Kuntz sets sights on Manitoba golf history

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This article was published 21/05/2024 (836 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Braxton Kuntz, the three-time reigning Manitoba men’s amateur champion, stepped up to the first tee box at Rossmere on Tuesday morning and striped a powerful drive far down the perfectly-groomed fairway.

It was a fitting way for the 2024 provincial golf season to officially get underway, considering Kuntz will try to become the first to win four consecutive Manitoba Amateur titles when the storied East Kildonan track hosts the event July 22-24.

“I expect to play well come Amateur time,” the 20-year-old Winnipegger told the Free Press of his own lofty expectations. “I just want to go out there and play loose and have fun out there. As much as I expect myself to perform well, I don’t really want to put too much pressure on myself.”

Fresh off completing his third year off college (two at Nicholls State University, the most recent at Ball State University in Indiana), Kuntz put on quite a show Tuesday as Golf Manitoba launched the new campaign by holding a media day. Safe to say he left all the scribes in his dust.

“Just got off a pretty good season at college, have been playing a lot of golf all spring. I’ve got to go no excuses to be rusty this year,” Kuntz joked.

His quest for provincial golf history will be one of the main storylines in what should be an action-packed few months on the local golf calendar.

“We’re kicking off our competitive season this weekend with the match play (qualifier in Winkler) and we’ve got just an amazing lineup of golf courses this year that have been generous enough to give up their tee sheet,” said Golf Manitoba executive director Jared Ladobruk.

“We’re really looking forward to that, and being at Rossmere, there’s just a ton of history here. We saw today, it’s going to be a test in July.”

Indeed, there’s a rich links history in this province, one Ladobruk and company hope to keep building starting at the grassroots level through the type of events they put on annually. The hope, of course, is that at least a few players eventually rise to the occasion.

“That top level is important. It inspires the next generation. It shows them from this climate we can have that level of talent,” said Ladobruk. “We want to assist those young people who want to take their game to the next level and give them every opportunity to be right there.”

A prime example would be Stony Mountain’s Aaron Cockerill, who cut his teeth locally and is now enjoying great success playing on the DP World Tour where he currently sits 19th-overall on the 2024 money list (more than C$700,000 in earnings this season).

“To see him playing there and have that Manitoba affiliation is important,” said Ladobruk.

Players like Kuntz and Marco Trstenjak (2020 Amateur winner) represent the next wave looking to make a big splash. Both are expected to turn pro within the next year after finishing up their schooling.

“I’ve definitely seen my game take strides over the last few months. Just with the courses I’ve been playing in college and how difficult they are. It’s showing me what game I need I have to take it to the pro level,” said Kuntz, who will enter his senior year in the fall.

“I think these next 12 months are really going to prove if I can turn pro. I’m going to do the best I can to work hard and try to have some good solid finishes and try to build off of that.”

He’s staring at a major opportunity two weeks from now in the form of the final qualifying stage for the 2024 U.S. Open, where approximately 100 golfers will be competing for approximately 10 spots in Toronto. Fellow Manitobans Eric Hawerchuk (son of Jets legend Dale) and Austin Dobrescu will also be in the field.

“I definitely have expectations, but I’m just going to try and go out there and have fun. It’s one day, anything can happen,” said Kuntz. “If I can get hot, might just be able to have a pretty interesting next few weeks.”

The state of Canadian golf has never been better, with superstar Brooke Henderson leading the way for the women and the likes of Nick Taylor (28th), Corey Conners (50th), Adam Hadwin (55th), Taylor Pendrith (61st), MacKenzie Hughes (68th) and Adam Svensson (86th) all regulars on the PGA Tour.

The trickle-down effect is felt here in Manitoba.

“It’s definitely reason to be optimistic. It shows me that if I keep working hard I might be able to get to the same spot they’re in,” said Kuntz, who hopes to earn his way into the PGA Tour Canada’s Manitoba Open at Southwood for a third time later this summer (Aug. 22-25).

Golf enjoyed a huge spike in participation during the pandemic, one that is continuing to this day. Quantity never hurts in the quest for quality.

“Last year we had a record amount of scores posted by players who keep a handicap index, so that would be a good indicator that participation is still strong,” said Ladobruk.

“And we’re hearing it from our member clubs that they’re full, there’s still wait lists, the first tee is steaming at the end of the day. That’s a good thing. We’ll keep doing what we do, and hopefully our participation in championships grows, which would be a nice by-product from that.”

So, too, would be a stretch of incredible golfing weather to stretch out a too-short season.

“There’s so many additional benefits to golf that we’re working to highlight, to showcase some of the health benefits that come along with golf,” said Ladobruk. “The social, the mental health, the physical health. For some, stress relief, For some, it causes stress.”

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

X: @mikemcintyrewpg