Caddy to competitor: Gunnar Broin prepares for Hazeltine U.S. Amateur
CHASKA, Minn. — The bag room at Hazeltine National is a crowded place. So is the field for this year's U.S. Amateur being held at Hazeltine.
Shorewood's Gunnar Broin is part of both. He's a caddy at the course and will be playing in the prestigious tournament.
"I definitely feel like I have an advantage but at a U.S. Amateur venue there's no real advantage," said Broin. "You still have to put it in the fairway and put it on the green and make some putts. Just because I know where to go doesn't mean I will go there every time I swing the club."
This is Broin's third U.S. Amateur. He is a Minnetonka High School graduate and is entering his final season of college golf at the University of Kansas. This summer, he played in the U.S. Open and made the cut. Thanks partly to a Pinehurst-echoing chip-in.
"My emotions were everywhere, I'm not gonna lie," said Broin. "Even during the course of the tournament, sometimes I just black out and don't remember what I'm doing."
Years working at a course, and then competing for golf's highest amateur honor at the same course is a uniquely special moment.
"It's gonna be a whirlwind of a week," said Broin. "I probably won't remember much of it because I'll be so nervous that I don't know what I'm doing. It's been an amazing journey to caddy here and it's like a full circle moment."