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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMIKE DEAL \/ FREE PRESS
\nWinnipeg golfer, Braxton Kuntz, on the first hole at Elmhurst Golf and Country Club on the first day of the Manitoba Open. Kuntz finished the open tied for 56th among the 156 players who teed it up for the tournament.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been fortunate to compete against some great players and hold my own. This was another good learning experience for me, and I\u2019m just going to take it and run with it. I\u2019m sure I\u2019m one of the youngest, if not the youngest, in this field, so I\u2019ve got a long road ahead of me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kuntz finished tied for 56th among the 156 players who teed it up at Elmhurst. Sunday\u2019s round included a costly quadruple bogey on the 15th hole as his drive sailed into the trees and he had to hack his way out.<\/p>\n
\u201cI tend to focus on the negative sometimes. I\u2019m a bit of a perfectionist. So a little disappointed in how I finished,\u201d said Kuntz.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut at the same time I made it to the weekend and that\u2019s great. if I look back a week ago and thought I\u2019d be playing golf on Sunday I\u2019d be pretty happy with that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kuntz said his favourite part of the Manitoba Open was getting to play in front of big crowds which included plenty of family and friends.<\/p>\n
\u201cKnowing people are in my corner even if I\u2019m not having a good day is always nice,\u201d he said. \u201cThey stuck around and watched me to the end even though I was a million over par (on Sunday). That says something. I really appreciate the support.\u201d<\/p>\n
Next up for Kuntz is qualifying school for the DP World Tour, where fellow Manitoba Aaron Cockerill has become a regular in recent years. That will be held next month in Germany.<\/p>\n
Kuntz wasn\u2019t the only local golfer making waves.<\/p>\n
Marco Trstenjak, who plays out of Elmhurst, finished tied for second at the North Dakota Open which was held in Fargo. He was 18-under over his 54-holes, two shots behind the winner, and cashed a cheque of US$6,150. This event is part of The Dakotas Tour, which attracts professionals from across North America.<\/p>\n
Moving over to Ontario, the trio of Evan Nachtigall, Jordy Lutz and David Spurr led Manitoba to the Inter-Provincial Team title at the Canadian Men\u2019s Mid-Amateur. And Nachtigall nearly won the individual event, finishing alone in second, a stroke behind now four-time champion Garrett Rank.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \u201cI think if you see the way golf in Manitoba is trending, the way the guys competed at the Mid-Am, Marco, I think it\u2019s great,\u201d said Kuntz.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a good handful of elite-level Canadian golfers coming out of Manitoba now and I\u2019m excited what the province turns into in the next five, 10 years.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t Nachtigall, Lutz and Spurr are also Elmhurst members. Speaking of which, the course itself can take a bow after being front and centre by hosting the Manitoba Open for the first time since 1999.<\/p>\n There was plenty of praise from competitors, despite the fact overall scoring was relatively high compared to typical events on the tour including prevoius ones here held at other facilities.<\/p>\n The best single round of the week was just six-under, and the winning 72-hole score of 14-under speaks volumes about Elmhurst.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a tough course and the pins are just so difficult,\u201d said Kuntz. \u201cI\u2019ve played a lot of tournaments and I don\u2019t think I\u2019ve seen pins this tough,. They did a great job making this a tough test.\u201d<\/p>\n winnipegfreepress.com\/mikemcintyre<\/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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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGOLF CANADA
\nManitobans David Spurr, Evan Nachtigall and Jordy Lutz won the the Inter-Provincial Team title at the Canadian Men\u2019s Mid-Amateur golf championship at Brantford Golf & Country Club in Brantford, Ont. on Aug. 19, 2026.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Reporter
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