The Season is Underway!

The MGA Tournament Season is underway with the first of two US Open Local Qualifying events at Bunker Hills Golf Club after a very inauspicious 1 hour, 45 minute delayed start due to thunderstorms. I guess I should have expected this after the Spring we have had here in Minnesota ... if you can say that we have even had a Spring. Only a week ago, I was officiating in the snow at the NCAA Women's Division II Regional Tournament.

Of course, this is only a continuation of the challenges I've faced with this qualifying process. I have had to relocate both of my qualifiers due to poor course conditions. TPC Twin Cities was to be the host for today's event, but they have 13 temporary greens. Mendakota CC was to host the other qualifier next Tuesday, but we had to move it to Minneapolis GC due to the poor green conditions at Mendakota.

I owe many thanks to Dick Tollette at Bunker Hills and Dan Simpson at Minneapolis GC for their tremendous support in relocating these events. With their support, and the support of their respective facilities, our players will compete on courses in excellent condition.

Also, many thanks to the MGA volunteers that continue to come out and lend their time and talents to making the MGA Tournament Program one of the best in the nation! Without them, it would be impossible to conduct most of our program.

I hope this is as bad as it gets over the next 4 months and 18 days until we put the flagstick in the hole on my 14th season! However, if not, then my rainsuit and I will become one. If that's the case, I just hope I remember to take it off to shower!

Lastly, we will be providing live scoring for virtually all of our USGA qualifiers as well as MGA championships this year. Follow your favorite players at the MGA website - www.mngolf.org!

Until next time-

Doug

April Reflections

Dateline: Good Friday, April 22, 8:17 pm

As I relax and watch today's 2nd round coverage from Hilton Head Island, I thought it would be a good time to reflect on some of the April highlights. (Unfortunately, Lumpy's double bogey 5 on the par 3 4th hole as the leader isn't one of them.) Harbor Town truly is one of the best courses on Tour - a shot-makers course. I'm hoping my fellow Arizona Wildcat Jim Furyk can repeat last year's title. Bear Down!

Of course, the Masters was something to behold the last day. Some, including me, hoped Tiger would get a few more birdies after his eagle on #8, but it was not to be. Of course, this only fuels the debate as to whether he will win another major much less pass Nicklaus' record of 18. However, when you have nine players within two shots of the lead on the back nine on Sunday afternoon at the Masters, it is a real treat to watch.

Charl Schwartzel played spectacularly on Sunday, birdieing the last four holes. He is the only one to do that in a major and win. (The only other person to birdie the last four holes in a major, as you probably know, is Tiger Woods at the 2002 PGA Championship at Hazeltine.) We had three Australians trying to be the first to win at Augusta, but despite all playing magnificently, we get to keep wondering when the streak will finally come to an end.

And, of course, there was Rory. Through 63 holes, the Masters was his. He looked so cool, calm and collected -- then he hit his tee shot on the 10th. From that point on, he looked like a high handicapper during his club championship. I expect him to recover fully from the debacle, but only time will tell.

Speaking of debacles, I cannot go without mentioning Kevin Na's 9th hole during the first round of the Valero Texas Open in San Antonio last week. While we may not think we can learn something from someone making a 16, I believe there were a couple of things to be taken away from Na's troubles. First, play a provisional ball. Second, don't look for a ball if you think you might not want to find or play your original. Third, don't try to hit a ball just because you don't want to go back (again) to play under stroke and distance. Fourth, keep a sense of humor through it all, which is the only thing Na did out of the four. Just in case you missed all of it, here's a link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWTXoNzuk8c.

And now, I just witnessed Brian Gay make a quintuple bogey 9 on the par 4 7th hole. It just goes to show us that no matter how good we think we are, we all have our moments. Makes me want to go and practice! (UPDATE: He followed it up with a birdie 2 on the next hole.)

In the Rules arena, the USGA and R&A released a revision to Decision 33-7/4.5 that would handle the Padraig Harrington situation differently. If you recall, Harrington was disqualified after moving his ball while replacing it at Abu Dhabi in January. The decision now creates a situation where, if a player does something that is visible only through the use of slow-motion, HD video, and it does not come to his attention prior to signing and returning his card, then the player still incurs the appropriate penalty (two strokes, in Harrington's case) but will not be disqualified. This does not change a situation like Camilo Villegas, however. Of course, from a practical standpoint, it makes no difference to 99.98% of golfers.

Lastly, exactly what is with this weather? In my 13 previous seasons, I don't think we've ever had such a challenging start to the season. Yes, we have had our share of cool, wet weather in April and May, but we've at least had some warm weather by now. And, we are starting to hear of courses struggling with green conditions. In fact, I have had to relocate the US Open Local Qualifier on May 9. Originally set for the TPC Twin Cities, I moved it to Bunker Hills GC after Alan Cull informed me that TPC will be closed until mid-late May. Here's hoping the sun comes out, the temperatures rise and the grass starts growing very soon!

Until next time-

Doug

Wow - It's MGA Tournament Season already!

Dateline: Monday, April 4, The Conference Room @ MGA Headquarters, Edina, MN

Where has the time gone? Despite weather better suited to snowmobiling and pond hockey, this winter has kept me busier than the proverbial "one armed paper hanger!" Yet, as I sit and assist the few players who have come in to drop off their applications for the 2011 season, I find myself with time on my hands.......so much so that I can finally update the cyber world of the happenings at the MGA and with Doug Hoffmann.

Since the end of last year, I have had three HUGE website projects that have not given me much time to dream of warmer climates. (Good thing, too, as this March was not like last years!) It also is good that this wasn't a Rules change year; otherwise, I don't know how I could have finished the website stuff when taking a week to attend a workshop.

The first of the three projects deals with our online registration system. Launched today with the start of tournament registration, this system provides the end user a more efficient, user-friendly interface from which to enter MGA tournaments. However, I never stopped to consider the amount of work necessary to get something like this up and running.

The new system - TPP Online - is a product created by the USGA and its GHIN Handicap Department. We elected to use it after giving our Senior Tour a year to "test and destroy" it for us. It received high marks, so we started the adoption process in the fall. We also elected to change our ISP, through which our old online registration system was created. When we made the switch, our information went with it. Thus, we had to totally recreate everything. While getting new sites is a great thing, the learning curve in getting there was quite steep at the start.

The real test came when the applications started coming in just after midnight today. Despite some hiccups along the way, it has gone rather smoothly so far. As with most technology, a live test is often the best means to find the bugs (as long as the exterminator is nearby).

Next, as a parallel to the new registration system and website, we had to create new "landing pages" for all of our championships. I had hoped the developers would have a template in place so that I could have all landing pages live by April 1. Unfortunately, I think they found it more challenging than they expected, so that by the time I started creating the pages I didn't have much time. And, once again, the learning curve was steep. However, the new pages went "live" last night at 8:48 pm CDT. Check them out by clicking here.

The third leg of this process has been the new web-based Volunteer area for the MGA. Ultimately, this will provide our volunteers a "one-stop shop" for all of their involvement with the MGA. They will be able to completely manage their commitments with tournaments and committees, update their profile and search for other volunteers 24/7 and (likely) by using their phone.

Once again, the project has proven to be more difficult than previously expected. While I had hoped to have a full-blown landing page ready for every volunteer by today, we're not there. But, the sign-up page for tournaments will be going "live" any moment with the "My MGA Locker" coming soon thereafter. For the volunteers reading this, you will be receiving an email with your login credentials shortly. Thanks for your patience!

To quote Garrison Keillor, I hope this is "a quiet week at Lake Wobegon" as the Masters tees off on Thursday. "A Tradition Like None Other" is the unofficial start to the golf season, especially in Minnesota where we all are ready to get outside and try out our new equipment, swings or swing thoughts. I'm ready to be completely distracted by the beauty of the azaleas, the roar of the crowds coming through the pines and Sunday afternoon at the Masters!

Here's to seeing you on the course!

Until next time-

Doug

The Golf Season (and DQs) Returns!

Since my last post on Dec 22, we've received more snow, the temps have dropped to -27* and the golf season (at least on television) has started. And, in only three weeks into the world tour schedules, we already have had two DQs by "big name" professionals.

At the Hyundai Tournament of Champions, Camillo Villegas hit a chip shot that didn't quite make it up the hill and started rolling back down to his position. Afraid the ball may come to rest next to some loose impediments, he swept them aside. Unfortunately, doing so put him in breach of Rule 23-1 that states "when a ball is in motion, a loose impediment that might inflence the movement of the ball must not be removed." Penalty for breach of this rule, two strokes in stroke play.

This week (Thursday), Padraig Harrington caused his ball to move when he lifted the ball marker after replacing his ball. Had he replaced the ball back into the correct position, there would not have been a penalty. Unfortunately, he did not believe the ball had moved and played it from its new position, incurring a two stroke penalty.

Villegas and Harrington signed and returned their respective score cards without adding the penalty strokes to their scores, resulting in both players being disqualified under Rule 6-6d. Both incidences were brought to the attention of the respective TOUR officials by viewers calling in. As one could expect, this has renewed the controversy of whether viewers should be permitted to call in when a violation is observed.

Tim Rosenforte, on Golf Central prior to and after Saturday's coverage of The Hope, reported that the USGA and R&A were "absolutely reopening the discussion of viewers calling in to report rules violations." This information was based on comments Mike Davis (USGA Senior Director of Rules and Competitions) made to Rosenforte immediately before going on the air.

Last Tuesday (prior to Harrington's gaffe), The Morning Drive (The Golf Channel's morning show) interviewed Jack Nicklaus and asked him what rule he would change. He answered that "the whole book on the Rules of Golf should be changed" and the Rules don't follow "common sense". He claimed a USGA Rules Official said it was easier to pass the bar exam than passing the rules exam necessary to be a rules official. (While I have not taken the bar exam, I have taken the rules exam no less than eight times and cannot believe his claim.) Jack is one of the game's greats and is entitled to his opinion, but keep in mind he has been quoted as saying a player shouldn't have to play from a divot in the middle of the fairway after a great drive.

The person that has offered the most (in my opinion) fact-based, non-emotional comments is The Golf Channel's Brandell Chamblee. His comments put the responsibility of knowing the Rules back on the players -- where they should be. Chamblee admitted to having attended a rules program (at least the first two days) and coming away realizing that he doesn't know the rules as well as he should.

In an interview last week for the Rules column in MNGolfer, I commented that if a player chooses to play in a tournament without a good knowledge of the Rules, he is doing so at his own risk. In some regards, it is like buying a house. We must initial every page of the sales contract signifying we have read and understood what is on the page. Yet, how many of us actually read every word on every page? If we don't, then aren't we doing so at our own risk? We are not getting off the hook if something goes wrong. We can't claim ignorance or say the rule doesn't make common sense, and we shouldn't be held liable.

Lastly, the comments have been that this isn't fair to the best players since they are on television more than the non-marquee players. Maybe this is the price of being a marquee player. After all, there are many people who do the horrible, unacceptable things Tiger did without the public scrutiny and outcry. Should Tiger's actions be lessened since he is a public figure? Or, should we hold all people to the same level of expectations and standards regardless of their notoriety (or lack thereof)?

I'd love to hear what you have to say about this! In the mean time, let's hope we don't have more rules violations to discuss until my next post.

Until then-
Doug

A Christmas Wish?

Okay, it is December 22 and I'm looking out on very white landscape from my window at the MGA office. Despite our receiving snow only six short weeks ago, it seems the golf season has been over for so long! Aside from a Tiger sighting on the leaderboard of the Chevron Challenge and some end-of-year, Top 125 intrigue at the TOUR's closing event at Mickey Mouse's Florida home, there hasn't been much golf to talk about. However, after the drama that Tiger lead us through last year, I would consider this a blessing!

This time of year - the vast golf-less wasteland between Thanksgiving and Christmas (anybody notice that there wasn't a Skins Game this year?) - can be the most challenging for me. It's not like I don't have anything to do but finding the initiative to do it can be the problem. Even this year as we are developing a volunteer area to our website and adopting a new, online entry procedure (both items of keen interest), keeping my focus has required some creative efforts.

For example, I find myself far more likely to read one (or more) of the golf magazines that get passed around the office monthly. Typically, I simply initial the sign-off sheet pasted to the front of each one to signify that I have had the opportunity to see it. Now, I may read virtually every article on every page, seaching for that something that keeps me going.

Today, I spied a book that piqued my interest, Beyond the Score: Relationship Keys for Golf and Life by Jim Sheard, PhD. The book focuses on what could best be summarized by two cliches, "Don't miss the forest for the trees" and "Don't forget to stop and smell the roses". Golf gives us many opportunities "beyond the score" to measure our golf games, and a round in particular, for success. And, Beyond the Score reminds us of keys that we should always remember in relationships, whether they be with golf partners, life partners, or new friends.

Expectedly, I found the sections entitled "Act with Integrity" and "Demonstrate Respect" particularly relevant. There are some quotes that attracted my attention, and they are just as applicable in my job as well as life.

"Following the rules is an indicator of a person's integrity."

"Knowing and following rules enhances trust in relationships, sports and life."

"Exceed Expectations; When you exceed expectations, you stand out from others and establish integrity and trust."

"Byron (Nelson) gave me his most enduring advice: It's not how (well) you play, it's how you conduct yourself and how you treat people." (From Tom Watson)

My Christmas Wish for 2010? To be ever mindful of the (potential) impact I have on the lives of others and to give more to them than I receive in return.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all! See you in 2011-

Doug

The End of the Tournament Season -- Two months late

Well, nothing like writing my season-ending commentary two and a half months AFTER it actually ended! One would believe that, once the tournaments are finished, I would have plenty of time to compile, compose and publish some thoughts about the season just completed. But, I guess not. I could bore you with the details and litany of reasons why I haven't posted, yet that would require my trying to recall them. And, since I likely would not be able to do that, I would end up making them up (which might make for better reading).

Nevertheless, some of the (brief) late-season highlights include:

*An exciting finish to the Senior Four-Ball and overall season when Jon Empanger holed a 116-yard wedge shot for an eagle 2 on the 36th hole as the sun was going down (picture above) giving he and partner Gary Johnson a two-stroke victory. It would have been more dramatic had they been in the last group and he had been the last to play to the green, but.............

*The MGA Mid-Amateur had a great three days at Minneapolis GC and Burl Oaks GC. Troy Johnson took home the title with superb play that resulted in a 4-under par 212 total that was seven stroke in front of the next contenders, Larry Barnacle and Sammy Schmitz.

Despite Johnson's play, the talk of the tournament was a hole location on Burl Oaks' third hole. Cut too close to a quick slope, many players found their ball rolling tantalizingly close to the hole, only to have it come back to their feet some 25 feet away. Unfortunately, this occurred multiple times for a few players. It was one of those times that, as staff, you simply chalk up to experience.

From an administrative point, once players start going through the hole, there are limited things we can do. While Decision 33-2b/1.5 gives us five possible options, there was only one that offered any possibility without significant ramifications. Option (a) suggests: "Have play continue with the hole location unchanged on the basis that the conditions are the same for all players in the field." Thus, this is how we proceeded.

The fall golf season offered us some great weather .......... right up until November 10. The 6" of snow that fell that weekend, followed by temperatures in the 30s, signaled the official end to the 2010 season. At least I had Rosemount HS football to follow -- all the way to the Championship game!

Until next time (but hopefully not in another 2 1/2 months) --

Doug

The Gopher Invitational - 2010

The Gopher Invitational
Spring Hill Golf Club, Wayzata, MN

Today is Day 1 of the 2010 Gopher Invitational at Spring Hill GC. It is an absolutely perfect day - sunny, temps in the mid 70s, light winds. With players from 11 teams and 5 individuals playing a 36-hole marathon (that will take over 10 hours to complete), it is a good thing the weather is so benign!

We had an interesting start to the day. Gopher Jon Trasamar, starting on the 18th hole, hit his tee shot into the hole -- on the 16th hole!! What do the Rules say about this? Actually, Decision 16/7 comes the closest to this situation.

This decision has two parts. The first permits the Committee to cut two holes on each green for an 18 hole competition on a 9 hole course. The second part of the decision (the part most relevant to our ruling) classifies the status of the "other" hole as a hole made by a greenkeeper, or in other words, ground under repair. This takes us to Rule 25-1 for relief.

Under Rule 25-1, the player is to determine the "nearest point of relief" and then drop the ball within one club-length of that point. However, this point will be on the 16th putting green. Rule 25-3 (Wrong Putting Green), states that a player must take relief for a ball coming to rest on the wrong putting green. In this case, the player must again determine the nearest point of relief, not nearer the hole, and drop within one club-length of that spot.

That is the beauty of the Rules -- as soon as you think you have seen everything, something new comes up.

Until next time-
Doug

MGA Four-Ball Championship & Mid-August Update

(Dateline: Wednesday, August 18, 2010, Grand View Lodge, Nisswa, MN)

I'm sitting in a beautiful 5-bedroom house off the 5th hole of the Lakes Course, drinking a cup of coffee, waiting to go to breakfast before today's Second Round of the 49th MGA Four-Ball Championship. Life can be really good sometimes!

However, I am coming to the quick realization that this season is coming to a fast end - almost as fast as it started. The signs? They are plentiful. I awoke yesterday morning to a temperature near 50*, the Twins are leading the AL Central and the pundits are already talking about who they will be playing in the ALDS, Brett Favre has (finally) decided to return to the Vikings, and I take my eldest son to move into the Evans Scholars House at the University of Minnesota one week from tomorrow. These are all exciting times when considered independently; however, it means the cold weather, and the end of the golf season, is not too far away. Ughh!

Yet, while I am bemoaning this fact, I can thank Dustin Johnson for giving me an opportunity to talk about the Rules of Golf. Unless one is completely oblivious to what is going on in the world of Golf (if you are reading this, then you are not one of these people), everyone knows about the unfortunate series of events from Sunday's final round of the PGA Championship.

While I don't need to completely restate the details, it was obvious that Johnson did ground his club prior to making his stroke. And, since the PGA of America Rules Committee had clearly stated and informed all competitors of the status of all the bunkers on the course (some 1,000 plus), then there is no question that Johnson incurred a two-stroke penalty under Rule 13-4: Ball in Hazard; Prohibited Actions.

But, this does bring up some questions. Should such areas be declared as "hazards"; after all, how many major tournaments typically permit spectators to walk through bunkers? Should a Rules Official be expected to inform/remind a professional golfer that the ball is in a hazard? Should a professional golfer be expected to read the Local Rules Sheet, or let off the hook for not doing so?

Of course, at least one of the questions I raise is ludicrous - a player who is playing for millions of dollars should be expected to know and follow Rule 6-1, "The player and his caddie are responsible for knowing the Rules."

Anyhow, it gives us (MGA officials) some leverage about knowing the Rules before starting play when talking to our players at the starting hole. And, I always welcome real-life examples when teaching the Rules. Thanks, Dustin!

Hopefully, with the season coming to an end, I should have more time to update this on a more regular basis. I'm sure you can hardly wait.

Until next time-

Doug

Halfway Through the 2010 Season?

Dateline: Monday, June 28, 2010, 11:00 pm, Country Inn & Suites, Owatonna, MN

No, it's not really halfway through the 2010 season yet - at least, not according to the calendar. The season didn't officially start until May 17 (only 6 short weeks ago) and won't end until September 28 (13 weeks from tomorrow). But with all of the events that will have been completed by this time next week, it will be more than half over in that regard.

Statistically speaking, by next Monday night (July 5), we will have conducted 20 state-level qualifiers, 4 USGA qualifiers and 6 championships. That leaves us "only" 5 USGA qualifiers and 10 championships on the schedule.

Currently, I am finishing up a stretch of three consecutive weeks, and four of the last five, of MGA championships. This week, I'm at the Owatonna Country Club in Owatonna MN (about 60 miles south of the Twin Cities) conducting our 20th MGA Mixed Team Championship. The field is a little smaller this week allowing us to do one wave (or block) of starting times and not starting those times until an unheardof 10:00 am. Wow, an opportunity to sleep in on a tournament day! This is a much appreciated respite from the 4:30 wake up time during last week's MGA Players' Championship at Spring Hill.

During these events, we have encountered some challenging weather, seen some superb play and had to "hang out" at some pretty special places including Interlachen Country Club. Interlachen, site of Bobby Jones' victory in the 1930 US Open (and infamous "lily pad shot"), the third leg of his Grand Slam that year, is a wonderful place. While I had all of my volunteers making sure our matches were going smoothly, I was engrossed in the multitude of historical memoribilia hung throughout the clubhouse. Some of the most interesting were the trophies of Jones' grand slam, a replica set of clubs that he used that year, and Patty Berg's Wilson clubs she used her last year on the LPGA Tour.

I also "had" to spend some quality time at Spring Hill Golf Club for our Players' Championship. Certainly, the club doesn't have the rich history of an Interlachen, but the golf course, complimented by the wonderful staff and service, makes any trip to Spring Hill a treat.

Once I finish with this event tomorrow, I take a break from my administrator's job to be on the other side of the scoring table, so to speak. I begin my career of senior golf on Wednesday by attempting to qualify for the US Senior Open at Mendakota Country Club, site of last year's MGA Amateur. One of only 26 attempting to qualify, we are aiming for the one spot into this year's event to be held at Sahalee Country Club in Washington.

Interesting note, this is one of three USGA qualifiers that are requiring the use of the new conforming groove clubs. However, under the agreement between the USGA and Ping, I am able to use my 1986 Ping Eye 2 irons. The waiver Ping agreed to back in April only allowed the USGA to prohibit the use of the pre-1990 Eye 2 irons for the US Open. So, I've been trying to get accustomed to using them again.

Another interesting note, one of the 26 players is Macalester College golf coach and former LPGA Tour player Martha Nause. She is the first woman to attempt to qualify for a non-women's USGA event in my 13 seasons with the MGA. Obviously, her game is still there as she qualified for the US Women's Open back in May. She will be playing in that championship at Oakmont CC in July.

Until next time -

Doug

P.S. Make sure you check out my rules segments on Golf Bound, Sunday nights at 11:05 pm on KARE 11.

Recent Happenings

Dateline: 8:45 pm, Thursday, June 10 @ MGA Office

Yes, I'm still at the office finishing up work for the Sectional Qualifying events for the 107th MGA Amateur Championship. I'm scheduled to play in the Tapemark Charity Pro-Am starting tomorrow and then it's on to our Senior & Mid-Players' Championships at Interlachen CC next week. If I didn't stay and do it now, it would never get done.

The past month has been extremely hectice. Since my last post (May 11), I have conducted: (1) qualifying for the US Open (unfortunately, none of our qualifiers made it to Pebble Beach), (2) the MGA/PGA Cup Matches (in which the professionals soundly defeated the amateurs), and (3) the MGA Women's Mid-Amateur Championship (with Amy Schintz of Duluth besting the field by a whopping 10 strokes, shooting a course-record 5-under par 69 in Round 1).

Today, I had to do the course set-up at Interlachen for days 1 & 2 of the Senior/Mid-Players' event. Actually, I didn't have to do much thinking about it. I am using the hole locations for days 2, 3 & 4 of the US Women's Open Championship (played there in '08) for my days 1-3, respectively. Interlachen is a real treat to be able to use and play. Unfortunately, "dotting" tee and hole locations takes time and today was really busy on the course, so we didn't play as much as we would have liked.

Tomorrow, I start the first of my two events of the year. The Tapemark Pro-Am gets started at Southview CC. It is a terrific tournament that has raised over $6.5 million dollars for charities that support families and individuals with developmental disabilities like mine. It's a highly competitive, yet feel-good, event that is in its 39th year. Congratulations and many thanks to the Klas and Cody families for their support over the years. The forecast doesn't look good for the weekend. Let's hope this is one of the (seemingly) many times the weather people are wrong! You can follow my progress on their web site.

As I said, I will be playing in (at least) one more tournament. I will be attempting to qualify for the US Senior Open through the Sectional Qualifying on June 30 at Mendakota CC. I am one of 26 players vying for the opportunity to tee it up with the best senior golfers in the world at Sahalee CC (WA) in late-July. I hope my schedule settles down before then!

Unfortunately, between now and then, I also have the MGA Players' Championship (@ Spring Hill GC, June 21-23) and the MGA Mixed Team Championship (@ Owatonna CC, June 28-29) to conduct. Hmm, and when will I be practicing??

You can check out all of the action from MGA events, and learn about other happenings in golf in Minnesota, at the MGA web site: http://www.mngolf.org/.

Okay, it's taken me 21 minutes to write this. Since my starting time tomorrow morning is (ugh) 6:40 AM, I guess I had better go home and take a nap! I'm afraid tomorrow's going to be a LONG DAY!

Oh, one last item. Golf Bound starts airing at 11:05 PM on KARE11 this Sunday night. Check it out - my rules segment might help you.

Until next time--

Doug

P.S. - Congratulations to my son Zach for graduating from Rosemount HS and earning an Evans Scholarship to the University of Minnesota!