July 20, 2018 at 5:08 p.m.
Zimmerman looks to parlay MCC internship into State Am success
Zimmerman looks to parlay MCC internship into State Am success
Don't let that fool you. Zimmerman will come into the Wisconsin State Amateur, sponsored by West Bend Mutual, with more local knowledge than almost any other player in the field.
That's because Zimmerman, 21, has spent this summer as a pro shop assistant at Minocqua Country Club and has become intimately familiar with the par-72 Ron Garl track that will test the state's best this coming week.
Zimmerman wants to have a career in the golf industry, and is attending a technical school in southern Wisconsin to pursue those dreams. When an internship became available this summer at Minocqua Country Club, he leapt at the opportunity.
"Having my opportunity to do my internship here at Minocqua Country Club was pretty special to me. I have family up in Boulder Junction (approximately 25 minutes north of Minocqua), so I've been up in the area before," Zimmerman said. "Mitchell (Steiner) got a job here and we've been best friends for about 7-8 years. We wanted to work together this summer. We both got in here, and have fallen in love with the place."
But to play in the first State Am held in the Northwoods, Zimmerman first had to qualify for the field of 162, which proved to be easier said than done.
He took his sticks over to crosstown Timber Ridge Golf Club for one of nine qualifying events held throughout the state and finished in a four-way tie for eighth with a 5-over par round of 77. With only eight qualifying berths and two alternate spots available in the event, Zimmerman had to fight his way through a four-man playoff for the lone remaining automatic berth into the tournament.
"I got off to a really poor start that day, I was 4-over through three holes, had to kind of find myself mentally," Zimmerman said. "I finished 1-over for (the final) 14. Then, in the playoff, that was pretty nerve-wracking but a couple of pars, simple game."
Steiner, Zimmerman's friend and another pro shop assistant at Minocqua Country Club, shot 79 in the Timber Ridge qualifier and missed the playoff by two strokes.
Since qualifying, Zimmerman's been working on his game with club pro Dave Kemnitz and sneaking out on to the course to practice whenever the opportunity presents itself, which he hopes will give him a leg up on the competition this week.
"It's nice getting used to the slope of the greens, where to miss your tee shots, where to miss your approaches to the greens," he said. "Just having that background on the course is going to help once the tournament starts.
"It's pretty much a dream come true. It's the perfect venue to have a tournament, with the history behind it like the State Am. I think the players that come up will be pretty impressed with the course."
This isn't Zimmerman's first experience in a big event. He was a three-time qualifier for the WIAA Division 3 state golf tournament at Cuba City High School, placing fourth overall in the event as a senior in 2015.
He also qualified for last year's State Am in Oconomowoc but failed to make the 36-hole cut after shooting 83 in the second round.
Improving upon that performance is on Zimmerman's mind this week.
"Having this as your home course, you've got to set your expectations pretty high," Zimmerman said, looking ahead. "Obviously, the players in the field are amazing players. It will be tough but making the cut is definitely the goal and then, from there, start thinking about top 15, top 20. If I play well, I play well."
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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