Results
A chilly morning with slightly wet course conditions from the previous evening's rain turned into a beautiful day of mini golf.
Justin Gutche went out in the first group and shot a 46 in the first round to set the standard. He followed it up with a 50 in the 2nd round. 3-time Miniest winner Shawn Brown shot a 47 in the 2nd round to set up a rematch between last year's top 2. First-time Miniest competitor and numerous winner of mini golf tournaments, Matthew Kraus, went into the final round 7 strokes off the lead but with 10 2s in the final round, including the last 4 holes, he caught up to Justin to force a playoff. In the 2-hole playoff on Holes #1 & #2, Matthew shot a 2 and nearly aced the 2nd hole to win 4-5 to take home the top spot. Matthew becomes the 5th winner in the tournament's 7-year history and the first competitor in the American Mini Golf Alliance (AMA) to win first place in all three scoring tiers in a single season. Tom Loftus took 3rd by one stroke with a final round of 48, including an ace on the final hole of the tournament. Shawn Brown was one stroke behind, and Derek Hartmann had an impressive 46 in the final round.
In the amateur division, Jason Podany shot an impressive 53 and 59 to win the top spot by a stroke. Owen Pendleton almost caught Jason with a 51 in the 2nd round. Owen took home 2nd in the amateur division and the top spot in the junior division again. Andrea Pendleton won 3rd in the amateur division, the top spot in the women's division, and won a playoff against 3 pros on Hole #4 to win the prize for most aces through 2 rounds.
Pro Results including hole-by-hole scoring
Pro Skins Game (Saturday) results. Derek Hartmann $95 and Mick Cullen $40
Tournament Info
AMA Scoring Tier | Region: White | Midwest
Rounds: 2 (amateur & pro) & 3 (top 12 pro play a 3rd round)
Time: Practice at 7:30am. Tournament start at 8:30am after rules meeting
Format: Individual strokeplay
Course(s) Played: Only one course - Lilli Putt
Divisions: Pro, Amateur, Junior, Women
Entry Fee(s): Pro $40 & Amateur $30
Registration: Options will be available HERE. Deadline for registration is Sat. Oct. 3rd
Overall Purse: $735
Ball: Golf ball only
Exceptions from Standard AMA Rules: No OB penalty on stroke penalty on #10. Other course-specific rules can be found at https://acoupleofputts.com/open and shared in the rules meeting
Additional Details
There will be no qualifying period again for the 7th year of the Miniest Mini Golf Open. We will have both a pro and amateur division with two rounds being played by all
Pros will all start at Hole #1 and amateurs will start at Hole #9.
Top 12 pros will play a 3rd round to determine the top finishing places in that division.
The course record is 45, and the two-round record is 94. These records were set in the 2024 final. The top pro scores will be in the mid 40s to low 50
Pro players will be eligible to enter a 4-person cash skins round (provided by A Couple of Putts) to be held on Saturday, October 3rd, in advance. Entries to be drawn into the cash skins game will be based on how early a player enters. The purse is provided by A Couple of Putts and is $5 a hole for the front 9, and $10 for the back 9.
Pros and amateurs will compete for a prize for most aces through 2 rounds
Full details, including the the entry fee, purse, prizes, practice rates, and more will be updated at acoupleofputts.com/open closer to the event.