A Chaska vs. Green Isle amateur baseball game usually contains a top-flight pitching matchup.

And that's what fans saw in the Section 3B playoff opener on Sunday evening at Athletic Park.

Chaska ace Ryan Seifert outdueled Irish righty Mac Zachow for a 1-0 Cub victory.

Seifert's gem made an early Cub run stand, as Tony Lane came home on a Kyle Geason sacrifice fly in the first inning.

It was the third shutout this season for the Cubs vs. Irish. Chaska prevailed 7-0 and 10-0 in the regular season, with Seifert starting both games.

PGA of America officials today announced that fewer than 950 total ticket packages remain available for the upcoming 2009 PGA Championship, Aug. 10-16 at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska.

Officials believe the ticket packages will sell out before the tournament week begins on Aug. 10 and currently a very small amount of the remaining 950 ticket packages are Wanamaker tickets.

Ticket packages are not available for purchase once the tournament begins.

The City of Chaska is giving away 7,500 free tickets to the 2009 PGA Championship starting Monday.

Chaska residents can pick up a pair of tickets to the first three days of the event by stopping by the front desk at City Hall (One City Hall Plaza). Tickets are available on a first come, first served basis.

The first three days of the PGA Championship are the practice rounds. It is the only time cameras and autographs are allowed during the competition.

Robin Schneider, a 16-year boy from Germany, has been selected as this year’s Chaska Rotary Youth Exchange Student at Chaska High School. Schneider is a youth golf champion in Germany and is looking forward to attending the PGA Championship at Hazeltine before school starts, according to a press release from Chaska Rotary Youth Exchange Officer Ken Hiller.

Chaska did not nab one of the two first-round byes to start the Section 3B amateur baseball playoffs.

But things are not all bad in Cubbieville.

The Cubs are the No. 3 seed in the six-team 3B roundup, and begin the playoffs with a best-of-three series against Green Isle.

Green Isle visits Chaska's Athletic Park on Sunday, Aug. 2 for the opener, which starts at 6 p.m.

A second game follows at Irish Park on Tuesday, Aug. 4 at 7:30 p.m. A deciding game is set for 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 7 at Athletic Park, if necessary.

Tickets are available for a Special Olympics benefit breakfast during the PGA Championship featuring Minnesota native and PGA Tour player Cameron Beckman.

Hosted by the Minnesota Section PGA and the PGA Championship, the breakfast fundraiser will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 11 and will benefit Special Olympics Minnesota and The Minnesota Section PGA Foundation, according to a PGA press release.

By Tim McGovern

An overnight sprinkle session could not dampen the spirits of Hazeltine National Golf Club superintendent Jim Nicol and club professional Mike Schultz.

“A million-dollar rain, don’t you think?” Schultz said.

“Maybe $100,000,” Nicol replied. “We need about 10 more of these.”

No matter the weather, things are certainly sunny out at the Chaska course.

There was no doubt that hometown runner Ben Sathre would repeat as the winner of the River City Days 5K run on Saturday.

Sathre, a 2008 Chaska High School graduate, had no challengers as he completed the course in 15 minutes, 44 seconds.

Adam Arveson of Maple Plain was second in 17:45, followed by Romeo Benich of Duluth.

Sathre won last year's RCD 5K in 15:35, shortly after making the state high school competitions in track and cross country as a Hawk senior.

Sathre now competes on the track and cross country teams at the University of St. Thomas.

River City Days kicked off its weeklong celebration with the sixth annual Chaska Triathlon on Saturday.

The course featured a 1/3-mile swim and a 16-mile bicycle ride, topped off with a 3.1-mile run.

Nick Madrinich was the overall winner, finishing in 1 hour, 10 minutes, 9 seconds.

Madrinich, a 2008 Chaska High School graduate, was a captain of the Hawk boys swim team in his senior year, and now swims collegiately at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.