Kuntz pulls off Amateur threepeat

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This article was published 22/07/2023 (1125 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OAK LAKE — Braxton Kuntz heard the cheers ahead as he waited in the rough, nearly a fairway over from the short stuff on Hole No. 18.

Ryan McMillan pumped his fist while his ball rolled the final two feet for a birdie to tie the two-time champ at the top of the Golf Manitoba men’s amateur leaderboard. Kuntz had 202 yards to go, three shots to play with, a six-iron in hand and a racing heart.

Like he’d been there before, he erred on the side of caution, then pitched to seven feet. For the third straight year, Kuntz birdied the 18th hole and became the third player to win three straight provincial men’s titles at Oak Island Resort on Saturday.

“Relieving. I’ve been so nervous for the past hour. It’s nice to see my heart rate slow down for once,” Kuntz said. “I’m really proud of what I accomplished this week to be able to grind it out and make some putts when it mattered.”

Only Todd Fanning (1990-92) and R.J. Reith (1933-35) have claimed three consecutive men’s amateur crowns in the event’s 102-year run.

Kuntz, who plays out of Breezy Bend Country Club in Headingley, learned from 2021 when adrenalin hit and he airmailed the 16th green out of bounds to make the last two holes more interesting than he would have liked.

After intentionally hooking his drive right for a better angle into the green, as he did all week, Kuntz clubbed down to ensure he didn’t miss long and leave a tougher downhill chip.

McMillan did that in the group ahead, then made a terrific up and down for birdie. He fired a 4-under 68 to put the pressure on but could only stand and watch as his final chance — for now — at an amateur title evaporated.

“You’re never wishing for someone to miss but I obviously would have liked to have gone an extra hole or two and seen what could have happened,” said McMillan.

“It was awesome. I always love competing. I always love being in that situation. I just embrace it, rather than hide away from it. There were a couple of putts on the back nine that I wish went in, but to make that on 18, make that up and down in general, that chip was hard.”

The Winnipeg native will become a professional at Elmhurst Golf and Country Club following the Canadian men’s amateur. That event runs Aug. 7-10 at the Pulpit Club in Caledon, Ont.

McMillan will close his amateur career as part of Manitoba’s Willingdon Cup team, along with Kuntz and Brandon’s Evan Nachtigall.

He’ll have a good friend and Pulpit Club member Keaton Veilette caddying for a hopefully memorable week.

“Take everything I can in. I know I’m good enough to be up there in that so just play as well as I can,” he said. “It’s sad but I also know that golf is my career and I have other things to do in it. I’ll play on the CPGA level, which is A-OK with me. It was my last hurrah. I came here, I’ve had good finishes in the am and this was one where I was like ‘I really want to win this one.’”

Nachtigall made a charge up the leaderboard, pouring in five birdies for a front-nine 31. However, he bogeyed the next two holes and remained 3 under on the day to finish sixth. He got the third spot because Fanning (third, 7 under) declined while Bailey Bjornson and Chris Knoop (T4, 6 under) live in British Columbia and Saskatchewan, respectively.

“The last two years, I’ve missed (the last quota spot) by one shot each year. To finally do it, it feels good,” Nachtigall said. “I was hitting the ball no better than I did the rest of the week but finally started to see the putts go in.

“I know what I’m capable of. I knew I could go out and compete this week and I was confident enough to honestly win it, as silly as that might sound to some.”

Kuntz checked the leaderboard at the turn to see McMillan tied at the top after four birdies on the front.

He responded with a birdie on the 11th hole, where McMillan nearly fell off the pace. His ball embedded about three centimetres below the ground beside a sprinkler head and was found on the brink of being declared lost due to the three-minute maximum search time.

Kuntz got a break two holes later when he drove his cart past his ball to scout out his landing area for a layup. That is typically a two-stroke penalty — one McMillan was assessed at the 2021 men’s amateur — but Golf Manitoba amended its rules this year to afford players one lifetime warning.

“I didn’t know that was a rule. It makes sense, but yeah, I won’t be doing that again,” Kuntz chuckled.

The NCAA Division I golfer, who has transferred to Ball State in Indiana from Louisiana’s Nicholls State, made a few steady pars, then an incredible sand save on the 17th, dripping a 20-footer over the edge to give himself a chance to win without extra holes.

“It was a mental battle out there (Saturday),” Kuntz said. “I knew my ball striking, especially off the tee just wasn’t my best. To be able to have some good shots, good recoveries and still grind out some pars when it mattered … I’m so happy I could make those to close it out.”

With the win, Kuntz earned an exemption into the PGA Tour Canada’s Manitoba Open at Southwood Golf and Country Club on Aug. 24-27. He missed the cut by a shot last year and already has the green light from Ball State coach Mike Fleck to play this year before moving to Muncie.

Brandon’s Zostrianos Giordani-Gross shot 75 to move up to 17th place at 5 over. Brandon’s Drew Jones finished T18 with Dauphin’s Thomas Scott and Carberry’s Joel Baron. Former Brandon Wheat King Nolan Ritchie ended in 23rd at 7 over on the week.

Wheat City’s Ryan McKean aced the par-3 third hole — the third hole-in-one of his life — en route to a T47 finish.

tfriesen@brandonsun.com

Twitter: @thomasmfriesen