A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news
A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news
Alex Kolquist has to play out of the sand on the short par 3 on hole 3 at the 2023 Cloquet Invitational.
The 93rd annual Cloquet Invitational golf tournament opens play on Friday, July 12 and concludes on Sunday, July 14. The tourney is conducted at the beautiful 18-hole Cloquet Country Club. The full field of 175 players will be seeking the crown currently held by 2023 champion Brian Moores of Duluth.
In 1931, the Cloquet golf course expanded from six to nine holes. Established in 1923, Rudolf Weyerhaeuser, the president of Northwest Paper in Cloquet, was intent on establishing a sporty course that could draw top golfers from Minnesota and Wisconsin for an annual tournament. In 1932, Weyerhaeuser asked well-known local newspaper writer and golfer Runcie Martin to guide the tournament. Martin wrote for a Duluth newspaper, held several Minnesota course records, and had won Minnesota Senior Amateur Championship titles.
Martin and the first committee sent invitations to the top regional and state golf competitors, asking them to come and play in Cloquet. Seventy-five players were in the first tournament, with Duluth's Bobby Campbell emerging as the victor. The Cloquet Invitational, with its 93rd annual, is therefore older than the professional Masters Tournament at Augusta Golf Course in Georgia, which was co-founded by golf legend Bobby Jones in 1934.
The Cloquet Country Club expanded to 18 holes in 2001. Minnesota's well-known golf course architect Joel Goldstrand provided the back-nine design. The front nine features large, majestic pine trees lining each fairway and surrounding each green, while the back nine has more wetlands and deciduous trees. A stark difference.
Favored entrants for the 2024 event include Moores, Alex Kolquist, Dan Moline, and Taylor and Trent Sundbom. Some of the top CCC members competing include Sam Baker, John Sheff, Jimmy Stafford, Aaron Young, Keegan Poppenberg and Karson Patton. It's a strong field. Senior championship flight favorites include Shane Johnson, Kevin Treacy, Bob Neve and Tom McFarlane.
Despite extremely wet and cool June conditions, the golf course is in tremendous condition. Superintendent Jud Crist reported the greens are superb and rolling true and fast. He also said the rough is thick with the rainy June, and it will put a premium on golfers keeping the ball in the fairway.
If you can't attend in person or just want to avoid the heat, follow the championship flight Sunday afternoon on WKLK.
