EDINA, Minn. — After a rollercoaster front nine, Max Togisala fired an even-par 72 in the final round to win both the seated and men’s overall divisions in the inaugural Minnesota Adaptive Open.
It’s been over three and a half years since Togisala fractured his spine in a skiing accident in Idaho. After his win on Sunday at Braemar Golf Course, he is nearing 10 victories in adaptive golf tournaments and has cemented himself as the best seated golfer in the world.
At the turn, Togisala trailed Justin VanLanduit by two shots on the men’s overall leaderboard. In his first nine holes, he carded an eagle, two birdies, two bogeys, and a double bogey.
Regarding the adventurous start, Togisala said, “I knew I was putting well and my short game was doing well, so I knew I could count on that. We had a few birdies on the back so that helped a lot too.”
Mirroring Togisala, the start of the round was far from smooth for Justin VanLanduit, a Chaska, Minn., native and competitor in the Coordination Impairment (CI) category.
The former superintendent at Briarwood Country Club in Deerfield, Ill., VanLanduit was forced to medically retire after being diagnosed with muscular dystrophy in 2013. In 2025, he played in the U.S. Adaptive Open and won the CI category at Braemar.
“I’m a rhythm player, so it takes me a little bit to finally get settled in. Even though I can sit there and bang balls and roll putts nonstop, that doesn’t even compare to being on the golf course when each of those shots actually count and you can’t have a redo,” VanLanduit said. After a bogey and a double bogey in his first four holes, he responded with three birdies in his next five.
While the inaugural Minnesota Adaptive Open featured a diverse field of players from across the country, the comfort of home had its benefits. For VanLanduit, that comfort came from his three daughters, who followed him across the grounds of Braemar from the first tee to the 18th green.
“It’s cool to have them follow along . . . the two oldest are starting to get into golf and the oldest one really likes it, so to have them come see me play competitively, it’s a neat experience to have as a dad,” said VanLanduit.
As the players moved onto the back nine, with Togisala one group ahead of VanLanduit, the overall division converged into a two-horse race. After a birdie at 15, Togisala took a one-shot lead over VanLanduit and never gave it back.
When asked if he likes to monitor the leaderboard down the stretch in a tournament, Togisala said, “not normally, but on 18 I did check, because I saw there were some [spectators] following me. I knew I had the lead by one and I was like oh gosh, and then I snap hooked it on 18, so maybe I should stop.”
In the end, Togisala made a short par putt on the 18th hole to secure a one-shot victory in the overall division. He was the only player in the field to shoot a round of even par or better, and in his two and a half years of competitive adaptive golf, it is his first overall win.
Although Justin VanLanduit came up short in the overall competition, he won the CI category by six shots.
Jason Hasty finished tied with Jonathan Snyder atop the Upper Limb Impairment category, while Tim Herrmann beat Kyle Erickson by three shots in the Lower Limb Impairment category.
Nic Urban won the Intellectual Impairment category over Andrew Berglund while Rob Hanly won the Multiple Limb Amputee Impairment category over Shawn Mittag.
Sarah Beth Larson won the women’s overall division and Upper Limb Impairment category.
In the senior overall division, Steve Husome emerged victorious.
The second annual Minnesota Adaptive Open will return to Braemar Golf Course in 2026.