Results
Recap by organizer Mick Cullen
The 3rd Annual AMA Rosebud Open featured a field of 16 players for the second straight year, including a few first-time AMA competitors and a slew of returning players. Tournament director Mick Cullen got off to a strong start with a 36 in round 1. His son Xavier sat one stroke back with an opening 37 in his first competitive round in nearly a year, while Tim Wittig and Justin Gutche shot 38 and Tom Schweiss rounded out the top five with a 39.
In round 2, Schweiss’s 36 pulled him within a stroke of the lead, as did Justin Gutche with a 37. Mick Cullen’s 38 was good enough to keep him in 1st place heading into the final round, with Wittig and Xavier Cullen tied 3 strokes back. Five players were therefore separated by a total of 3 shots heading into the last 18.
Wittig and Xavier Cullen faded in the final round, but Gutche, Schweiss, and Mick Cullen remained close at the top of the leaderboard. An astounding roll out of the middle chute on the par-3 5th gave Gutche the only ace on that hole in Rosebud Open history (138 attempts) to tie him with Mick Cullen at the top, with Schweiss still within striking distance, three shots back.
Gutche fell a shot back when his usual play under the bridge on the par-2 7th left him with a bogey to Mick Cullen’s par, but Mick dropped a shot on the 9th to square it up again, with Schweiss still hanging around, 2 strokes back. All three leaders traded deuces on the 10th, 11th, and 12th holes, the calm before a rollercoaster finish. Mick aced the 13th to take the lead, but a wayward tee shot on the 14th went out of bounds and he ended up taking a 4 to Gutche’s 2 and Schweiss’s 3, putting Justin up by 1 over Mick and 3 over Tom.
Tom aced the 15th, followed by a two by Justin, but Mick rebounded with an ace of his own to tie for first once again, with Schweiss still two shots back. Mick followed it up with another hole-in-one at the 16th to retake the lead, but Justin aced the 17th to tie the pair up heading into the final hole. They both took a two to finish at -18, Schweiss finished in third (-15) and the co-leaders headed to a three-hole aggregate-score playoff.
The 7th, 8th, and 9th holes of Wisconsin Adventure are the three toughest, playing to averages of 3.17, 3.00, and 2.52 on tournament day. The 7th offers a riskier tee shot with ace potential or a safer path that leaves a long, tough shot for two. Mick took the riskier bridge shot and secured himself a two, while Justin’s safer play culminated in a three. After they traded threes on the long and challenging 8th, they headed to #9, where players must play a tricky break to slide between a wedge and a wheel of cheese toward the hole. Mick navigated it for a safe two, leaving Justin in need of an ace to tie it up. His putt slid just over the right edge to make Mick the first two-time champion in Rosebud Open history.
Mick took the first prize of $125, with Justin netting $75 and Tom Schweiss claiming $50. Mick tied both the tournament aces record (8) and he and Justin both matched the Rosebud’s all-time low score (111) as well. Tom Loftus was the low-scoring Rosebud rookie at -10, and Michael Mackowski (+1) was the low scorer among the three players making their overall AMA debut.
The weather was beautiful and sunny, in the upper 70s. It was cloudy in the later rounds, which is nice because the Wisconsin Adventure course at America’s Action Territory has zero shade from the sun.
Tournament Info
AMA Scoring Tier & Region: Red | Midwest
Rounds: 3
Time: Practice - 11am | Rules Meeting - 11:20am | Start - 11:30am
Format: Individual Stroke Play
Course(s) Played: Wisconsin Adventure (course on south side of property with windmill hole)
Divisions: Pro
Entry Fee: $40
Registration: Payment can be made online at paypal.me/mcminimasters or by check/money order sent to:
M.C. Mini Masters Minigolf LLC
1686 Centennial Dr.
Antioch, IL 60002
Overall Purse:$250 + trophies and prizes for 1st through 3rd
Ball: Golf ball only
Exception from Standard AMA Rules: None noted
Additional Details
3 rounds on the Wisconsin Adventure course at America's Action Territory in Kenosha, WI. Guaranteed prize of $125 for first place, $75 for second place, and $50 for third place, and a trophy for most holes-in-one.
The tournament is organized by M.C. Mini Masters Minigolf, directed by Mick Cullen and Lisa Curran. This is the 3rd year of the tournament.
Cash prize for the winner will be based on the number of entries received. Trophies for 1st through 3rd place!
Payment can be made online at paypal.me/mcminimasters or by check/money order sent to:
M.C. Mini Masters Minigolf LLC
1686 Centennial Dr.
Antioch, IL 60002