GUNNAR BROIN
Minnetonka • golf
At first, it looked like just another good round for the Skippers' talented junior. Then the putts started falling, some of the dazzling variety. Before he knew it, Broin had shot a 9-under-par 63 at Pioneer Creek G.C. in Maple Plain, tying the high school state record.
"I was only 2 under on the front nine and I was thinking I wasn't playing that well because I'd had other chances for birdie," Broin said. "Then on the back nine, I had six straight birdies. I shot 29 on the back nine."
It was all because of his red-hot putter.
"I had only had 24 putts in that round. I only had 11 on the back nine," he recalled. "It was the best putting round I've ever had."
In one stretch, he made consecutive putts of 25, 45, 20 and, again, 45 feet.
While Broin knew he was in the midst of a special round, he didn't know he had tied a state record until the round was completed. When he walked off the course, he was lamenting a lost chance at a course-record 62.
"I missed a putt on 18 from 6 feet that would have given me a 62," he said. "And I could have shot even better but I missed some putts on the front nine."
He's happy with his game now, saying, "Putting is all about confidence. Confidence on the green, confidence in your stroke. Hopefully, I can keep this rolling into sections and state."