MONROE - Kyle Bruce will have "big help" at his side for the 114th Wisconsin State Amateur Championships.
Bruce, a 2012 Monroe High School graduate, will play in the first round of the four-day State Amateur on Monday at Erin Hills in Erin. It's the third time Bruce has played in the tournament. Bruce, who didn't play in the event last year, made the cut and finished in the top 15 in the 2013 State Am.
Kyle's father, Jim Bruce, will serve as a caddie and supporter for the tournament. The top 70 golfers will make the final cut after Tuesday's second round.
"He knows my game almost better than me," Kyle said of his father. "He always calms me down if I get a little heated on the course. He's a big help."
Bruce, who will be a senior at Edgewood College this fall, is looking to perfect his golf game for his final year on the golf team.
"I'm playing good right now," Bruce said. "I'm thinking I should be able to make the cut. I'm hoping to make the top 20 so I can get an exemption for next year. My goal right now is top 10. It's the best amateur golfers in the state."
Bruce qualified for the State Am tournament by shooting a 5-under-par 66 at Maple Bluff Country Club in Madison on July 1 to win the qualifying tournament.
Bruce isn't the only player from the Monroe Country Club who will play in the State Am. Charlie Baumann, a math teacher at Monroe Middle School, also will be competing.
Bruce averaged a 78.2 in a round of 18 holes at Edgewood College. He's a business management major and helped the Eagles take fourth place in the conference tournament.
"We had a solid year," Bruce said. "We didn't make it to the NCAA Division III championship. We didn't play how we hoped to play."
He's focused on turning in a lifetime-best round. Erin Hills, which is the site of the 2017 U.S. Open, will challenge golfers with a 7,504-yard links-style course. The course was designed on 652 acres of rolling terrain formed by glaciers. It is surrounded by small wetlands and a river. According to Golf Digest, Erin Hills was ranked the 42nd best golf course in the U.S. and eighth best public course in the U.S.
Bruce said the course was set up with 11 blind tee shots when he played a practice round last week.
"That makes it tough," he said. "You just have to pick a spot over a hill in the fairway to hit it to. It's one of the toughest courses in the state."
Bruce is entering the State Am with an open mind to play a course with many elevated greens that make bouncing approach shots a risk.
"There will probably be a lot of bogeys," Bruce said. "You just have to hit some good shots and stay patient, relaxed and wait for the birdies to come."
It's a longer course than Bruce is used to playing.
"Most of the courses we play in college are more like 6,500 to 6,800 yards," he said. "There is nothing really riding on this tournament. I do these (summer tournaments) to prepare for school. It will help me get used to contending on the last day. The more tournaments I'm in on the last day, the more comfortable I will feel."
When Bruce graduates from Edgewood College, he's not planning to give golf up. Bruce said he may move to the south and play mini tournaments for a year or two.
Bruce, a 2012 Monroe High School graduate, will play in the first round of the four-day State Amateur on Monday at Erin Hills in Erin. It's the third time Bruce has played in the tournament. Bruce, who didn't play in the event last year, made the cut and finished in the top 15 in the 2013 State Am.
Kyle's father, Jim Bruce, will serve as a caddie and supporter for the tournament. The top 70 golfers will make the final cut after Tuesday's second round.
"He knows my game almost better than me," Kyle said of his father. "He always calms me down if I get a little heated on the course. He's a big help."
Bruce, who will be a senior at Edgewood College this fall, is looking to perfect his golf game for his final year on the golf team.
"I'm playing good right now," Bruce said. "I'm thinking I should be able to make the cut. I'm hoping to make the top 20 so I can get an exemption for next year. My goal right now is top 10. It's the best amateur golfers in the state."
Bruce qualified for the State Am tournament by shooting a 5-under-par 66 at Maple Bluff Country Club in Madison on July 1 to win the qualifying tournament.
Bruce isn't the only player from the Monroe Country Club who will play in the State Am. Charlie Baumann, a math teacher at Monroe Middle School, also will be competing.
Bruce averaged a 78.2 in a round of 18 holes at Edgewood College. He's a business management major and helped the Eagles take fourth place in the conference tournament.
"We had a solid year," Bruce said. "We didn't make it to the NCAA Division III championship. We didn't play how we hoped to play."
He's focused on turning in a lifetime-best round. Erin Hills, which is the site of the 2017 U.S. Open, will challenge golfers with a 7,504-yard links-style course. The course was designed on 652 acres of rolling terrain formed by glaciers. It is surrounded by small wetlands and a river. According to Golf Digest, Erin Hills was ranked the 42nd best golf course in the U.S. and eighth best public course in the U.S.
Bruce said the course was set up with 11 blind tee shots when he played a practice round last week.
"That makes it tough," he said. "You just have to pick a spot over a hill in the fairway to hit it to. It's one of the toughest courses in the state."
Bruce is entering the State Am with an open mind to play a course with many elevated greens that make bouncing approach shots a risk.
"There will probably be a lot of bogeys," Bruce said. "You just have to hit some good shots and stay patient, relaxed and wait for the birdies to come."
It's a longer course than Bruce is used to playing.
"Most of the courses we play in college are more like 6,500 to 6,800 yards," he said. "There is nothing really riding on this tournament. I do these (summer tournaments) to prepare for school. It will help me get used to contending on the last day. The more tournaments I'm in on the last day, the more comfortable I will feel."
When Bruce graduates from Edgewood College, he's not planning to give golf up. Bruce said he may move to the south and play mini tournaments for a year or two.
