Poe: Freed can join select company
By Barry Poe Journal sports writer | Posted: Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Dan Freed, who at 52 years of age seems to be in the prime of his golfing career, can join select company with a victory in the 95th Men's City Championship this weekend at Green Valley.
Freed, a former North High standout, has won the last two City tournaments and with a win would become only the fifth player in the long and storied history of this event to capture at least four titles.
The Hinton resident, who operates a construction firm, won his first City crown in 1988, before family commitments kept him from playing a full schedule of golf. Dan's sons, Adam and Nate, are accomplished players, while daughter Britni is a standout on the Hinton girls team.
Therefore, with their golf and other sports, the Freed family was kept pretty well occupied the last 18 years or so. However, since Dan began playing more, it's clear he hasn't lost a beat.
Freed won his second title two years ago, blowing away the field by 13 strokes. Then, last summer, he came from behind on Sunday, shooting a 3-under 33 over the final nine holes to overtake first-round leader Brian Barto of South Sioux City.
Barto had a three-shot lead heading into the deciding nine, but would up tied with Adam Fields for second, four shots behind Freed.
Should Freed become a four-time winner, he'd be the first since Bill Bailey to accomplish that feat. Bailey won the last of his four cities in 1994. Before that, the legendary Paul Sorensen captured his fifth in 1976, 10 years after he won No. 4.
"Sweet swingin" Gene Hagen became a four-time city champ in 1975 and was the last to do so since 1938, when Wally Krone won his fifth. Krone, by the way, was probably the most dominant player in the history of this event, winning all five of his championships from 1932-38.
The 95th city tournament, sponsored by Rick Collins Toyota-Scion, gets under way on Saturday. The entire field plays 18 holes on Saturday and Sunday, with the top half of the championship flight playing a final nine holes.
With the restructuring of three holes (12, 13, 14) at Green Valley, numerous tee boxes can be utilized for the championship flight, which plays from the gold tees. Tournament director Scott Harmelink said that, more than likely, Sunday's tee box on the par-4 12th will be moved up, which makes it a tantalizing shot for the big hitters to try and reach the green. A fairway bunker, situated on the right side of the fairway, will also come into play.
The par-3 13th will probably play as the normal 189 yards in one of the rounds, but could also be shifted up little making it a much more precise tee shot.
Fields, the runner-up last year and a Wayne State College linkster, recently won the Green Valley club championship in a four-hole playoff with Briar Cliff golfer Ben Keane. Fields and Keane lead a strong contingent of young players who will challenge for the championship.
"I just want to go out there and play and have fun," said Freed, who, by the way, knows his way around Green Valley pretty well. "You don't play against them, you just play the course."
Someday, and it will be very soon, Sergio Garcia will win his first major. But, for the moment, Padraig Harrington has established himself as the player to beat.
Harrington, the steely Irishman, made a couple of clutch putts down the stretch to win the PGA Championship on Sunday, his second major in a row and his third in the last six majors. Garcia, meanwhile, continued to struggle with the flat stick and was once again left wondering what if?
With Tiger Woods on the mend after knee surgery, Harrington has taken the bull by the horns, so to speak. There's nothing flashy about the way he plays, but he seems to hit all the key shots he needs to in clutch situations.
Somebody needs to step up and challenge Tiger, because it certainly hasn't happened. Although he's 36 years old, winning two majors in a row has to have boosted Harrington's confidence and he says he's already looking foward to The Masters in eight months.
Only time will tell if Padraig can be a threat to the guy who wears red on Sundays. But, by the looks of things, he's ready to make a statement.
With the likes of Harrington and Garcia on the roster, the Europeans must be considered heavy favorites to defeat the United States in the Ryder Cup next month.
Players who make the final nine holes in this weekend's City tournament are eligible to compete in the first Dakota Dunes Super Amateur on Sept. 20-21.
Championship flight qualifiers from the Tri-State Masters, as well as the top third of the field in the Interstate and championship flighters from the River-Cade, earned the right to compete in the first amateur tournament hosted by beautiful Dakota Dunes Country Club.
After Sunday, any available spots will be taken on a first come basis. Official registration forms will be accepted from Aug. 21 through the deadline of Sept. 16 for the final spot.
The field for the 36-hole event will be limited to 102 players. The entry fee is $189, which includes two rounds of golf, a cart and all prizes. In addition, one lucky player will win win a membership at Dakota Dunes, given away throug a raffle during the tournament.
Journal sports writer Barry Poe can be reached at (712) 293-4205, or e-mail barrypoe@siouxcityjournal.com
Freed, a former North High standout, has won the last two City tournaments and with a win would become only the fifth player in the long and storied history of this event to capture at least four titles.
The Hinton resident, who operates a construction firm, won his first City crown in 1988, before family commitments kept him from playing a full schedule of golf. Dan's sons, Adam and Nate, are accomplished players, while daughter Britni is a standout on the Hinton girls team.
Therefore, with their golf and other sports, the Freed family was kept pretty well occupied the last 18 years or so. However, since Dan began playing more, it's clear he hasn't lost a beat.
Freed won his second title two years ago, blowing away the field by 13 strokes. Then, last summer, he came from behind on Sunday, shooting a 3-under 33 over the final nine holes to overtake first-round leader Brian Barto of South Sioux City.
Barto had a three-shot lead heading into the deciding nine, but would up tied with Adam Fields for second, four shots behind Freed.
Should Freed become a four-time winner, he'd be the first since Bill Bailey to accomplish that feat. Bailey won the last of his four cities in 1994. Before that, the legendary Paul Sorensen captured his fifth in 1976, 10 years after he won No. 4.
"Sweet swingin" Gene Hagen became a four-time city champ in 1975 and was the last to do so since 1938, when Wally Krone won his fifth. Krone, by the way, was probably the most dominant player in the history of this event, winning all five of his championships from 1932-38.
The 95th city tournament, sponsored by Rick Collins Toyota-Scion, gets under way on Saturday. The entire field plays 18 holes on Saturday and Sunday, with the top half of the championship flight playing a final nine holes.
With the restructuring of three holes (12, 13, 14) at Green Valley, numerous tee boxes can be utilized for the championship flight, which plays from the gold tees. Tournament director Scott Harmelink said that, more than likely, Sunday's tee box on the par-4 12th will be moved up, which makes it a tantalizing shot for the big hitters to try and reach the green. A fairway bunker, situated on the right side of the fairway, will also come into play.
The par-3 13th will probably play as the normal 189 yards in one of the rounds, but could also be shifted up little making it a much more precise tee shot.
Fields, the runner-up last year and a Wayne State College linkster, recently won the Green Valley club championship in a four-hole playoff with Briar Cliff golfer Ben Keane. Fields and Keane lead a strong contingent of young players who will challenge for the championship.
"I just want to go out there and play and have fun," said Freed, who, by the way, knows his way around Green Valley pretty well. "You don't play against them, you just play the course."
Someday, and it will be very soon, Sergio Garcia will win his first major. But, for the moment, Padraig Harrington has established himself as the player to beat.
Harrington, the steely Irishman, made a couple of clutch putts down the stretch to win the PGA Championship on Sunday, his second major in a row and his third in the last six majors. Garcia, meanwhile, continued to struggle with the flat stick and was once again left wondering what if?
With Tiger Woods on the mend after knee surgery, Harrington has taken the bull by the horns, so to speak. There's nothing flashy about the way he plays, but he seems to hit all the key shots he needs to in clutch situations.
Somebody needs to step up and challenge Tiger, because it certainly hasn't happened. Although he's 36 years old, winning two majors in a row has to have boosted Harrington's confidence and he says he's already looking foward to The Masters in eight months.
Only time will tell if Padraig can be a threat to the guy who wears red on Sundays. But, by the looks of things, he's ready to make a statement.
With the likes of Harrington and Garcia on the roster, the Europeans must be considered heavy favorites to defeat the United States in the Ryder Cup next month.
Players who make the final nine holes in this weekend's City tournament are eligible to compete in the first Dakota Dunes Super Amateur on Sept. 20-21.
Championship flight qualifiers from the Tri-State Masters, as well as the top third of the field in the Interstate and championship flighters from the River-Cade, earned the right to compete in the first amateur tournament hosted by beautiful Dakota Dunes Country Club.
After Sunday, any available spots will be taken on a first come basis. Official registration forms will be accepted from Aug. 21 through the deadline of Sept. 16 for the final spot.
The field for the 36-hole event will be limited to 102 players. The entry fee is $189, which includes two rounds of golf, a cart and all prizes. In addition, one lucky player will win win a membership at Dakota Dunes, given away throug a raffle during the tournament.
Journal sports writer Barry Poe can be reached at (712) 293-4205, or e-mail barrypoe@siouxcityjournal.com
Story Comments
Read More and Post Comments 0 comment(s)
Please note: The following are comments from readers. In no way do they represent the views of The Sioux City Journal or Lee Enterprises. We will not edit or alter your comments, but we do reserve the right to not post or to remove comments that violate our code of conduct. No comment may contain potentially libelous statements; obscene, explicit or racist language; personal attacks, insults or threats. Terms of Service
