Shakopee Golfer to Represent Minnesota at Upcoming USGA Men's Championship

Shakopee amateur golfer Jesse Larson, 37, has been selected as one of three golfers to represent Minnesota at the upcoming USGA Men’s State Team Championship, Sept. 19-21, at the Galloway National Golf Club, in Galloway, NJ.

Amateur golfers Matt Schneider of Cohasset, MN, and Andy Jacobson of Willmar, MN, were also selected to participate.

Players are selected based primarily on their performance over the 2011-12 golf seasons. A select committee of the leadership of allied player organizations, including the men and women’s amateur golf associations, met recently to select the team roster.   

Larson has collected 220 player points so far this season, thanks to reaching the final match at the Mid-Players’ Championship (before losing to Sammy Schmitz), a strong finish at the MGA Amateur Championship (T5th) and for reaching the round of 32 at the MGA Players’.  

“We’re excited about the teams’ collective competitive experience and believe they’ll be great representatives of Minnesota golf,” said Rick Soskin, past president of the MGA. Earlier this summer, Soskin, 56, of Minnetonka, was selected to captain the 2012 Minnesota’s men’s state team.

The USGA State Team Championship is a biennial event in which each state is represented by non-collegiate, amateur golfers. The men’s and women’s state team championships are held in even- and odd-numbered years, respectively. Team scores are based on the best two-of-three stroke-play scores from each day.

Minnesota enjoys a distinguished history with the relatively new USGA championship, with the men’s team having won twice and finishing tied for second over a five-year run (1997-2001). 

The USGA is the national governing body of golf in the USA and Mexico, and conducts 13 national championships, including the U.S. Open, U.S. Women’s Open and U.S. Senior Open.