Results
The trend of non-Minnesotans winning the Looniest Mini Golf Opens continues. After coming close in 2025, Derek Hartmann holds onto his lead to take home the top spot. Derek’s 2nd round of 38 was the only sub-40 round for the 2026 tournament. Bryan Akers did his best to close the gap in the 3rd round to a single stroke after 12 holes in his attempt to repeat as champ but was thrwarted by the tricky plateau on #15. Erik Haslius played well all day and his solid 43 in the final round helped him jump up to 3rd place.
In the amateur division, Robin Schwartzman won a sudden-death playoff on the 4th hole against Owen Pendleton. Owen won the junior division and Robin won the women’s division and the amateur aces-only round with 2 hole-in-ones in that bonus round. The pro aces-only round was decided in a playoff on Hole #8 between Shawn Brown and Mark “Highlighter” Novicki. Both made 2 hole-in-ones in the aces-only round (including an ace on #4 by Shawn). In the playoff, Highlighter made his first attempt, and Shawn’s attempt fell just a roll short.
The weather and the course conditions impacted the play and scores. Windy, slightly chilly, and dry conditions made an already challenging/fussy course even more difficult but despite that, Derek’s average of 40.7 per round is the lowest 3-round average in the tournament’s history.
Tournament Info
AMA Scoring Tier & Region: Red | Midwest
Rounds: 2 (amateur) & 3 (pro) + bonus ace only round
Time: 12 pm (registration & practice) & 1 pm (tournament start)
Format: Individual Stroke Play
Course(s) Played: Only one course - Loon’s Nest Mini Golf Course
Divisions: Pro, Amateur, Women & Youth (see below for details)
Entry Fee: Amateur - $30 | Pro - $40 (day of)
Registration: Registration form. Form includes payment options
Overall Purse:~$500 with additional gift certificates, custom trophies & prizes
Ball: Golf ball only
Exception from Standard AMA Rules: Aces only round (not counted toward overall winner’s results) will allow for any variation of shot using the putter
Additional Details
Stroke play tournament with a pro and amateur division
Detailed rules, entry fees, registration, purse, and additional information are posted on the tournament page at acoupleofputts.com/looniest.
Pro: Open to anyone. The top-round scores are expected to be in the high 30s to mid-40s. Pros will be playing for trophies, medals, prizes, AMA scoring points, and a cash purse.
Amateur: Players newer to the competitive putting game or who have not finished in the top 3 of local or regional mini golf/golf events in the last 2 years. If you won the amateur division in the previous year, you are not eligible to play in the pro Amateur competitors will be playing for trophies, medals, prizes, and AMA scoring points.
Overview and photos of the course