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Middleton Classic begins Saturday

Following a tournament like no other, the 2021 Middleton Classic will return with fans flocking to the Manson Golf and Country Club.

And tournament director Elias Johnson could not be happier.

The Middleton Classic begins on Saturday and runs through Sunday night with a championship-nine to be played. Entered into the field are all of the 2020 winners including cup champions Eddie Doyle and Blaine Buhr.

Sean Hood and Grantt Miller, who claimed the opening day crown, are back along with the record-setting pair of Devin Gallentine and Cody Jaeschke.

“It’s the best field we’ve ever had,” said Johnson, an entrant himself in the field. “This is the first year we’ve had players from the East Coast, Florida, the southeast; we’ve got players from five different states.

“We have guys that have played professionally, played college and are still winning tournaments. It is the most stacked and most talented field we’ve put together.”

Johnson credits some of that to the decision to move forward with the event last year while many events were called off due to COVID-19.

“People have been talking about the Middleton Classic since last year,” Johnson said. “We were still able to have a big year last year after finding a way to do it safely through all of the guidelines. We didn’t have a single infection attributed to the event and we were able to raise a ton of money for the community.

“This year, people appreciate the effort that we put in and want to come out and support the Middleton and what it stands for.”

The clubhouse at the course will be open to fans, Ultimate Tailgating will have a hospitality trailer with restrooms, a bar and big screen televisions set up, and there will be tents with seating provided as well.

“I’ve got to give a shout-out to the Kean family for sponsoring the tailgate setup,” Johnson said. “Justin is a former player of Joe’s who went to state. It’s just really cool to see people who graduated from Manson, had Joe as a teacher and want to give back anyway they can. It really is what this is all about.”

Jaeschke is putting up a special $500 cash-bonus if any duo can top the record-breaking score he posted with Gallentine.

Neal Miller and Dave George won the senior division title in 2020 and Whitni Warnke became the first female to qualify for the championship-nine, playing with her dad, Kirk.

Destinee Martin and Aubree Jones from Manson Northwest Webster were awarded scholarships in honor of Joe Middleton, a former teacher and coach at the school. The event was created by Johnson to pay tribute to Middleton beginning in 2009.

The two-day event kicks off Saturday at 8 a.m. with registration and breakfast. Live music will follow with fireworks and a pre-game program starting at 9:45 p.m. Golf begins at 10 a.m. with a champions dinner to take place that night.

On Sunday, the same start times and events with the championship round starting at 5 p.m.

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