Brady Kaufmann knows The Links Golf Course about as well as any golfer knows any course.
On Tuesday, Kaufmann’s home course was the site of the best nine-hole round of his high school career. The Jacksonville senior carded an eye-popping 32 to take medalist honors in a meet with Chatham Glenwood and Quincy Notre Dame.
Kaufmann has shot 33s at The Links several times since his freshman season. “I knew one of these days I was going to finally shoot 32,” he said.
“I really just kind of pretty much hit fairways and greens, made a couple putts,” Kaufmann said. “It was really a pretty stress-free 32.”
Kaufmann has shot a 31 at The Links, but only in practice. Tuesday was special.
“I was just hitting the ball great today,” Kaufmann said. “I hit all nine greens, and on the two par-fives, I was on in two, putting for eagle. Two-putted those for birdie. I was just hitting my driver straight and hitting my irons and wedges pretty close to give myself good birdie opportunities.”
He finished with four birdies and five pars. Kaufmann birdied two and three, then shot par on four and five. “I knew if I birdied six I’d have a really good shot at shooting 32,” he said. “And I did. And I was 3-under after six. I knew I could birdie one of the last three.”
He did that, too. He shot par on seven and eight, then birdied nine for his personal best.
Kaufmann has played well so far this season after a busy summer. He won two 18-hole invites and placed second in another. And he’s won all three of Jacksonville’s nine-hole matches. “Off to a pretty good start this year,” he said.
Kaufmann passed on baseball this spring and went straight to work playing golf in early March. He played in six tournaments in June. This summer he shot a 68 and a 65 on the Illinois State University golf course, where the Illinois High School Association golf tournament will be played at the end of this season. Kaufmann’s goal this year? To win a state championship.
Kaufmann has already finalized his college plans, making a verbal commitment to Southern Illinois University Edwardsville two weeks ago. Kaufmann said the SIUE coach came out to watch him play a lot. “I met the players, and they were all great guys,” Kaufmann said. And it felt like home. Kaufmann liked the campus, and the team travels a lot, which will be fun and challenging. And the school is just over an hour away from Jacksonville.
Back to Tuesday. It felt good to shoot a 32, but it was just another day at the office for Kaufmann, who always seems to remain totally grounded. When he goes out for his next round, he said it would be as if he had shot a 40 on Tuesday. “Just go back to work tomorrow and see if I can get a 31 next time,” he said.
Was he planning to do anything to celebrate? “No, not really,” Kaufmann said. “Do some homework here in a little bit.”
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Jacksonville’s Brady Kaufmann shoots best round ever - Jacksonville Journal-Courier
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