The final 36 holes of the Wisconsin State Open began Wednesday with three players tied at the top of the leaderboard. As the day went on, the crowds grew tighter. Five players shared the lead over the first 18 holes, and by late afternoon, four players shared the lead over the final 18 holes.
The jockeying continued as the sun went down until Max Lyons of Marquette University finally shook off a host of opponents to win the 104th running of the championship at Minocqua Country Club in Minocqua.
Lyons, an Arizona native, won the event as an amateur before beginning his final season with the Golden Eagles. He is the reigning Big East Player of the Year and a two-time All-Big East first-team member.
Results: 104th Wisconsin State Open
Lyons emerged victorious by shooting a solid 5-under-par 67 in the afternoon after a 2-under-par 70 in the morning. He won with a total of 16 under par, beating a strong field of challengers.
Including the trio of golfers who began the day in the lead – Lyons and pros Zach Place and Sam Weatherhead – six other players shared the lead over the course of the final rounds on Wednesday.
George Kneiser, a professional from Oconomowoc, set the pace by finishing his day at 14 under par to grab the early clubhouse lead – giving players in the final groups a number to chase on their final holes. Kneiser shot two 67s on Thursday to climb the leaderboard after starting the day five shots behind.
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Kneiser was focused on the leaderboard, as he was tied with Cameron Huss of Kenosha, Zach Burry of Appleton and professional Tyler Leach of Spring Valley. But Huss and Burry still had five holes to go, Leach still had six.
It was just a question of who would win the tournament.
At times it seemed as if Huss, a graduate of the University of Wisconsin, would be the right choice, but he let Eagles on first and eleventhth holes with bogeys. He managed a birdie on the 14thth and took the sole lead with 15 under par, but made a bogey on the 16th.th to fall back into the midfield. Huss wanted to build on his amateur victory from last year and get his first as a professional.
While Huss, Burry and Leach played up and down rounds, Lyons finished cleanly with three birdies in a row and a score of 5 under par and 31 strokes on his back nine holes, reaching an average of 16 under par, which only Huss could catch at that point.
Huss should have played 2 under par on his last two holes and finished the match 1 over par.
This left Kneiser in sole second place with 14 strokes under par.
Professional and former Badgers player Griffin Barela of Lakewood, Colorado, also shot a new record in the final round, shooting 63, including 10 birdies and a bogey. It was the lowest round of the tournament – and a course record – and put him in third place at 13 under par, tied with Leach and Huss.
Professionals Harrison Ott (Brookfield) and Aidan Lafferty (Downers Grove, Illinois) finished sixth at 12 under par, along with amateurs Drake Wilcox (Sheboygan) and Ross Thomson (Madison).
Weatherhead (Hartford) finished alone in 10th place.th at 11 under par.
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