We had a great day for the 2026 Shootout! Making the field this year were:
| Player | Qualifier |
| Corey Smith | WNL |
| Richard Brynteson | Weekend |
| Michael Ryan | WNL |
| Wayne Nau | WNL |
| Randy Milbert | WNL |
| Anthony Quintero | WNL |
| Mike Tanaka | WNL |
| Patrick Hoffman | Weekend |
| Matt Cook | Weekend |
| Roger Hamm | Weekend |
| Jeremy Host | WNL |
| Luke Rajkowski | Weekend |
| Joe Krueger | Weekend |
| Doug Paquette | Weekend |
| Larry Jocelyn | Weekend |
| Matt Haws | Weekend |
| Marty Mangold | Weekend |
| Ken Hanson | Weekend |
| Jeremy Hagen | WNL |
| Jonathon Wise | WNL |
| Dan Rogan | WNL |
| Phil Berndt | WNL |
| Eric Fryc | Weekend |
| Nick Ballestri | WNL |
The day started off cool, but the play certainly did not. Finishing the front nine, the top 10 shook out like this:
Matt Haws led the way with a net -3, followed closely by Michael Ryan, Jeremy Hagen, and Jonathon Wise all at net -2.
The next six players all finished at net -1 to make the cut: Mike Tanaka, Wayne Nau, Matt Cook, Jeremy Host, Richard Brynteson, and Eric Fryc.
It was tight at the finish with two other players sitting at net even, proving that shooting your handicap simply wasn’t enough to survive the cut with all the great play happening across the field!
The Back Nine Elimination
On the back nine, the field really put on a show. Things started relatively calmly on 10, with a double bogey eliminating Tanaka early.
On 11, we had the first of what would become quite a few chip-offs! Doubles put Hagen and Wise to the test, with Hagen chipping close enough to advance to 12.
Of the eight players remaining on hole 12, no one shot worse than par! With two birdies (one net, one gross) from Nau and Host, the remaining six players faced a chip-off from the back of the green to a front pin. After all the attempts were tallied, Eric Fryc was eliminated.
Hole 13 featured a devious pin position, and once again the scoring was sharp enough that three players—Haws, Hagen and Host—had to chip off. In the end, Host couldn’t quite hold the slope and was eliminated after a very challenging chip
Moving to hole 14, outstanding up-and-downs and solid second shots forced all six remaining players into a massive chip-off. After fantastic attempts all around, Jeremy Hagen was left on the outside looking in as the field trimmed down to five.
Hole 15 saw every player in the field bumping, making it the first hole where everyone played straight up. Wayne Nau ran into trouble right off the tee and couldn’t find relief as the hole unfolded; facing a lie of six off the green, he graciously bowed out in 5th place.
The final foursome of Brynteson, Ryan, Cook, and Haws teed it up on 16. Everyone found the fairway and gave themselves looks after their approach shots. After a chip rolled up the face of the club on Brynteson, he found himself in a chip-off with Mike Ryan after making bogey. Facing another tucked pin hugging the front right corner, Ryan chipped from the #17 tee box side and edged out Brynteson, eliminating last year’s champion.
On 17, nerves began to show for the final three. Ryan and Haws both pulled their tee shots left, while Cook’s drive clipped a tree branch and dropped just short of the culvert. A clutch up-and-down earned Cook his par, while Haws gave himself a par look that narrowly missed. Ryan faced a tricky lie against the collar and couldn’t generate enough spin to hold it close; carding a double, Ryan bowed out as our 3rd-place finisher.
Championship Hole 18
Haws and Cook kept their composure heading into the 18th tee. Haws placed a beauty right down the middle of the fairway, while Cook’s drive bounded through into the rough near the electrical box between holes 18 and 1.
Solid second shots gave both players looks at birdie—Cook from long range off the back of the green, and Haws with a left-to-right sidewinder. Both put together tremendous first putts to leave makeable pars, and make them they did!
With the entire championship coming down to a final chip-off on 18, both competitors faced a delicate touch from the back of the green down the slope to a front-middle pin. Both players found the green, but Haws—with his father watching greenside—tucked his chip close to capture the title of 2026 Shootout Champion!
| Finish | Player | Payout |
| 1st Place | Matt Haws | $250 |
| 2nd Place | Matt Cook | $200 |
| 3rd Place | Mike Ryan | $150 |
| 4th Place | Richard Brynteson | $100 |
| 5th Place | Wayne Nau | $50 |
Thanks to all the golfers who competed all season long for a shot at this field, and special thanks to everyone who came out to walk the course and cheer on the competitors
