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NIC ADAM \/ FREE PRESS FILES<\/p>\n
Braxton Kuntz will play his first pro tournament at his home course of Breezy Bend in August at the Manitoba Open.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the place that has supported me since I was really young, and now to be able to turn pro and compete in front of the people that have been a part of it for years is really special. I\u2019m really looking forward to it.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, Kuntz isn\u2019t getting ahead of himself. He has two big tournaments left on his personal calendar between now and then which will require his undivided attention.<\/p>\n
First up is the Canadian Men\u2019s Amateur Championship next week at Royal Ottawa Golf Club. Kuntz earned his spot by winning a record-setting four straight Manitoba Amateur titles (2021-24) and finishing tied for third at last year\u2019s national event in Saskatoon.<\/p>\n
The Canadian Amateur boasts an impressive list of past champions, including current PGA Tour players Mackenzie Hughes and Nick Taylor, as well as legends like Richard Zokol, Jim Nelford and Moe Norman. The last Manitoban to win it was Rob McMillan back in 1996.<\/p>\n
After that, Kuntz will tee it up at the prestigious U.S. Amateur Championship from Aug. 14-17 at The Olympic Club in San Francisco. He punched his ticket through a two-stage qualifying process \u2014 tying for third on July 2 in Minnesota to advance, then grabbing one of seven final spots after finishing third this past Monday in Kansas City.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s going to be a fun way to finish the amateur career,\u201d said Kuntz, who will be one of just a handful of Canadians in the field.<\/p>\n
Former U.S. Amateur champions include some of the biggest names in golf history: Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Bob Jones and Phil Mickelson.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the place that has supported me since I was really young, and now to be able to turn pro and compete in front of the people that have been a part of it for years is really special. I\u2019m really looking forward to it.\u201d\u2013Braxton Kuntz<\/p>\n
Kuntz had never attempted to qualify for the event before but made it a priority this year. That meant making the tough call to skip a shot at a fifth straight Manitoba Amateur title, which was held last week at Southwood.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey had split the U.S. Amateur qualifying into two stages. After I got through the first one, you had to pick from a few different sites (for the second) and rank them first to third choice. If I didn\u2019t get my first choice, which was Kansas City, I would have had to go to Iowa, which would have been in the middle of the Manitoba Amateur,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Kuntz still had a front-row seat at Southwood, caddying for good friend and fellow Breezy Bend member Allan McDonald, who finished sixth. Evan Nachtigall of Shilo claimed the title by three shots.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a little weird to walk around the golf course and not at least be reaching for a golf club,\u201d Kuntz said, laughing.<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t NIC ADAM \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n Braxton Kuntz won a record-setting four straight Manitoba Amateur titles between from 2021 to 2024. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u201cI would say I\u2019m happy that I played well this week (at the U.S. Amateur qualifying) because I took the week off to work on my game and am glad that paid off. I feel a lot better about my decision. And I\u2019m super happy for Evan. Such a great guy, such a good player, and I\u2019m really happy for him.\u201d<\/p>\n Kuntz, Manitoba\u2019s male golfer of the year for four consecutive years, has continued pushing to improve his game. Last fall, he was named to the men\u2019s Team Canada NextGen squad, working under national coach and fellow Winnipegger Derek Ingram and utilizing a wealth of resources and training at his disposal, including amateur events around the world.<\/p>\n In addition to sharpening his game, Kuntz has been working on the off-course challenge of raising funds. Cory Johnson, the general manager at Breezy, has been assisting in that department as well by trying to drum up local support.<\/p>\n \u201cPro golf is expensive, right?\u201d said Kuntz.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been trying to meet with a lot of business owners and build some relationships and hopefully secure some funding. So that, when I do turn pro, I can take the steps needed, compete in qualifying schools and make a good career out of it. Obviously some people have very wealthy parents and can fund it through that way, but for the majority of talented golfers, you need a whole host of people and business behind you.\u201d<\/p>\n That was certainly the case for Manitoba\u2019s top current professional, Aaron Cockerill, who worked his way up from the Canadian Tour with the help of sponsors before breaking through in 2019 on what is now the DP World Tour. The 33-year-old from Stony Mountain has earned more than $3.5 million overseas.<\/p>\n \u201cPro golf is expensive, right?\u201d\u2013Braxton Kuntz<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve sent quite a few emails and not heard a whole lot back,\u201d said Kuntz, who can be reached directly at braxtonkun25@outlook.com. \u201cIt\u2019s hard, but it\u2019s a slow process. It\u2019s not done overnight, but I\u2019m putting the work into it.\u201d<\/p>\n A strong showing at the Manitoba Open (Aug. 21-24) could speed up that process. The past three winners \u2014 Johnny Keefer, Hayden Springer and Parker Coody \u2014 are already playing PGA Tour events.<\/p>\n \u201cObviously, I\u2019m very familiar with the golf course, but it\u2019s shaping up to be a lot tougher than it usually is. They narrowed the fairways and are growing out the rough,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019ll be fun to be able to play in front of all those people that I\u2019ve gotten to know over the years.\u201d<\/p>\n Assuming he secures enough sponsorship support, Kuntz plans to enter at least two qualifying schools this fall, with the Korn Ferry Tour (PGA Tour feeder), DP World Tour and Asian Tour all in consideration.<\/p>\n \u201cDoing all three would be chaotic and expensive,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n \t\t\tThe Warm-Up<\/p>\n Winnipeg Jets Game Days<\/p>\n On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.<\/p>\n \t\t\tSign up for The Warm-Up<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t \u201cBut if I could pick one or two and get hot at the right time \u2014 that\u2019s how Aaron Cockerill got on \u2014 then hopefully I can get my card. If not, there\u2019s a lot of mini-tours I can play on down in the southern U.S., and then hopefully I\u2019ll find a place in Phoenix or Florida where I can go and keep myself sharp.\u201d<\/p>\n Fortunately, Kuntz has a strong Plan B after an excellent collegiate career. He graduated with a 3.96 GPA in finance and received Ball State\u2019s medal of excellence. He also helped lead the Cardinals to a pair of second-place team finishes while being their top scorer.<\/p>\n \u201cMy parents always told me academics are just as important as athletics and you gotta have a backup plan. So I put a lot of effort into that as well,\u201d said Kuntz.<\/p>\n \u201cSo I come out of school with a good-looking degree, a pretty decent resum\u00e9 and, in the end, if golf doesn\u2019t work out, I can hopefully get an attractive job. But right now I\u2019m fully in on golf. Pretty big next six weeks for me. Two national championships and then my first pro start-up. I\u2019m pretty excited.\u201d<\/p>\n mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca<\/p>\n X and Bluesky: @mikemcintyrewpg<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Mike McIntyre 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Mike produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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