MGA Release

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – Former Saint John's University golfer Sammy Schmitz '03 will be inducted into the MGA-PGA Minnesota Golf Hall of Fame at the upcoming MGA Annual Meeting on Nov. 1 at Oak Ridge Country Club in Hopkins.  

The only four-time All-American and All-MIAC performer in school history, Schmitz was twice named the MIAC Player of the Year and was a member of the 2019 J-Club Hall of Honor class.

He ended his career as the program's all-time leader in career scoring average (74.46 in 87 career rounds), season scoring average (72.9 in 23.5 rounds as a senior in 2002-03) and rounds at par or better (23). All three marks are now second to Joe Schoolmeesters '09, who will join him in the J-Club Hall of Honor in October.

A native of Farmington, Minn., Schmitz earned medalist honors at the conference meet as a senior and finished second on two other occasions. At nationals, he finished tied for 15th as a freshman and improved his placing every year afterward – capping his career with an eighth-place finish in the spring of 2003.

After graduating from SJU, Schmitz won consecutive State Public Links Championships in 2012 and 2013, three MGA Mid-Amateur titles (2011, 2012, 2016) and two MGA match-play titles: the 2012 MGA Mid-Players' and the 2018 MGA Players' championships. He qualified for match play at the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship three times (2011, 2012, 2015). 

Schmitz competed at the 2016 Masters, thanks to a win at the 2015 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship. On the 33rd hole using a driver, Schmitz aced the par-4 No. 15 to go "dormie" - three holes up with three to play - and won the next hole for a 3-2 victory and a trip to Augusta, Ga.