Breezy’s Kuntz sees run fall short

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This article was published 08/08/2024 (652 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Braxton Kuntz went down swinging.

And while the 20-year-old Winnipeg golfer ultimately fell just short of winning the men’s Canadian Amateur in Saskatoon on Thursday, he can hold his head high over a truly stellar showing.

Kuntz fired a final round one-under 71 to finish the 72-hole event at 12-under par. That was good enough for a share of third place, three shots behind 16-year-old Florida sensation Tyler Mawhinney.

“To be in that position for the first time competing for a national championship, and to go out and still be decent — I mean, I was still under par every single round — it’s not like I blew it or anything,” Kuntz told the Free Press in a phone interview.

Kuntz began the day one shot behind Mawhinney, the reigning state champion in his age group and Florida’s high school golfer of the year. The deficit quickly grew to four when Mawhinney birdied the first hole, then chipped in for eagle on the second.

An errant tee shot in the woods by Mawhinney led to a triple on the third hole and brought Kuntz — who began his day with four straight pars — back into the mix. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to get any closer, with bogeys on holes 5, 10 and 15 and birdies on 7, 8, 11 and 16.

“I would have liked to take a little bit more of a run at the trophy,” admitted Kuntz.

“Just a little unstable to start the round. Got it going a little bit later. Just a couple kind of sloppy bogies in there and not enough birdies to take it low. But overall still a decent round of golf. A top five finish is pretty good in a tournament of this calibre.”

The 2023 Canadian Amateur champion, Ashton McCulloch of Ontario, finished one shot behind Mawhinney to claim runnerup status. NHL referee Garrett Rank, who plays out of Ontario, had finished two shots back at 13-under but was later disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard.

That vaulted Kuntz and Rylan Shim of Virginia into a tie for third, while Australia’s Declan O’Donovan rounded out the top five.

“The pins were definitely a little bit more difficult. The tees were back for the most part. But it wasn’t quite as windy today. I can see why some guys might have taken it a little lower,” said Kuntz, who had shot 69-67-69 through the first three rounds.

“I was still striking it pretty well. I struggled a little bit earlier in the round with the driver, but I just found that with my irons all day I was consistently pulling them 10 or 20 feet. I wasn’t really giving myself a ton of 10-foot birdie looks. It was more like those 20 and 30 footers, You can only make so many of those. Just a little off today compared to the other rounds.”

Mawhinney quickly settled into a groove after his up-and-down start and kept the rest of the field at bay.

“He kind of stepped up after that (third hole) and didn’t let it derail himself,” said Kuntz. “He just kept plugging along and made a few birdies and ended up winning. Really impressive to see how he handled the pressure. A very consistent player.”

It’s been a memorable summer for Kuntz, who made it to the final stage of U.S. Open qualifying, then won his record-setting fourth straight Manitoba Amateur last month. Now, a major jolt as the Breezy Bend member heads into this senior year of NCAA Division 1 golf at Ball State in Indiana and prepares to turn pro next spring.

“Even before the round (Thursday) I was kind of telling myself that no matter what happened there was going to be a lot of information I can take from this round going forward,” said Kuntz.

“I ended up playing decently solid and I have a lot of wisdom to take from it going forward. I can see that my game stacks up with the best amateur players in the country. I think that’s a big confidence boost. If I can keep working hard and practicing smart, I think i can see myself competing at the next level.”

A total of 264 players began the tournament, which is now in its 119th year and open to top amateurs from across the country along with players from the United States, England, Wales, Ireland, Columbia, Mexico, Australia, South Africa and China. The field was cut to 90 after 36-holes.

Ten Manitobans teed off on Monday, but only Kuntz and 2020 Manitoba Amateur champion Marco Trstenjak of Winnipeg survived the cut. Trstenjak finished tied for 74th at nine-over after rounds of 73-69-77-78.

The last Manitoban to win the Canadian Amateur was Rob McMillan in 1996.

“You see a lot of B.C., Alberta, Ontario, and a lot of internationals up there on the leaderboard,” Kuntz said of the event, which has a 119-year history.

“To be able to represent Manitoba well and put Winnipeg on the map up near the top of the leaderboard is something I’m really proud to accomplish.”

Kuntz will have one more chance to bolster his sizzling summer when he competes later this month under a sponsor’s exemption in the Manitoba Open, which is being held at Southwood (Aug. 22-25) and features the touring professionals of what is now known as PGA Tour Americas (formerly the Canadian Tour).

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

X: @mikemcintyrewpg