COOL-HEAD KUNTZ: Junior captures second Manitoba golf major

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This article was published 18/07/2021 (1718 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

NEEPAWA — Braxton Kuntz toed the line between crushing collapse and sweet redemption on Sunday.

The 17-year-old was 17 under after 64 holes of the provincial men’s amateur golf championship, four shots clear of Ryan Sholdice with one hand on the trophy. An hour later, he had his ball jump left off his approach wedge, not more than a foot out of bounds on the 16th hole. His lead evaporated.

But the Winnipegger calmly collected himself, took his bogey and carried on, knowing he’d have a chance to make it up.

That came on the 72nd and final hole. Sholdice left his 35-foot birdie bid short, opening the door for Kuntz to end it with a putt almost exactly as long. Sure enough, the kid stepped up and nailed it, a no-doubter in the heart of the cup, drawing a roar from the newly allowed crowd at Neepawa Golf and Country Club.

Just 11 days after capturing the provincial junior men’s title at Shilo Country Club, Kuntz fired 4-under 68 to win Manitoba’s flagship event in dramatic fashion at a gaudy 16-under par.

“After I put it OB on 16, which was definitely a shock to me, I’m like ‘Yeah, I got to refocus here and I was fortunately able to do so,” Kuntz said, adding he was confident about the final putt.

“… I wasn’t leaving it short. I really wanted to make it but didn’t want to hit it too far by, obviously. It went in with some pace so I’m really happy it dropped.”

Sholdice entered the final round one shot ahead of Kuntz at 13 under. The Cypress River product, who now lives in Stonewall, opened with a pair of bogeys before settling in to pour some pressure on the youngster. He rattled off three birdies in four holes, including the ultra-tough sixth, to close the front nine 1 under.

Still, he was two back by then as Kuntz raced out in 4-under 32 with an eagle at the seventh. Kuntz birdied the 10th, Sholdice bogeyed the 11th and it appeared all but over. Kuntz was executing his game plan to perfection with just two dropped shots all week.

“I knew I was behind by one, so I didn’t have a big lead or anything,” Kuntz said of his approach to the day. “I tried to play pretty much the same clubs off the tee as I did every other day. I didn’t fire at pins as much on the back nine because I was up by a few but I tried to just give myself good looks at birdie and I was able to capitalize on a few of them.”

Sholdice nearly drove the green on the 394-yard 13th hole, setting up a birdie. Kuntz found a fairway bunker at 14, forcing a bogey.

Then came the shot no one expected at 16.

“I had the exact same yardage as I did on the par 3, Hole No. 12. I hit an (approach) wedge there, pin-high, perfect, so I was like ‘OK, I’ll do the same thing,” Kuntz said. “Obviously I was a little amped up, it’s coming down to the final few holes so I had the adrenalin going. I don’t know if I flew the green but I knew it was really firm there.

“I definitely was a little shocked, I didn’t expect to pull that one off but you can’t do anything to change it at that point.”

Sholdice stuffed his approach to 10 feet for eagle and a chance to take the lead, but missed. As it turned out, a pair of routine pars to finish wasn’t quite enough. Watching Kuntz drain a bomb to win made a runner-up finish easier to take in his return to the amateur after six years away.

“That was good, for sure. That was an unreal putt to make on the last hole,” said Sholdice, who plays out of Breezy Bend Country Club in Headingley. “It was fun for sure, especially the competitive part, that’s why I wanted to come back. That’s why I went to Breezy three years ago to play Mundie Putter and it’s been good.”

Neepawa yielded a few low numbers, but just four players finished below par, including Brandon’s Drew Jones in solo fourth place at 3 under following a 73 Sunday. Winnipeg’s Jacob Armstrong had a front-row seat to the showdown, starting eight shots back and casually shooting 68 to stay alone in third at 9 under.

Neepawa superintendent Mark Kerkowich posted 71 to slide up to a tie for seventh, while Brandon’s Evan Nachtigall shot 75 and finished 12th.

Kuntz capped off a short but unforgettable season. He became the first player since Mike Keast in 2002 to win both the men’s junior and amateur in the same season, and will undoubtedly be crowned Golf Manitoba’s male player of the year.

“This week was definitely some of the best I’ve played,” Kuntz said.

“It’s meant a lot, just because I’ve only had a couple of tournaments this year with COVID and I’m leaving early for university so these were the two big tournaments for me to come after and I’ve been towards them since April so to be able to perform well … I’m happy about it.”

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