Skarperud vs. No. 18 Brock Amundson
No. 16 Logan Schoepp vs. No. 17 Sean Moore<\/p>\n

\"080126.S.BP.BIRCHQUALIFYING<\/p>\n

Carver Larson reads the 10th green during his second qualifying round in the Men\u2019s Division at the 102nd Birchmont Golf Tournament on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, at the Bemidji Town and Country Club.<\/p>\n

Jared Rubado \/ Bemidji Pioneer<\/p>\n

\"080126.S.BP.BIRCHQUALIFYING<\/p>\n

Joey Mackinac putts on the 12th green during his second qualifying round in the Men\u2019s Division at the 102nd Birchmont Golf Tournament on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, at the Bemidji Town and Country Club.<\/p>\n

Jared Rubado \/ Bemidji Pioneer<\/p>\n

102nd Birchmont Golf Tournament Schedule<\/p>\n

Tuesday: Qualifying rounds for the Women\u2019s and Masters Divisions; second round of qualifying for Men\u2019s, Senior and Executive Divisions; match play begins for Junior 10-12 Division.<\/p>\n

Wednesday: Match play begins for all championship divisions. (Junior 10-12 Division do not play.)<\/p>\n

Thursday: Match play continues for all championship divisions. (Women\u2019s Regular, Masters Regular and Junior flights do not play.) Annual Long Drive Contest at 7 p.m.<\/p>\n

Friday: Match play continues for all divisions. (Junior Championship Division does not play.) Putting contest at 7 p.m.<\/p>\n

Saturday: Match play finals for all divisions. Award ceremony.<\/p>\n

\"080126.S.BP.BIRCHQUALIFYING<\/p>\n

Tony Carlin hits an approach shot on the 10th hole during his second qualifying round in the Men\u2019s Division at the 102nd Birchmont Golf Tournament on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, at the Bemidji Town and Country Club.<\/p>\n

Jared Rubado \/ Bemidji Pioneer<\/p>\n

\"080126.S.BP.BIRCHQUALIFYING<\/p>\n

Ryan Engel chips toward the 10th green during his second qualifying round in the Men\u2019s Division at the 102nd Birchmont Golf Tournament on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, at the Bemidji Town and Country Club.<\/p>\n

Jared Rubado \/ Bemidji Pioneer<\/p>\n

\"080126.S.BP.BIRCHQUALIFYING<\/p>\n

Logan Schoepp reads the 10th green during his second qualifying round in the Men\u2019s Division at the 102nd Birchmont Golf Tournament on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, at the Bemidji Town and Country Club.<\/p>\n

Jared Rubado \/ Bemidji Pioneer<\/p>\n

\"080126.S.BP.BIRCHQUALIFYING<\/p>\n

Josh Bergrud putts on the 10th green during his second qualifying round in the Men\u2019s Division at the 102nd Birchmont Golf Tournament on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, at the Bemidji Town and Country Club.<\/p>\n

Jared Rubado \/ Bemidji Pioneer<\/p>\n

\"080126.S.BP.BIRCHQUALIFYING<\/p>\n

Drew Gumlia tees off on the 11th hole during his second qualifying round in the Men\u2019s Division at the 102nd Birchmont Golf Tournament on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, at the Bemidji Town and Country Club.<\/p>\n

Jared Rubado \/ Bemidji Pioneer<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BEMIDJI \u2014 Carson Skarperud took the drama out of Tuesday\u2019s Men\u2019s Division qualifying round quickly. The Grand Forks…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":792942,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[71],"tags":[306314,336927,427,99],"class_list":["post-792941","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-golf","tag-bemidji","tag-birchmont-golf-tournament","tag-golf","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/792941","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=792941"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/792941\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/792942"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=792941"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=792941"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=792941"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}