Nott Autocorp Men’s Amateur set for fantastic finish at Oak Island Golf
Brian Munz
Five players are separated by just two strokes heading into the final round of the Nott Autocorp Men’s Amateur Championship at Oak Island Golf.
Two time defending champion Braxton Kuntz shot a three under par 69 Friday to sit atop of the leaderboard at eight under par 136.
The Breezy Bend Country Club member has a one stroke lead on Bailey Bjornson of British Columbia’s Northview Golf & Country Club (70-67-137).
Three players are tied for third place including Niakwa Country Club’s Todd Fanning, Chris Knoop of Saskatchewan’s Hillcrest Golf Club and Elmhurst Golf and Country Club’s Ryan McMillan.
Following today’s second round, the field was cut to the low 60 players and ties, as well any players within ten strokes of first place.
For live scoring on the Manitoba Blue Cross leaderboard, click here.
As an extra incentive, this year’s champion will be awarded an exemption into the CentrePort Canada Rail Park Manitoba Open, August 24-27 at Southwood Golf & Country Club.
Kuntz sets the bar in opening round of Nott Autocorp Men’s Amateur Championship
Brian Munz
Two time defending champion Braxton Kuntz of Breezy Bend Country Club shot a five under par 67 to sit atop of the Manitoba Blue Cross leaderboard after the opening round of the Nott Autocorp Men’s Amateur Championship at Oak Island Golf.
Kuntz made five birdies and 13 pars en route to a one stroke lead over Ryan McMillan of Elmhurst Golf & Country Club.
Five players are tied for third place, three strokes back of Kuntz. They include Bailey Bjornson of British Columbia, Elmhurst’s Jordy Lutz, Evan Nachtigall of Wheat City Golf Course, Curtis Markusson of St. Charles Country Club and Niakwa Country Club member Todd Fanning.
This year’s championship is a 54 hole Stroke Play competition. After 36 holes, the field will be cut to the low 60 players and ties as well any players within ten (10) strokes of first place.
For live scoring on the Manitoba Blue Cross leaderboard, click here.
As an extra incentive, this year’s champion will be awarded an exemption into the CentrePort Canada Rail Park Manitoba Open, August 24-27 at Southwood Golf & Country Club.
PREVIEW | Nott Autocorp Men’s Amateur at Oak Island Golf
Brian Munz
103 competitors are in the field for the 2023 Nott Autocorp Men’s Amateur Championship set to tee off Thursday morning at Oak Island Golf.
First off the tee at 7:00am is two time defending champion Braxton Kuntz of Breezy Bend Country Club. He will be joined in the opening group by Elmhurst Golf & Country Club members Ryan McMillan and 2020 champion Marco Trstenjak.
“I think it will be a lot of fun, we all know each other real well and with no one ahead of us its a great way to start” said Kuntz. “The course is in perfect shape so I’m looking forward to playing with them.”
Only two other men have won the Amateur Championship in three consecutive years (Todd Fanning 1990, 91, 92 and R.J. Reith 1935, 36, 37).
“It’s definitely something I want to do and something I’ve been working towards” added Kuntz. “Being able to win it the last couple of years is one of my greatest accomplishments so I’ve been happy to be able to perform well but at the same time I don’t wanna put to much pressure on myself.”
“I’m pretty happy with how I’m hitting it over the past couple weeks. Right now I’m just putting some finishing touches on it to get ready for Thursday morning. As we all know golf is weird, one day it can completely be different than another so you just gotta take it one shot at a time.”
This year’s championship is a 54 hole Stroke Play competition. After 36 holes, the field will be cut to the low 60 players and ties as well any players within ten (10) strokes of first place.
For Thursday’s opening round tee times, click here.
For live scoring on the Manitoba Blue Cross leaderboard, click here.
Competitors taking part by Member Club:
Bridges Golf Course – 1 Breezy Bend Country Club – 7 Carman Golf & Curling Club – 2 Dauphin Lake Golf Club – 2 Elmhurst Golf & Country Club – 13 Glenboro Golf & Country Club – 1 Glendale Golf & Country Club – 1 Golf Manitoba Public Players Club – 22 Larters at St. Andrew’s Golf & Country Club – 1 Lorette Golf Course – 1 Neepawa Golf & Country Club – 1 Niakwa Country Club – 7 Oak Island Golf – 4 Pine Ridge Golf Club – 5 Portage Golf Club – 1 Red Lake Area Golf & Country Club – 1 Rossmere Country Club – 3 Shilo Country Club – 7 Southwood Golf & Country Club – 1 St. Boniface Golf Club – 3 St. Charles Country Club – 6 Steinbach Fly-In – 2 Wheat City Golf Course – 3 Whitewater Golf Club – 2 Winkler Centennial Golf Club – 1 Deer Valley Golf Course (Saskatchewan) – 1 Hillcrest Golf Club (Saskatchewan) – 1 Legends Golf Club (Saskatchewan) – 1 Madge Lake Golf Course (Saskatchewan) – 1 Riverside Golf Club (Saskatchewan) – 1 Northview Golf & Country Club (British Columbia) – 2
Kuntz sets Golf Manitoba record enroute to Nott Autocorp Men’s Amateur Championship
Brian Munz
Braxton Kuntz of Breezy Bend Country Club earned his second consecutive Nott Autocorp Men’s Amateur Championship Saturday night.
Kuntz shot a 4 over 75 in his final round to finish at 209, good for a two stroke victory over Marco Trstenjak of the host Elmhurst Golf & Country Club.
Along with his pair of Amateur victories, Kuntz is the first player in Golf Manitoba history to win back to back Junior Boys Championships. During those 4 combined events, he finished at -30 under par.
Trstenjak carded an even par 71 in his final round to finish at 211.
For the complete Manitoba Blue Cross leaderboard, click here.
In claiming the Nott Autocorp Men’s Amateur Championship, Kuntz receives a sponsors exemption to complete in the CentrePort Canada Railpark Manitoba Open August 18-21 at Southwood Golf & Country Club
Kuntz leads by 6 strokes entering Saturday’s final round of the Nott Autocorp Men’s Amateur
Brian Munz
Braxton Kuntz of Breezy Bend Country Club carded his second consecutive 4 under par 67 and has a 6 stroke lead on Marco Trstenjak of the host Elmhurst Golf & Country Club entering Saturday’s final round of the Nott Autocorp Men’s Amateur Championship.
Trstenjak shot a 3 under par 68 Friday.
Justin McDonald, also of Breezy Bend, who sits third on the leaderboard, tied Kuntz’s low round of the day at 67.
For the complete Manitoba Blue Cross leaderboard, click here.
Kuntz carries Junior Boys Championship momentum into Nott Autocorp Men’s Amateur
Brian Munz
Defending Champion Braxton Kuntz, of Breezy Bend Country Club, opened with back to back birdies on his scorecard at Elmhurst Golf & Country Club and went on to shoot a 4 under par 67 in the Nott Autocorp Men’s Amateur Championship.
Kuntz shot a 3 under 32 on the front nine and followed it up with a 1 under par 35 on the back.
Two strokes back on the Manitoba Blue Cross leaderboard is Nathan Wazney, of the host course, who went 36-33 for a 2 under par 69.
Breezy Bend’s Eric Johnson was the only other player to break par at 1 under 70.
For the complete Manitoba Blue Cross leaderboard, click here.
147 competitors are registered in the 111th playing of the Nott Autocorp Men’s Amateur Championship.
Defending champion, and two time Junior Boys Champion Braxton Kuntz of Breezy Bend Country Club will be in the opening group to tee off at 7:00.
Kuntz, coming off an 11 stroke victory last week at St. Charles Country Club in the Junior Boys Championship presented by the Alex & Peggy Colonello Foundation, edged fellow Breezy Bend member Ryan Sholdice by 1 stroke last year at the Neepawa Golf & Country Club.
With this year’s championship decided over 54 holes, the field will be cut following two rounds to the low 60 and ties as well as any players within 10 strokes of first place.
The 2022 Nott Autocorp Men’s Amateur Champion will also be given an exemption into the Manitoba Open, August 18-21 at Southwood Golf & Country Club.
For the Nott Autocorp Men’s Amateur opening round tee times, click here.
Golf Manitoba(Winnipeg, MB) – Marco Trstenjak of the Elmhurst Golf & Country Club has won the 2020 Nott Autocorp Men’s Amateur Championship.
The 8th hole at the Glendale Golf & Country Club
It was a sunny but windy day the Glendale Golf & Country Club for the final round of the 2020 Nott Autocorp Men’s Amateur Championship. Rain overnight coupled with a strong west wind pushed the scoring average up to 80.76, almost a full three strokes higher than the previous day of 78.05. Despite the conditions, it did not bother the steady play of Trstenjak.
Trstenjak started the day in a tie for the lead at 2-under par with 2020 Manitoba Junior Men’s runner-up, Braxton Kuntz of the Breezy Bend Country Club. Trstenjak would not give up the top spot throughout the entire last round while on his way to an even par round of 72. Trstenjak, the only player to break par for the 72-hole event, played a steady final round that included 3 bogeys matched by 3 birdies that were good enough for a 3-shot win. Kuntz started off slow by going out with a 2-over par opening nine of 37 and continued to falter on the back to finish with an 81 and in a tie for fourth spot overall. 2020 Junior Men’s Champion Neel Soni of the St. Charles Country Club was the only competitor to make a move against Trstenjak’s lead finishing with a 1-under par round of 71. Soni was the only player to break par in the final round on the wind-stricken Glendale Golf & Country Club track that helped propel him into a solo second finish. Defending champion Colwyn Abgrall of the Southwood Golf & Country Club continued his steady play posting a 1-over par round of 73, moving him into the medals with a third place finish.
It is the first men’s amateur title for Marco Trstenjak.
Golf Manitoba would like to sincerely thank Trevor Nott and Nott Autocorp for their continued support as the title sponsor of this event!
Golf Manitoba also wishes to extend a sincere thank you to the membership, management and staff at both our host clubs who really helped to make this event a major success! Thank you to PGA of Canada head professional Geoff Kehler and his team at the Minnewasta Golf & Country Club. Thank you also to PGA of Canada professional and general manager James Chapman and his team at the Glendale Golf & Country Club. We could not have done this without the skill, patience and support of all those involved at our host clubs. Thank you!
Special thanks also to Golf Manitoba performance partners Eric Johnson of TaylorMade Golf Canada and Paige Lawrence of adidas golf Canada for their support of our provincial championships.
And last but not least, thank you to all the competitors for your support and your fine play this past week!!!
Recap: Round three of the 2020 Nott Autocorp Men’s Amateur Championship
Golf Manitoba (Morden, MB) – It was moving day at the Glendale Golf & Country Club for the third round of the 2020 Nott Autocorp Men’s Amateur Championship. Braxton Kuntz of Breezy Bend Country Club and Marco Trstenjak of Elmhurst Golf & Country Club will head into Sunday’s fourth and final round tied for the lead at 2-under par 214 shooting 76 and 73 respectively. In third place is Justin McDonald of Breezy Bend at 1-under par for the event after shooting a 1-over 73. Defending champion Colwyn Abgrall of the Southwood Golf & Country Club and Curtis Markusson of St. Charles Country Club are tied at 4th at 1-over par at 217. Markusson’s move into fourth place was aided by a 2-under par round of 70 that also included an ace on the 9th hole.
The move of the day goes to Connor Stewart of the Southwood Golf & Country Club who started the day at 8-over par and 14 shots back of the lead. Stewart carded a 4-under par round of 68 that included a back nine score of 32 to move him within just 6 shots of the lead and in a tie for the 8th place.
Other notables near the top include 2020 Mid-Amateur Champion Allan McDonald of Breezy Bend shooting 71 to put him in a tie for 11th at 221. 2020 Junior Men’s Champion Neel Soni of St. Charles Country Club posted 73 to move into a tie for 6th. And 2019 Men’s Amateur Champion runner-up Austin Dobrescu of the Shilo Country Club shot a 1-under par round of 71 to move him 6 shots back of the lead and also into a tie for 6th place.
Braxton Kuntz leads after 36-holes in the Nott Autocorp Men’s Amateur Championship
Golf Manitoba (Morden, MB) – Round two of the 2020 Nott Autocorp Men’s Amateur Championship was finally completed early Saturday morning at the Minnewasta Golf & Country Club. Round 2 was called late Friday afternoon due to darkness with 8 groups still on the course. After 36-holes, Braxton Kuntz of the Breezy Bend Country Club holds a 3-shot lead after posting a 4-under par round of 68 for a 36-hole total of 4-under par 138. In a tie for second place is Justin McDonald of Breezy Bend and Marco Trystenjak of Elmhurst Golf & Country Club on rounds of 71 and 68 respectively and good for a 36-hole total of 3-under par 141. Defending champion Colwyn Abgrall of Southwood Golf & Country Club sits in a tie for 6th at even par 144.
