AJ Allmendinger joins impressive NASCAR Truck field for Watkins Glen
AJ Allmendinger joins impressive NASCAR Truck field for Watkins Glen next weekend.
Tim Peterson, 61, won the SOS Founders Cup in California, showcasing his consistency with rounds of 71-71-69. This victory elevated him into the top 20 of Golfweek’s National Senior Amateur Rankings.
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Tim Peterson has a fantastic recall for the times that he has reached what he calls the pinnacle of the sport. Peterson, 61, of Forest Lake, Minnesota, has played his way into five USGA championships in his life. He rattles off years and venues easily.
“You qualify only so many times, and it kind of gets embedded in your memory,” Peterson said of those two U.S. Mid-Amateur and three U.S. Senior Amateur starts. (He reached the Round of 16 at the U.S. Senior Am in 2021).
Sometimes that sharp golf mind is a hurdle to climb. When things are going well on the golf course, the calculations begin. We can all relate.
On April 16, Peterson, however, felt that he was able to approach the mental side of the game in a way that kept him from getting ahead of himself. Playing in the SOS Founders Cup at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California, Peterson posted rounds of 71-71-69, found himself tied with Bryan Hoops and won in a playoff.
The victory, combined with recent top-15 finishes in the SOS Spring Classic and the Golfweek Pirates’ Cup, helped move him 23 spots up Golfweek’s National Senior Amateur Rankings and into the top 20. Peterson is Golfweek’s Senior Player of the Month for April.
“I tried not to think too far ahead and just think of the shot at hand and what I could do with that,” he said. “Of course that doesn’t always work – you get a good round going, you’re always thinking about, ‘Well gee, this is going pretty good. What’s this going to wind up to be?’
“Every time I had those thoughts I was able to bring it back to the next shot – did probably a better job of that than normal.”
Tim Peterson is Golfweek’s Senior Player of the Month for April.
Peterson still works full-time as a chemical engineer for Kindeva Drug Delivery, a pharmaceutical products wholesaler. Going head-to-head with Hoops, who is the top-ranked player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking aged 55 and over, gave him a helpful gauge for where his game stands.
“It was nice to see that measuring stick and actually have a week where I was able to put together some consistent rounds, which is something that doesn’t happen for me with great frequency, so that was fun,” Peterson said.
Peterson is largely self-taught, having had “maybe two lessons in my life.” He jokes that that’s obvious to anyone who watches his swing. But while it may not be a thing of beauty, it is effective.
Tim Peterson won the SOS Founders Cup with rounds of 71-71-69, securing victory in a playoff.
His recent performances, including a win and top-15 finishes, moved him 23 spots up to the top 20 in Golfweek’s National Senior Amateur Rankings.
Tim Peterson is 61 years old and hails from Forest Lake, Minnesota.
Tim Peterson has participated in five USGA championships throughout his career.
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“I try and understand what I can about it and it’s kind of, it’s what my body allows and that’s how I swing the club so I just try and work with it,” he said.
Peterson, a Minnesota native, played for the Gophers in the mid-1980s and remained in the game throughout his mid-life as he went to work for 3M for many years. The USGA starts he made came through one-day qualifiers – Peterson is not yet in a place in his life where he can play frequently enough to climb the WAGR to a possible exemption into those events.
At home at Forest Hills Golf Club, however, Peterson is a known commodity. He has spent his life playing the course and it is a place where his prowess exceeds his recall for details. Peterson has lost count of the number of club championships he has won – with an exception.
Tim Peterson is Golfweek’s Senior Player of the Month for April.
Peterson is the defending club champion, something he is proud of considering his latest title came at the age of 61 in an open field.
“Thought that was pretty good to take on the younger guys,” he said.
Peterson remains active on the Minnesota Golf Association circuit and has partnered with former University of Minnesota teammate John Brellenthin to win the Minnesota Senior Four-Ball the past four years.
“This year we’ll be going for our fifth in a row and it’s actually at my home course so a little bit of added pressure there,” Peterson said.
If, when teamed with Brellenthin, he can channel the consistency and short memory he found in the desert, No. 5 seems likely.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Player of the Month: Tim Peterson's desert victory a lesson in consistency, calm