GRIFFITH BURSTS ONTO THE SCENE

AT THE

2026 ST. PAUL OPEN

KELLER GOLF COURSE — ST. PAUL, MINN. — Major championship pressure has a way of revealing exactly where a player stands.

At the 2026 St. Paul Open, Matthew Foehse once again showed why he has become the man to beat in the Championship Flight. But while Foehse added another trophy to an already impressive season, the story at Keller Golf Course went well beyond the Championship Flight.

A newcomer announced himself with a victory in A Flight. Austin Ludeman made his move in B Flight. Steve Ellenson strengthened his grip on the C Flight points race. And Spencer White continued a late-season surge that suddenly makes D Flight considerably more interesting.

With 900 points available to each flight champion, the St. Paul Open wasn't simply another tournament on the schedule.

It was a major — and the points race felt it.

CHAMPIONSHIP FLIGHT —

FOEHSE KEEPS WINNING AGAINST HIMSELF WILL NO ONE CHALLENGE THIS ONE MAN WRECKING CREW???

Champion: Matthew Foehse — 71

There isn't much left to say about Matthew Foehse that his golf hasn't already said for him.

Foehse entered the St. Paul Open as the Championship Flight points leader and walked away with another championship, firing a 1-under-par 71 at Keller.

And with it came another massive 900-point payday.

Foehse's 2026 résumé continues to grow. After victories at the Battle for the Creek and Phalen Open, along with his win at The Wilds Invitational, Foehse arrived at Keller carrying the expectations that come with being the points leader.

He delivered again.

That's what separates a good season from a championship season.

Winning once is difficult.

Winning when everyone in your flight knows you're the player they're chasing is something entirely different.

The St. Paul Open victory gives Foehse another major piece of hardware and puts even more pressure on the rest of the Championship Flight as the season heads toward its final stretch.

The question is quickly becoming:

Can anybody slow Matthew Foehse down before Nationals?

A FLIGHT — WELCOME TO THE TOUR, NICK GRIFFITH

Champion: Nick Griffith — 79
2nd: Larry Caldwell — 79
3rd: Felix Scott — 78

If there was one result from Keller that should get the attention of every A Flight player, it was this one.

Nick Griffith has arrived.

One of the newcomers to the Minneapolis/St. Paul Tour stepped directly into a major championship and walked away with 900 points and the St. Paul Open title, defeating veteran Larry "OG" Caldwell after both finished at 79.

That's one way to introduce yourself.

Griffith didn't spend months working his way into contention. He walked into one of the biggest events on the schedule and immediately proved he belongs.

And he did it against two players who have been major factors in the 2026 points race.

Caldwell continues to play some of his best golf of the season. After victories at the Test at Troy Burne and Phalen Open, OG nearly added another trophy at Keller before settling for runner-up and 550 valuable points.

Then there's Felix Scott.

Scott entered this portion of the season as the A Flight points leader, and although the leaderboard shows a 78, he finished third in the event standings and collected 450 points.

That matters.

With Caldwell continuing to pile up points and Griffith suddenly inserting himself into the picture with a 900-point major victory, A Flight just became one of the most intriguing races on Tour.

Griffith may be new.

After Keller, nobody will be overlooking him.

B FLIGHT — LUDEMAN MAKES HIS MOVE

Champion: Austin Ludeman — 83
2nd: Dave Rojo — 83
3rd: Parker Huen — 85

Austin Ludeman has spent much of 2026 making noise in C Flight.

At Keller, he made even more in B Flight.

Ludeman posted an 83 and came away with the St. Paul Open championship over Dave Rojo, who also finished at 83.

The victory was worth 900 points, and it immediately makes Ludeman a player to watch in his new flight.

Ludeman already proved earlier this season that he knows how to win, including a victory at the Test at Troy Burne and another strong performance at The Wilds Invitational.

Now he's done it after moving into B Flight.

That's significant.

B Flight has been one of the deepest divisions on the Minneapolis/St. Paul Tour, with players such as Geoffrey Zahn, Matt Meyers, Dave Sewell and Tanner Lydon all spending time near the top of leaderboards this season.

At Keller, however, it was Ludeman who collected the biggest prize.

Rojo's runner-up finish earned him 550 points, while Parker Huen grabbed 450 points with an 85.

Points leader Geoffrey Zahn finished with an 88 and collected 270 points.

That creates exactly the kind of late-season situation every Tour wants:

The leader added points.

But the players chasing him added more.

C FLIGHT — ELLENSON ADDS ANOTHER 900

Champion: Steve Ellenson — 90
2nd: Jimmy Schomaker — 93
3rd: Victor Lucio — 93

If you're trying to catch Steve Ellenson in the C Flight points race, Keller didn't make the job any easier.

Ellenson entered the St. Paul Open already carrying one of the strongest points totals on the entire Minneapolis/St. Paul Tour.

Then he went out and added 900 more.

A round of 90 was enough to give Ellenson the St. Paul Open championship and another major victory in what has become an outstanding 2026 campaign.

Ellenson has been remarkably consistent throughout the season. Even when he hasn't won, he's found ways to stay on leaderboards and keep accumulating points.

At this stage of the season, that's exactly how points championships are won.

Jimmy Schomaker and Victor Lucio both finished at 93, earning second and third respectively, while Brad Dohmen also posted a 90 in a C Flight leaderboard that was tighter than the finishing positions might suggest.

But when the major points were handed out, Ellenson was once again standing on top.

The rest of C Flight is officially running out of opportunities to catch him.

D FLIGHT — SPENCER WHITE IS HEATING UP

Champion: Spencer White — 88
2nd: Jeremiah Niesen — 93
3rd: Dennis Dreelin — 93

A few weeks ago, Spencer White won the D Flight title at The Wilds Invitational with a 94.

At Keller?

He was six shots better.

White fired an 88 to win the St. Paul Open by five shots and collect another 900 points.

Two big victories in a short stretch can change an entire season.

And that's exactly what White is doing.

For much of 2026, Ted Chapman has controlled the D Flight points race. His consistency over the first ten events built a substantial advantage.

But late-season momentum matters.

White is now stacking victories at exactly the right time.

Jeremiah Niesen, visiting from the Tidewater Tour, and Dennis Dreelin both finished at 93, with Dreelin earning 450 points toward the Minneapolis/St. Paul standings.

But the story leaving Keller was White.

Back-to-back victories at The Wilds Invitational and St. Paul Open have transformed him from another name in the field into one of the players everyone in D Flight needs to watch.

THE POINTS RACES JUST GOT MORE INTERESTING

The St. Paul Open handed out some of the biggest point totals remaining on the 2026 schedule, and several players took full advantage.

Matthew Foehse strengthened an already commanding Championship Flight season.

Nick Griffith went from newcomer to major champion in A Flight almost immediately.

Austin Ludeman announced that his move into B Flight isn't going to slow him down.

Steve Ellenson added another 900 points to a season that already had him leading C Flight.

And Spencer White continued one of the hottest late-season runs on Tour.

For the established leaders, the equation is getting simple:

Keep finishing near the top.

For everyone chasing them?

It's getting close to must-win territory.

THE ROAD TO NATIONALS IS GETTING SHORTER

Early in the season, players can shrug off a bad round.

Not anymore.

Every tournament remaining on the schedule carries more weight. Every missed opportunity becomes harder to recover from. Every 900-point victory has the potential to completely reshape a flight.

And Keller provided another reminder of what makes the Golfweek Amateur Tour different.

You don't have to be the player everyone is talking about in April.

You don't have to lead the points race in June.

And, as Nick Griffith proved this weekend, you don't even have to have been around all season.

Show up.

Put your game on the line.

And beat the players standing in front of you.

That's tournament golf.

The 2026 Minneapolis/St. Paul Golfweek Amateur Tour is entering the stretch run.

The trophies are getting bigger.

The points are getting more valuable.

And the pressure is only going up.

Next stop: another chance to change the standings.