{"id":93925,"date":"2025-08-19T09:03:13","date_gmt":"2025-08-19T09:03:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/93925\/"},"modified":"2025-08-19T09:03:13","modified_gmt":"2025-08-19T09:03:13","slug":"new-and-old-faces-hoist-trophies-as-2025-pine-to-palm-champions-detroit-lakes-tribune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/93925\/","title":{"rendered":"New and old faces hoist trophies as 2025 Pine to Palm champions – Detroit Lakes Tribune"},"content":{"rendered":"

DETROIT LAKES<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Championship Sunday at the 93rd Pine to Palm Golf Tournament on Aug. 17 was nothing short of spectacular.<\/p>\n

From the windy, cloudy conditions to a couple of new faces etching their names into Pine to Palm history, the final day of the tournament was nothing short of a success.<\/p>\n

Rick Kuhn joins another legend with Senior title<\/p>\n

In 93 tournament, there are now only two golfers who have won a Championship and Senior division title \u2013 Jim Strandemo and now, Mandan, North Dakota\u2019s Rick Kuhn.<\/p>\n

\"S<\/p>\n

Mandan, North Dakota’s Rick Kuhn hits his ball out of the rough on Hole 6 during the Senior division championship match at the 93rd Pine to Palm Golf Tournament on Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025, at Detroit Country Club in Detroit Lakes. <\/p>\n

Nick Leonardelli \/ Detroit Lakes Tribune<\/p>\n

Kuhn defeated Detroit Lakes\u2019 Aaron Burnside 4-and-3 to claim his first Senior title and third overall Pine to Palm title. Kuhn sat back for a second, thought about the feeling of being a Senior champ and loved the sound of that.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s awesome,\u201d Kuhn said. \u201cAnytime you can win five straight matches, you’ve got to play some pretty good golf. I mean, you do. You can’t take a day off. You can’t take a round off. My game was pretty good this week.\u201d<\/p>\n

Burnside went up one after the first hole. Kuhn answered with a win on Hole 2 and took the 1-up lead with a birdie on Hole 5. After a Burnside win on Hole 8 to bring the match back to even, Kuhn secured another birdie on Hole 8 and brought the momentum to the turn.<\/p>\n

Kuhn brought a trio of birdies to start the back tilt, jumping up to a 4-up advantage. The pair matched each other’s scores over the final three holes before Burnside didn\u2019t have enough left to make a comeback.<\/p>\n

\"S1<\/p>\n

Detroit Lakes’ Aaron Burnside hits his approach shot on Hole 6 during the Senior division championship match at the 93rd Pine to Palm Golf Tournament on Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025, at Detroit Country Club in Detroit Lakes. <\/p>\n

Nick Leonardelli \/ Detroit Lakes Tribune<\/p>\n

\u201cI played great today,\u201d Kuhn said. \u201cI drove the ball extremely well. Today was by far the best I played. With that wind out there today, it was super hard. I just kept it in play all day and hit it on the greens for the most part. I think I missed one green in 15 holes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kuhn had a great time getting to know Burnside throughout their match. He only had high praise for the hometown kid.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe’s an awesome guy. He’s got a great game,\u201d Kuhn said. \u201cI look at him like I look at how I was playing in the Championship division. He’s very crafty. He knows the golf course. His short game is really good. He gets up and down from everywhere. He\u2019s got a lot of local knowledge, like I had, compared to the young kids. Now I’m the young kid in that Senior division playing against a little bit older guys, but only a little bit. But he’s a good guy. We had fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

At this year\u2019s tournament, Kuhn took time to recognize and appreciate all the people who volunteer their time to make the tournament one of a kind.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt truly amazes me what they put together out here,\u201d Kuhn said. \u201cIt’s such a good golf tournament because of the people that run it. Because of the kids that are the ball spotters, the people running the ball spotters out there, guys like you that are out here every day covering the golf tournament and the people that come play in it. There aren’t many golf tournaments that have 500 participants, and we do it because of everything that I said before. It’s the tournament itself. It’s wonderful. It’s a great week, best week of the summer.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"S<\/p>\n

Mandan, North Dakota’s Rick Kuhn hits his ball out of the rough on Hole 1 during the Senior division championship match at the 93rd Pine to Palm Golf Tournament on Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025, at Detroit Country Club in Detroit Lakes. <\/p>\n

Nick Leonardelli \/ Detroit Lakes Tribune<\/p>\n

Leland Petersen stays atop Legends division<\/p>\n

The Legends division was implemented last year for golfers 75 years old and above a chance at playing competitive golf once again. For most of the week, they were testing their talents across the street at Lakeview. But on Sunday, they teed off the championship matches at DCC.<\/p>\n

And for another year, Fargo\u2019s Leland Petersen took the crown, defeating Detroit Lakes\u2019 Doug Gillam on the 19th hole.<\/p>\n

\"L1<\/p>\n

Fargo’s Leland Petersen hits his approach shot on Hole 6 during the Legends division championship match at the 93rd Pine to Palm Golf Tournament on Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025, at Detroit Country Club in Detroit Lakes. <\/p>\n

Nick Leonardelli \/ Detroit Lakes Tribune<\/p>\n

\u201cI putted well and had my wedges go the right distances,\u201d Petersen said. \u201cIt was tough managing the ball not going off the green. You had to be very conscious of pin positions, and they were all diabolical. So landing the ball short and rolling it up and having a longer put was much more preferred to going for the jar unless you’re Josh Persons, who doesn’t seem to have any problem with that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Petersen had a 2-up lead after the front nine. Gillam went on to win the back nine with consecutive wins on Holes 14, 15, and 16. On the 18th and final hole, Petersen sank a birdie, defending his Legends title.<\/p>\n

Petersen enjoyed playing with Gillam, who had been a Pine to Palm regular over the years. He was one of two 1969 Championship division medalists. Gillam won the Super Senior division 9n 2017, a year after he was the runner-up.<\/p>\n

\u201cDoug is gritty and just hangs in there all the time,\u201d Petersen said. He\u2019s a great player and a super wedge player who hits solid drives. There’s nothing wrong with his game at all. He’s a stud. He’s won a lot out here, too, in the Pine to Palm.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"L1<\/p>\n

Detroit Lakes’ Doug Gillam hits his second shot on Hole 7 during the Legends division championship match at the 93rd Pine to Palm Golf Tournament on Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025, at Detroit Country Club in Detroit Lakes. <\/p>\n

Nick Leonardelli \/ Detroit Lakes Tribune<\/p>\n

There\u2019s nothing like playing meaningful golf at Petersen\u2019s age of 76. He had been a competitor all his life and for Pine to Palm to give these Legends a chance to compete for something meant alot to him and the other Legends participants.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’ve had some success in wrestling as a national champion,\u201d Petersen said. \u201cBut to be able to compete in golf against your peers and still stay and be healthy and know that there’s a goal of winning something again. Winning in life is more important, but winning out here on the golf course is fun, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bekkerus brings down a previous champion<\/p>\n

The Mid-Am division was the last group on the course on Sunday. Detroit Lakes\u2019 Matt Bekkerus and Oxbow, Minnesota\u2019s Tyler Nelson were locked into a heated battle as no one gained more than a 1-up lead.<\/p>\n

\"MA1<\/p>\n

Detroit Lakes’ Matt Bekkerus (left) and Oxbow, North Dakota’s Tyler Nelson have fun as they wait to tee off on Hole 6 during the Mid-Am division championship match at the 93rd Pine to Palm Golf Tournament on Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025, at Detroit Country Club in Detroit Lakes. <\/p>\n

Nick Leonardelli \/ Detroit Lakes Tribune<\/p>\n

Entering the 18th hole, Bekkerus and Nelson had tied on the previous three. But with one putt, Bekkerus secured his first-ever Mid-Am title, defeating the 2020 champ and 2025 medalist.<\/p>\n

\u201cUndescribable, to be honest with you,\u201d Bekkerus said about how it felt to be a Pine to Palm champion. \u201cBeen chasing it for a long time. Second year in mid-am, it was tough to give up the Championship dream, but this is pretty sweet.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bekkerus had one goal in mind today: keep the ball within the lines as the weather conditions weren\u2019t very kind.<\/p>\n

\"MA1<\/p>\n

Detroit Lakes’ Matt Bekkerus watches his tee shot on Hole 6 during the Mid-Am division championship match at the 93rd Pine to Palm Golf Tournament on Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025, at Detroit Country Club in Detroit Lakes. <\/p>\n

Nick Leonardelli \/ Detroit Lakes Tribune<\/p>\n

\u201cJust trying to keep it in play today,\u201d Bekkeras said. \u201cThe wind was really strong out there. It was playing really tough. Just trying to get it in the fairway, get it on the green, and two-putt for par, pretty much. It was playing really tough today.\u201d<\/p>\n

The whole week was filled with fun and the Bekkerus clan. He was happy to spend time with everyone he loved. And bringing home a trophy made it all worthwhile.<\/p>\n

\u201cFavorite part of the Pine of Palm was having all my family, my brother from out east, my mom, my dad, my girlfriend, her parents here,\u201d Bekkerus said with a smile. \u201cJust everybody here was a very special week, having all the family following along. It was very nice.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"MA<\/p>\n

Oxbow, North Dakota’s Tyler Nelson holds his follow-through on his approach shot on Hole 1 during the Mid-Am division championship match at the 93rd Pine to Palm Golf Tournament on Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025, at Detroit Country Club in Detroit Lakes. <\/p>\n

Nick Leonardelli \/ Detroit Lakes Tribune<\/p>\n

Haslerud takes down Campbell in Super Senior division<\/p>\n

The two years in the Super Senior finale had been a Mike and Steve family affair, with Mike taking home back-to-back titles. This year, the fight for the title was between New Port Richey, Florida\u2019s David Haslerud and Fargo\u2019s Bill Campbell.<\/p>\n

Only needing 15 holes, Haslerud secured his first Super Senior crown, marking him the ninth different champion since the division was added in 2010.<\/p>\n

\"SS<\/p>\n

New Port Richey, Florida’s David Haslerud reads the green on Hole 1 during the Super Senior championship match at the 93rd Pine to Palm Golf Tournament on Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025, at Detroit Country Club in Detroit Lakes. <\/p>\n

Nick Leonardelli \/ Detroit Lakes Tribune<\/p>\n

\u201cIt feels really good,\u201d Haslerud said about winning his first title. \u201cEverybody’s fantastic. Everybody’s supportive. I played the defending champ yesterday, Mike Herzog. What a fantastic gentleman, as golf is. I’m just proud and blessed to be a part of this, really.\u201d<\/p>\n

Haslerud won seven of the 15 holes played. Campbell stayed within reach early, never allowing Haslerud more than a 2-up lead. But with wins on Holes 10 and 11, Haslerud rode the way to victory.<\/p>\n

\u201cBill is just a great player,\u201d Haslerud said of his opponent. \u201cI played with him yesterday, and he was rock solid. He had a couple of unfortunate breaks today on bad lies and things like that. So I think I got a little bit of a break in that sense. But what a wonderful player. He’s fantastic off the tee, so I feel fortunate to come out ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"SS1<\/p>\n

Fargo’s Bill Campbell hits his tee shot on Hole 7 during the Super Senior division championship match at the 93rd Pine to Palm Golf Tournament on Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025, at Detroit Country Club in Detroit Lakes. <\/p>\n

Nick Leonardelli \/ Detroit Lakes Tribune<\/p>\n

Haslerud\u2019s favorite part of the whole week experience was the reunion with all the amazing golfers and Pine to Palm fans that make the seven days ever so special year in and year out.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeeing a lot of familiar faces, catching up with people,\u201d Haslerud said. \u201cI can’t say their family, but it’s fun just to reacquaint with the people that you’ve known over the years.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"SS1<\/p>\n

New Port Richey, Florida’s David Haslerud (blue) talks with Fargo’s Bill Campbell between holes during their Super Senior championship match at the 93rd Pine to Palm Golf Tournament on Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025, at Detroit Country Club in Detroit Lakes. <\/p>\n

Nick Leonardelli \/ Detroit Lakes Tribune<\/p>\n

For complete results, visit\u00a0<\/p>\n

pinetopalm92.golfgenius.com<\/a><\/p>\n

. Use code P2P on the Golf Genius app. 2025 Pine to Palm coverage can be found at\u00a0<\/p>\n

dl-online.com<\/a><\/p>\n

under the <\/p>\n

Pine to Palm<\/a><\/p>\n

tab and on X.com <\/p>\n

@NickLSports<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"DETROIT LAKES \u2014 Championship Sunday at the 93rd Pine to Palm Golf Tournament on Aug. 17 was nothing…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":93926,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[71],"tags":[32743,63778,63779,18902,55258,427,24787,55260,55261,99],"class_list":["post-93925","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-golf","tag-32743","tag-2025-pine-to-palm-championship-matches-on-sunday","tag-93rd-pine-to-palm-golf-tournament","tag-aug","tag-detroit-country-club","tag-golf","tag-golf-tournament","tag-pine-to-palm","tag-resorters-golf","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93925","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=93925"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93925\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/93926"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=93925"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=93925"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=93925"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}