Pressure is on as Manitoba Open tees off Thursday

We flash back to last August with the Manitoba Open in full swing and a young golfer named Johnny Keefer taking the prestigious tournament by storm.

The 23-year-old rookie from Maryland captured his first professional victory in convincing fashion, finishing the 72-hole event at Southwood at 26-under par.

Turns out he was just getting warmed up.

Keefer went on to capture the Fortinet Cup as the top points earner on the PGA Tour Americas, earning his Korn Ferry Tour card. He’s since used it to record two victories this season, along with a pair of runner-up finishes.

Now ranked 57th in the world and sitting No. 1 on the Korn Ferry money list with more than US$700,000 in earnings, Keefer has secured yet another promotion — he’ll be teeing it up with the big boys next season on the PGA Tour.

The moral of the story? Life moves fast. And local golf fans might want to make their way to Breezy Bend this week to catch the next “stars of tomorrow” in action as the latest installment of a tournament dating back to 1919 gets underway.

“Johnny Keefer is the poster child,” admitted Michael Brennan, who hopes to become the 2025 version.

Brennan, a 23-year-old from Virginia, arrives in Winnipeg fresh off his first PGA Tour Americas victory two weeks ago at the BioSteel Championship in Windsor. That vaulted him to the top of the current Fortinet Cup standings with five tournaments remaining, including the Manitoba Open.

The top 10 players at season’s end will earn Korn Ferry cards, placing them one step away from the PGA Tour.

“It’s definitely a goal of mine to finish No. 1 in points at the end of the year.”– Michael Brennan

“It’s definitely a goal of mine to finish No. 1 in points at the end of the year,” Brennan told the Free Press on Tuesday.

“So I can’t really take too many weeks off because there’s guys behind me that are great players that are trying to vie for that spot as well.”

Brennan was in the field at last year’s Manitoba Open as a rookie, finishing six shots behind Keefer in a tie for ninth. He wound up 18th on the points list.

“It’s really cool to see (Keefer) play well out here and have that really translate to the Korn Ferry tour. I’m definitely just trying to do the same thing,” he said.

There’s been no sophomore slump this season. Brennan has made the cut in all 11 tournaments, which began with a Latin American swing before shifting to North America. He’s finished in the Top 10 in eight of those events.

“I’m honestly not 100 per cent sure,” he said of what’s worked so well this year.

“One of the big off-season focuses for myself and my coaches and team was eliminating bogeys. I made too many bogeys last year. A lot of birdies but too many bogeys. This year I’ve done a much better job of playing more bogey-free rounds.”

This week’s field at Breezy Bend promises to be strong, with the club hosting the Manitoba Open for the seventh time — but the first since 1993. All of the players currently in the Top 10 will be on hand, chasing Brennan.

There will also be plenty of local intrigue. Breezy Bend member and four-time Manitoba Amateur champion Braxton Kuntz is making his professional debut on home turf, with a sizeable gallery of family and friends expected to follow him. He’ll be one of two Manitobans in the field, the other local product being Brandon’s Evan Nachtigall who won the Manitoba Amateur earlier this summer.

“Really excited for it,” said Kuntz, who hasn’t had much time to stop and think about it in recent weeks. He finished off his amateur career by playing in both the Canadian Amateur and U.S. Amateur, missing the cut in both events.

“A little disappointing to miss the cut in the Canadian Am, somewhere where I really want to represent my country. U.S. Am as well, really deep and tough field. I was there, and then kind of made a couple mistakes coming down the stretch,” said Kuntz.

“Overall, maybe on paper it doesn’t look like the greatest finish, but I know the way I was hitting the ball… I’m still pretty optimistic.”– Braxton Kuntz

“Overall, maybe on paper it doesn’t look like the greatest finish, but I know the way I was hitting the ball and the way I’ve been playing is showing a lot more promise than maybe my scores are. I’m still pretty optimistic.”

Playing a course that he knows like the back of his hand won’t hurt.

“Obviously the rough is much longer and the pins are going to be harder. But at the end of the day it’s still Breezy Bend, right?” said Kuntz.

“They can’t move any of the bunkers or the trees. The layout is going to be the same. You’re just going to get more penalized for misses. I’m very comfortable out here, obviously. I’m trying not to put pressure on myself, playing in front of the home club and the home crowd. I’m just going to go out there and enjoy it.”

Eric Comrie, meanwhile, isn’t under any illusion he’ll be competing for the title — or even making the cut. As the Free Press reported last week, the Winnipeg Jets goaltender is the latest player to receive a sponsor’s exemption through the tournament’s partnership with True North, the charitable arm of the Open.

“I’m not going to lie — I’m pretty nervous,” Comrie said Tuesday. The popular backup goaltender, who carries a 4.5 handicap, described his golf game as a “work in progress” — “especially when you have a one-and-a-half year old and a four-month-old.”

Comrie has sought advice from teammates Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor, Dylan Samberg and Morgan Barron — all of whom have previously played in the event.

“It’s a whole different level out here, how good these guys are and how talented they are,” said Comrie. “It’s pretty special to see. When you come here and watch it live, you understand just how good these guys are. It’s quite special to see.”

So why would a proud athlete like Comrie put ego aside to play in a tournament where he’s likely to finish last?

“I love the game of golf, I watch every single event each week. I follow the PGA Tour Americas online. For me, it would have been a huge mistake if I passed (at) this opportunity.”– Winnipeg Jets goaltender Eric Comrie

“This is a huge opportunity. It would be something that if I don’t do, I would regret for my whole life,” he said. “I love the game of golf, I watch every single event each week. I follow the PGA Tour Americas online. For me, it would have been a huge mistake if I passed (at) this opportunity… I’m just so excited to go out there and do the best I can.”

As for his strategy this week?

“I think I’ll try to be going middle fairway, middle green, two putt and get out of there,” Comrie said with a laugh.

More information about the tournament, including ticket details, can be found at www.manitobaopen.com. Admission is free for spectators under 18.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

X and Bluesky: @mikemcintyrewpg

Mike McIntyre
Reporter

Mike McIntyre is a sports reporter whose primary role is covering the Winnipeg Jets. After graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College in 1995, he spent two years gaining experience at the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 1997, where he served on the crime and justice beat until 2016. Read more about Mike.

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