By Nick Hunter
LAKE CITY, Minn. – Once a habitual scoreboard watcher, David Bauer only peeked at the leaderboard a few times during Tuesday’s final round at the 2026 Minnesota Boys’ Junior PGA Championship at The Jewel Golf Club.
Still, he was surprised when it was revealed at the scorer’s table that he shot a 5-under 66, breaking his career-low mark by one stroke.
Erasing a two-stroke deficit during the final 18 holes of play Tuesday, Bauer tallied three birdies over a six-hole span to defeat Wyatt Holmes and Chase Birdwell by one shot.
“I wasn’t really thinking about winning—I haven’t ever won anything this big before,” Bauer said following his round Tuesday. “I don’t think it’s really set in yet. I just hope to keep playing my best at tournaments for the rest of the summer.”
With his win Tuesday, Bauer not only claims the first state title of his career, but he also earns a spot in the 2026 National Boy’s Junior PGA Championship July 28-31 at Fields Ranch in Frisco, Texas. He will be joined by Holmes, who defeated Birdwell in a playoff to earn the second and final qualifying spot.
“It’s a great achievement, but I still need to keep working,” Bauer said. “The driver under pressure the last couple holes was huge. Yesterday, coming down the stretch, I just couldn’t hit a fairway. Hit one [out of bounds] on 17 and gave away some momentum.
“I was just trying to keep hitting the golf ball and not worry about the score. Keep hitting fairways and hitting greens.”
Back-to-back bogeys to finish his opening round Monday, a string of three consecutive birdies during his front nine helped Bauer move into red figures for the championship.
He rolled in a 5-footer for birdie at the 12th before sinking his birdie look from 30 feet at the 16th to get to 4-under for the round.
On in two at the par-5 16th, a tap-in birdie moved Bauer into a share of the lead at 4-under for the championship, and following a pair of late bogeys by Birdwell, Bauer’s final-round 66 proved to be just enough for his first win at 4-under 138.
“I just made a couple of mistakes yesterday and I think I could have been in the lead,” he said. “I knew I could shoot low, but I just wanted to go out and play and not think about it.
“I hit every single fairway except one today, which makes that course a lot easier and putting with nerves was way better than it has been.”
Holmes, who fell in a four-way playoff at last week’s Minnesota State Junior Boys’ Championship at The Minikahda Club, earns his second consecutive runner-up finish Tuesday, posting a 3-under 139. The silver lining for Holmes is receiving an invitation for the national championship next month in Texas.
A disappointing finish for Birdwell Tuesday, as he overcame a bumpy start to the final round by surging into the lead with five birdies over a six-hole span, only to bogey his final two holes for the second straight round to finish in third place following the playoff with Holmes with his 3-under 139 at the 36-hole championship.
Recent Class AAA individual champion William Roiland also posted a 5-under 66 on the final day Tuesday to finish in a share of fourth with Alex Imgrund and South Dakota’s Drew Valesquez at 2-under 140.