Results/Recap

Words by Mick Cullen

A record-high field of 55 players--54 of whom finished the day--came together for the 27th edition of this six-round interstate extravaganza. Players from seven states converged on America’s Action Territory in Kenosha, WI, for the first putts of the day, starting on the Wisconsin Adventure course. Mini Masters rookie and Minigolf Team USA player Jeremy Inabinet began the event with a round of 36, tying 8-time champion Tom Schweiss for the lead after 18 holes. Just behind them were Tom Loftus at 37 and rookie Bryan Akers, 6-time winner Mick Cullen, and rookie Joe DiPrima at 38.

Mick Cullen, who founded the event back in 1997, then broke his son Xavier’s course record at Action Territory’s Wild West layout, carding a 38 to put him in the lead at -17. Derek Hartmann, who finished the 2023 Mini Masters just a shot back of first place, stood in second place after 36 holes at -15. Tied for third at -13 were Akers, Schweiss, and 3-time tournament winner Matthew Cullen.

The tournament then moved on to Congo River in Hoffman Estates, IL, for the middle two rounds. Round 3, on the Congo Falls course, was led by a pair of 38s shot by Ben Briselden and Justin Gutche, with a quartet of players tallying 39 (Hartmann, Loftus, Nate Blazier, and 2005 champ R.J. Dusak). Halfway through the day, Hartmann had taken the overall lead at -16, with Mick Cullen at -15, Akers at -13, and Schweiss at -12 still in close pursuit.

2021 MCMM titleist Jason Gola paced the field with a course record-tying 36 in the 4th round, played at the Congo Rapids course. Inabinet, rookie Tim Wittig, and Xavier Cullen shot 37s while Akers, Schweiss, Hartmann, and Gutche all tallied 38s, jamming the top of the leaderboard. After four rounds, Hartmann maintained his lead at -19, with Akers now in second at -16 and Schweiss and Mick Cullen knotted at -15 and Gola sitting at -14.

The caravan next made its way to its final location, Par-King Skill Golf in Lincolnshire, IL. None of the leaders seemed to have their best stroke at Par-King Black, as Tommy Schweiss won the course’s title for a second straight year with a 37. The only other players to break 40 were Gutche at 38 and rookie Tony Borgford with a 39. With 18 holes to play, Hartmann still held the lead at -16, but a gaggle of players were within striking distance. Akers stood at -15, Mick Cullen and Gutche at -14, Tom Schweiss at -13, Inabinet at -12, Loftus and Gola at -11, and Matthew Cullen at -10.

Despite the packed leaderboard, it became clear as the round progressed that it was a two-player race between Hartmann and Akers. Rookie Akers, founder of Putters League Atlanta, tied Hartmann on hole 1, and they remained matched at the top until Akers made his only ace of the final round on hole #6 to pull ahead by a shot. On the 8th, Hartmann once again made it a tie when he sank a 10-foot putt over a downslope on an impressive shot he hit left-handed with an inverted putter.

Hartmann’s first ace of the round, on the 11th, put him back in the lead for the first time since the round began, and he was up by a shot when his tee shot rolled back out of the 13th-hole castle and into the water hazard. After missing his shot from the alternate tee, he took a 4, and Akers’ 2 flipped the standings to put him up by a shot. Each player took a 3 on the 14th and a 2 on the 15th, but Hartmann’s second ace of the round came at a clutch moment to knot things up once more with two holes to play. After trading deuces on the 17th, Hartmann and Akers came to the pinball-style 18th tied for the lead with no one else in striking distance.

Hartmann took a 3 on the hole, leaving Akers with a chance to win outright with a 1 or 2. His tee shot overshot the top three holes and appeared destined for the 3 hole at the bottom before glancing off a peg and taking a hard turn into the final 2 hole, giving him the dramatic one-shot victory with a final total of -18. The triumph made Akers the first rookie ever to win the Mini Masters.

Tom Schweiss led all players with 10 total holes-in-one. Maxwell Cullen, age 10, took the Junior Division trophy by a resounding 50 strokes at +26, as well as the Most Improved trophy by cutting 42 strokes off his previous best total score. Julie Schweiss won the Veterans’ Award with a +4 score, Loftus was awarded the Spirit of the Game trophy, Tom Schweiss took the Champions’ Division with a 3rd-place overall finish at -16, and Inabinet was named Rookie of the Year with his -12 total. Other trophy winners included:

Most Sixes: Charlie Tourville (9)
Most improved at Wisconsin Adventure: Dianne Cullen (-4)
Most improved at Wild West: Maxwell Cullen (-10)
Most improved at Congo Falls: Nate Blazier (-8)
Most improved at Congo Rapids: Mike Smith (-11)
Most improved at Par-King Black: Aaron Kaminski (-4)
Most improved at Par-King Red: Chris Flesch (-6)

Event Details

This is the 27th anniversary of the M.C. Mini Masters, the annual day-long mini golf tournament hosted by Season 1 Holey Moley winner and world record holder, Mick Cullen.

This annual day of mini golf is 6 rounds each held on different 18 hole courses in Southern Wisconsin & Northern Illinois starting at 8 am and will go until around 10:30 pm. See the detailed notes below on the tournament format, rules and more.

Confirmed Schedule
1. 36 holes at America’s Action Territory in Kenosha, WI (18 holes at Wisconsin Adventure and 18 holes at Wild West)
2. 36 holes at Congo River in Hoffman Estates, IL (18 at Congo Rapids, 18 at Congo Falls)
3. 36 holes at Par-King Skill Golf in Lincolnshire, IL (18 holes on the Black course, 18 holes on the Red). Final hole on both courses is a pop-up hole. They do not use the roulette wheel final holes on the course.

$65 entry fee, payable at paypal.me/mcminimasters Fee includes all 6 rounds of mini golf as well as some snacks and beverages throughout the day.

The course lineup was set as of May 8th, 2024. The current lineup of courses is identical to 2023.

Details on the history of the M.C. Mini Masters and previous scores at www.mcminimasters.net

There is no cash purse but there will be a variety of trophies and prizes for the top overall scores, top scores on each course, and many other categories.

AMA Scoring: White (2024 Scoring Details)

Note from tournament organizer Mick about schedule and rules 6/24/24

Playing in the 27th annual M.C. Mini Masters this weekend in Wisconsin/Illinois? It’s 108 holes over 6 different courses, and it is fairly unusual, but it has proven to be a popular format. Here are some things to be aware of if you’re one of this year’s 16(!) rookies.

1) No practice time on tournament courses. There is no chance to get acclimated to the holes or try anything out before it counts. Get your practice in in previous days if it’s a must for you. Given the format of this tourney and the fact that all these courses are open to the public, fitting in practice time on tourney day just isn’t an option.

2) Standard golf balls only—no Euro-style minigolf balls allowed. Either use house balls or your own commercially available golf balls.

3) If an entire group elects to do so, they may all take their first shot on each hole before anyone putts out to finish. If three people in a group want to do that and one doesn’t, the one player who wants to complete the hole can just play first and putt out before the others take their tee shots.

4) We will use a shotgun start on the first four courses, but that isn’t possible on the last two, so there will be some downtime. We will have free cold drinks available for you (3 per person available for the day) and there is a nice seating area available.

5) One hole on each course is designated as a Wacky Hole! Every putt on that hole must be made in an unusual way (e.g., backwards between your legs) or using an unusual implement (e.g., hockey sticks instead of putters). This is designated in advance for each Wacky Hole and is not optional. Everyone’s in the same boat, and this helps us to remember that it’s just mini golf, and it’s supposed to be fun (and funny)!

6) The 18th hole at each Par-King course is a roulette wheel that can result in you scoring anywhere from 0 to 7. That’s too capricious, so we instead use a homemade 18th hole for each course. You can still play Par-King’s 18th hole (and possibly win a free game with a 0), but the only score that counts for the 18th hole is the one you score on our homemade 18th, seen below (which will almost always be 1, 2, or 3, unless your tee shot goes awry).

7) After round 2, there will be a break for lunch. Everyone is on their own for lunch, but many people will no doubt find places to eat together. We will then meet at Congo River in Hoffman Estates, IL for round 3.

Tentative schedule:

7:30am—arrive at Action Territory in Kenosha, WI; check in and sign the birdhouse

7:45am—Mandatory rules meeting

8:00am—Action Territory opens, I pay, we play

Lunch break

1:00pm—start play at Congo River, Hoffman Estates, IL

Approx. 5:30pm—arrive and start play at Par-King, Lincolnshire, IL

Approx. 10:00pm, if all goes well— awards ceremony at Par-King

Many people go to dinner together afterwards