By Micah Friez
Published 2:00 pm on June 22, 2026
Behind every long drive, perfect putt, and overdue reunion at the Gordy Skaar Memorial Golf Tournament is a loud-and-clear commitment of support for Bemidji State Athletics.
That sentiment is perhaps most evident in Clint Cornell, a former BSU men’s golfer who now works for the event’s presenting sponsor in Deerwood Bank. And the Skaar has turned into a full-circle tradition of sorts for Cornell.
“It’s an important thing for me to see: the chance for people to follow the path that I did,” Cornell said. “I got to come to school here, move into a career, give back to the community, and watch other people have that same opportunity.”
The 49th iteration of the Skaar proved that the pipeline is still alive and well. A total of 120 golfers came out on June 12 and raised $42,000 for Beaver Athletics. To date, the Skaar has raised over $1 million since its inception.
Cornell began playing in the Skaar as a college freshman in 2005, and he’s played in it almost every year since. The 2008 grad is now Deerwood’s vice president of business banking, and on top of supporting all 13 communities that the bank has grown into, he’s particularly proud that BSU is reaping the rewards of that philanthropy. The partnership between Deerwood Bank and Bemidji State has grown substantially in the past few years, and the Skaar reflects that commitment.
“I would say I have a pretty good hand in that, being a graduate from BSU,” Cornell said. “I just knew how important it was because of the opportunities that were given to me. I requested it, pushed for it a little bit, and our senior leadership is very supportive of the common goal.”
For many golfers, the Skaar also serves as a reunion of sorts. It’s no different for Cornell, who enjoys the opportunity to see old friends and even to make new connections. He’s played in the event with the same group for years, and he also keeps an eye out for the “up-and-comers” on the high school or college teams to chat and get to know them.
The grouping of Cornell, Tim Dondelinger, Kurt Fenner, Jeff Peltier, and Tom Serratore also made the most of the event, firing 21-under-par and topping the leaderboard by day’s end.
But regardless of what the scorecards read, coming out for the Skaar is all for a common purpose.
“All the coaches, the alumni, the staff — people are here for the same reason of giving opportunities to student-athletes,” Cornell said. “For me, it’s really cool that Deerwood will support BSU knowing they have so many other communities they’ve evolved into, and they still set aside a donation and allow me to be out here for the day to ensure the success of the event.
“It’s always fun to come back to the Skaar. Really, I just get to enjoy the day.”
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