Beaver Alumni Win South Dakota State Golf Tournament
Eagle propels Mitch and Kylie Brunick to South Dakota Golf Association Husband-Wife tourney title
A pair of Buena Vista University alumni won the South Dakota Golf Association (SDGA) State Husband-Wife Golf Tournament at Brookings Country Club on June 25-26.
Mitch and Kylie (Hammer) Brunick shot 69-72 for a 3-under par total to win the event by four strokes. The tournament featured rounds of alternate shot and a “modified Chapman” format whereupon both golfers hit their drives and then hit each other’s drive for a second shot before alternating shots to the hole.
“We just try to go out and have fun, not setting big expectations for ourselves,” says Kylie. “We played with and against some great people. It was a fun event that we were just fortunate to win.”
Kylie, a 2012 graduate of BVU, played golf for the Beavers for three years. She now works as the Environmental, Social, and Governance Manager for MetaBank N.A. in Sioux Falls, S.D. Mitch, who also graduated from BVU in 2012, was a Beaver golfer for four years. He serves as a Claims Representative for RAS Workers Compensation in Sioux Falls. The couple have two children: Avery, who is six; and Theo, who turns two this month.
“I told Kylie to chip it on and we’d make par and end the day with a great score. Kylie took out her wedge and chipped it in for an eagle. That was quite a way to end the day!”
Mitch Brunick
Both Kylie and Mitch began their working careers with BVU as Kylie worked in Admissions while Mitch served for three years as Head Golf Coach for the women’s and men’s programs. After the couple moved back to Sioux Falls, his hometown, Mitch worked as an assistant golf professional for a popular local course. He was able to return to amateur status in the sport 18 months ago, which allowed him to participate in the SDGA Husband-Wife Tournament.
If Mitch could think of one key shot during the tournament, it would be the way the couple finished their round on the opening day. He had just missed a makeable birdie putt on the second-to-last hole. He then took out some frustration on the next drive and blasted the ball pin-high to the right of the green on No. 9, a par 4.
“I told Kylie to chip it on and we’d make par and end the day with a great score,” he remembers. “Kylie took out her wedge and chipped it in for an eagle. That was quite a way to end the day!”
The couple have their trophy at home, a wonderful reminder of their return to competitive golf.
As for their BVU memories, both Kylie and Mitch say they enjoyed their time representing the Beavers on the golf course and in the classroom.
“The atmosphere for me at BVU was just right,” says Kylie, an English major. “The professors were outstanding. The environment was comforting as I’d come from a small high school. Being at BVU also allowed me to be close to some of my family since my parents resided in Guam at the time.”
“BVU was the only college visit I did,” says Mitch, a biology major. “I heard about the new Science Center, and I was intrigued about BVU. I wanted to be close enough to my family and play golf. BVU fit everything I wanted. I absolutely enjoyed my experience.”