Kuntz in contention at Manitoba Open

Braxton Kuntz began the week not knowing if he’d even be able to play in the Manitoba Open.

The 22-year-old Winnipegger will head to Elmhurst early Friday morning just one shot off the lead — hanging tough with the heavyweights from PGA Tour Americas — after firing a fantastic five-under 65 Thursday afternoon.

“Playing in front of friends, family, a nice gallery watching out there…to start out like that, I’m putting myself in contention,” said Kuntz.

He didn’t realize just how close he was until the Free Press informed him that only Kentucky’s Drew Doyle, who has already won on tour earlier this season, had posted a better score among the 156-player field. Doyle shot a six-under 64.

“Am I really? That’s the first time I’ve heard,” Kuntz said with a laugh.

Talk about a dream scenario for Kuntz, one of Manitoba’s most decorated amateur golfers who is still trying to find his footing early in his professional career.

He teed it up Monday morning alongside 58 other tournament hopefuls, all vying for one of eight open spots available through last-minute qualifying. He earned his ticket with a five-under round at Glendale, highlighted by eagles on three different par-five holes.

Four days later, he’s not just happy to be here. He’s got his eyes focused on a much bigger prize.

“It was amazing,” Kuntz said of his opening round.

“I’ve been making golf stressful for myself the last few weeks. To have a round with no bogeys, mostly stress-free golf, just felt good out there. I hope the next three rounds are like that, too.”

He had a feeling Thursday could be a good day when his first drive went perfectly straight, something that hasn’t been the case in recent rounds.

“I’ve been losing them left. But today they were right down the middle, and that’s what I felt like I needed,” said Kuntz.

He has played in three previous Manitoba Opens via sponsor’s exemption but has yet to even make the cut. The first two came via winning the Manitoba Amateur, while last year marked his professional debut after graduating from college.

Kuntz was unable to obtain status on the PGA Tour Americas, or any other circuit for that matter, which has him in a rather precarious position at this point in his career.

But one big week could make a world of difference, opening doors that would otherwise remain closed.

“Its a long way to go. I’m just getting started. I’m going to keep plugging away, one shot after the other. That’s all I can do,” said Kuntz, who will start his second round at 9 a.m.

He’s wise not to get too comfortable given the state of the leaderboard, which looks a lot like Confusion Corner during rush hour.

There is a LOT of traffic.

Six players are tied for second with Kuntz at five-under, including fellow Canadian Joey Savoie. The Quebec native captured his first professional win earlier this season in Ecuador.

“I knew I needed to be very patient on that golf course with how tricky those greens are and how firm it is,” Savoie said of his round.

“I think overall I’ve got to be very pleased. It’s hard to make birdies and pretty easy to make bogeys, I’m just happy to come out with a clean scorecard. Sometimes you just have to take your medicine around here. Be less aggressive in some spots. You have to be patient. I think my patience paid off today.”

Right behind that pack are some even bigger ones — 14 players are two shots off the lead at four-under including two other Canadians (Brady McKinlay of Alberta and Peyton Callens of Ontario).

Fun fact: It’s been 17 years since a Canadian last won the Manitoba Open, with Graham DeLaet accomplishing the feat in 2009.

There are another 21 golfers who shot 67 on Thursday, while the No. 1 player on tour, Alabama’s Thomas Ponder, is among 22 golfers who are four shots off the pace after rounds of 68.

In other words, the picture through 18 holes is about as clear as the Red River right now.

There are two other Manitobans in the field, both via sponsor’s exemption. Amateur champion Rory Neill got off to a hot start playing in the same group as Kuntz and was two-under through four holes. He sprinkled in nine pars and five bogeys the rest of the way to shoot a three-over 73, which has him tied for 131st.

Ryan McMillan, the assistant pro at Elmhurst who is also the coach of the University of Manitoba Bisons golf team, is tied for 149th after a five-over 75.

“I tried to put no extra pressure on myself but there definitely was. You can’t avoid it,” he said. “I think I did an OK job managing that.”

McMillan was one-under through eight holes before going double-double on Nos. 9 and 10.

“I didn’t really hit any bad shots in particular. I’ve hit it in much worse spots on those holes and scored better. I think I did a pretty good job of recovering on the immediate holes after that, but it was just one of those days I didn’t have the putts falling.”

Elmhurst plays shorter than many other courses on the tour. With overnight rain to soften it up and no real wind Thursday, scoring conditions couldn’t have been better.

“I thought if the wind wasn’t blowing at all, guys were going to eat the place apart,” said McMillan.

“But it seems like the golf course is winning so far which, taking off my player hat and putting on my assistant pro hat, makes me very happy.”

A total of US$225,000 in prize money is up for grabs this week, along with valuable points in the standings. There are just five events left in the season, including this one, and the top 10 at the end of the year get their 2027 cards for the Korn Ferry Tour, which is one step below the PGA Tour.

The Manitoba Open is in year two of a five-year rotation through various courses, and this marks the first time it has been at Elmhurst since 1999. The field will be cut down to the top 60 and ties after Friday’s second round is complete.

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