2006
23rd Annual
First Round & Final Round – The Links at Northfork Golf Club (Ramsey, MN) Par 72
The 2006 Riggs Open was played at the beautiful Links at Northfork in Ramsey, Minnesota this past weekend. The weather was perfect… High 70’s to Low 80’s and Sunny with low humidity!! It was a great weekend for golf. Leading up to this year’s tournament there was much more focus on making sure everyone’s Riggs Open Handicap was a true measure of their potential.
Brent and Scott Riggs went out and got a USGA Handicap and encouraged the rest of the players to do so as well… or at the very least keep track of your scores for the summer. It is safe to say that the handicaps were the most accurate they have ever been! It came down to a very close race in the tournament!
After Round 1 the clubhouse leader was Chad Thomas at –2 under his handicap. There were actually 11 players within 6 shots of the lead as we headed into Sunday!! Very tight race! The contenders were: Jim Taylor at –1, Kurt Bursey at Even, Doug Borsch at Even, and Gary Nagle at +1, John Bevans at +2, Craig Steen at +2, Fred Steen at +3, Mark Steen at +3, Mark Patterson at +4, and Brent Riggs at +4.
The Final Round saw those same 11 guys still within 6 shots of the lead as the players “made the turn” after 9 holes. It was anyone’s game. 11 guys were “feeling the pressure of being near the lead on the back nine of a major on Sunday”. It was a battle to see who could forge their way to the top on the difficult back nine at “The Links”.
By the time the final group made it to the 18th… it had come down to two players: Gary Nagle and Kurt Bursey. Nagle, who played the tournament at a handicap of 10, had posted a Net score of EVEN by shooting a gross score of 83 the first day along with a final round gross score of 81. Bursey had to “get it up and down” from the left-hand rough just short of the green to finish at a Net score of EVEN and tie Nagle. If he could do it… it would only be the 3rd ever Riggs Open Playoff. His chip found the green… about 15 feet away from the hole. As the whole gallery watched… he settled over his par putt, struck it, and just missed to the right. Bursey, who played at a 16 handicap, tapped in for a bogey and a final round gross score of 89. He shot a gross score of 88 on the first day and finished alone in 2nd place at NET +1. The title went to Gary Nagle… it was his 2nd career Riggs Open Championship!! Jim Taylor, who played at a handicap of 12, shot a gross score of 83 on Saturday and then shot a gross score of 88 on Sunday to put himself at NET +3 to finish alone in 3rd place.
2006 Champ, Gary Nagle
2006 RO (Final)
1. Gary Nagle (E) 83-81
2. Kurt Bursey (+1) 88-89
3. Jim Taylor (+3) 83-88
4. John Bevans (+4) 89-89
5. Mark Patterson (+5) 84-84
For 2006 Scores,