Broin Wraps Up Prep Career With a Win at Minnesota Senior Showcase

View full size image

 
By Nick Hunter
nick@mngolf.org
 
 
  COON RAPIDS, Minn. – Unlikely the storybook ending he was anticipating as the 2020 high school golf season approached earlier this spring, Gunnar Broin’s finish at Bunker Hills Golf Club Tuesday is the next best thing. The Colorado State University commit posted a 5-under 67 during his final competitive high school round to claim the 2020 Minnesota Senior Showcase.
 
“Even though this wasn’t the state tournament, I was playing like it was. That was my mindset. I have a lot of memories on this course and know it well,” Broin said Tuesday. “My dad was telling me that I need to let it all hang out because it’s my last one and I was so glad I could perform.
 
“I had a lot of hopes coming into today. I’ve been working on my patience and mental game—staying in it and hopefully this will propel me into my summer tournaments and keep going forward.”
 
On what would've been the opening round of the state high school tournament Tuesday, Broin started quickly by pitching inside of eight feet at the par-4 fifth hole, converting his birdie putt before hitting an 8-iron from 184 yards on the ensuing hole, leaving five feet for eagle to quickly propel him to 4-under for the championship.
 
Wedging his approach to 12 feet at the par-4 eighth hole, Broin drilled his left-to-right slider and would never look back, adding one more birdie over his final nine holes to earn a two-stroke victory over Edina’s Cole Nasby.
 
“This means a lot and hopefully proves to everyone that I was hungry and ready to take back a state title,” Broin said. “I really think Minnetonka as a team would’ve really had a good chance this year. I really wish we could see what would happen, but I guess we’ll never know.”
 
Broin got his first taste of victory at the high school level as a member of the 2016 Class AAA state championship Minnetonka team as an eighth grader, watching fellow Skipper Ben Sigel earn the individual title.
 
“I didn’t know a thing. Shot an 87 during my first round and came back and shot 76 the last round. I miss that year so much—it was probably one of the best years of my life,” Broin said, recalling his first state tournament experience.
 
He would advance to the state tournament at Bunker Hills in each of the next two seasons, but in 2019, Minnetonka failed to qualify as a team and Broin watched Mankato West’s Leo Gellert sink a long putt on the first playoff hole, abruptly ending the 2019 high school season.
 
Broin said his No. 1 focus from that moment was to lead the Skippers back to Bunker Hills during his senior season and second as team captain.
 
“That was a very big disappointment. [2020] was supposed to be my revenge season. Being so close it drove me through my summer tournaments last year and through the winter,” said Broin. “I felt like I had to prove myself, and this was a perfect opportunity for me to do that today and I felt like I made a statement, especially with [Mr. Minnesota Golf] getting cancelled. There’s a couple of guys that had a good chance at it—I really wanted to not only be a finalist, but to win.
 
“I’m not too salty about losing [on a 25-foot putt in a playoff in the section finals], but I definitely had revenge in my mind and wanted to get back this season.”
 
Broin never got the chance to comeback during his senior season as the COVID-19 pandemic erased the 2020 season before it started.
 
“The season being cancelled with COVID was probably the worst thing that could’ve happened—that came out of nowhere,” he said. “I was just shocked. I was trying not to think about it, but I was at home and couldn’t really go anywhere or do anything.
 
“My parents helped me get through it and now I think I can use it to my advantage.”
 
With his victory Tuesday, Broin earns a spot in the 2020 Boys High School Golf Invitational at Pinehurst Resort in Pinehurst Village, N.C., August 3-5. Later this fall, Broin will head west this fall to begin his collegiate career at Colorado State University.
 
“Fort Collins is unbelievable, and they have a really good golf program—top-20 in the nation and a really good coach. They have a lot of good facilities and, obviously, really good players,” he said. “I’m looking forward to the competition and working to get better. I cannot wait—if I could, I would go down there right now.”
 
Rolling in three birdies against one bogey during his front nine Tuesday, Nasby turned in 2-under for the championship. Converting three birdie chances over the first seven holes of his back nine, Nasby took a commanding lead over the field before a devastating four-putt double-bogey on the final hole dropped him to a round of 3-under 69.
 
“It was a pretty good round—putting wasn’t great, but I kept it in play for the most part and birdied all of the par-5’s, which was beneficial,” Nasby said following his round Tuesday. “I needed some putts on the last few holes to go in and had a rough last hole, but overall, it was a good round.”
 
 
 
2020 MINNESOTA SENIOR SHOWCASE
BUNKER HILLS GOLF CLUB
COON RAPIDS, MINN.
6,644 YARDS, PAR 72
 
 
TUESDAY’S FINAL BOYS RESULTS
1. Gunnar Broin, Chanhassen, 32-35—67
2. Cole Nasby, Edina., Minn., 34-35—69
3. Tony Asta, Eagan, Minn., 37-33—70
T4. Ben Warian, Stillwater, Minn., 37-34—71
T4. Gavin Cronkhite, Lakeville, Minn., 35-36—71
T4. Samuel Sadlowski, Aitkin, Minn., 37-34—71
T4. Joey Thomas, Lakeville, Minn., 37-34—71
T8. Nate Loxtercamp, Sauk Centre, Minn., 37-36—73
T8. Samuel Berger, Waconia, Minn., 36-37—73
T10. Max Thelen, Coon Rapids, Minn., 36-38—74
T10. Josh Hebrink, Elk River, Minn., 38-36—74
T10. John Tucker, Edina, Minn., 38-36—74
T10. Joe Karos, Edina, Minn., 38-36—74
T10. Ben Wagenbach, Lakeville, Minn., 36-38—74
 
 
For complete tournament results go to: https://mnpgajr.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/mnpgajr20/event/mnpgajr20185/contest/1/leaderboard.htm