The 103rd Kansas City Match Play began at Swope Memorial today.
78 players teed off this morning attempting to add their name to an illustrious list of past champions.
Brad Welch fired the low qualifying score of 67 to claim the #1 seed.
Eight players tied for the last qualifying spot at 76. Scott Schaeffer emerged from that playoff to claim the #32 seed.
Click here to follow the match play scores.
Click here to see a history of the Kansas City Match Play Championship.
U.S. Open Local Qualifying was held Monday, May 15th at the Golf Club at Creekmoor.
65 players teed it up for a shot a advancing to sectional qualifying and then onto the U.S. Open at Erin Hills in June.
On a warm, windy day on a tough golf course, four players were able to get around at even par or better and punch their tickets to sectionals.
Former Colorado Buffalo Justin Bardgett took home Medalist honors with a 70. Former Missouri Tiger Jace Long shot 71. Local amateur Alex Forristal and UMKC Kangaroo Sam Humphrey’s rounded out the group with 72’s.
Chris Thompson defeated Keenai Sampson in a playoff to earn 1st alternate.
The Women’s Match Play was also held this past weekend (April 28-30) at Swope Memorial Golf Course.
There were nine women for eight spots after two players withdrew during the qualifying round on Friday. Abby Glynn fired a four-under 32 on the back nine to shoot two-under par, 70. Taylor Black took the two-seed after shooting 74 in the qualifying round. Black is a three-time champion of the Girls Match Play Championship, having won the tournament the last three years.
Glynn defeated Jettie Bezek 1-up in the first quarterfinal match. Bezek took a 3-up heading into the back nine, but Glynn won three of the last five holes to win the match.
Lacy Shelton who shot 77 in the qualifying round, defeated number four seed Martha Linscott 3&1.
Erin Carney won her match against Madison Slayton 5&4 and Taylor Black was a 4&3 winner over Madyson Acers in the final quarterfinal match.
Glynn faced Shelton in the first semifinal match of the Women’s Match Play Championship. Glynn got off to a hot start, winning three of the first four holes. She was 3-up through ten holes, before Lacey Shelton mounted a comeback. Shelton won holes eleven through fourteen and then made par on the last to win the match 1-up.
Erin Carney made the turn against Taylor Black 1-up. The match went all the way to the final hole, and Carney secured her spot in the championship match with her 1-up victory over Black.
Lacy Shelton and Erin Carney will meet in the championship match of the Women’s Match Play. The final match of the Women’s Match Play Championship will also take place on May 19th at Swope Memorial Golf Course.
The Girls Match Play Championship was held this past weekend (April 28-30) at Swope Memorial Golf Course.
There were ten girls for eight spots in Friday’s 9-hole qualifying round. Julia Misemer took the top spot firing a two-under par, 34. Julia Stopperan shot a six-over, 42, to take the final spot in the match play bracket.
Quarterfinal and Semifinal rounds were originally planned for Saturday, April 29, but play was canceled due to heavy rain and thunderstorms.
Players battled difficult conditions most of the day Sunday with cold temps and rain. The weather sure didn’t stop Julia Misemer, however. Misemer won her quarterfinal match against eight-seed, Julia Stopperan 4&3. Two players who had advanced to the match play portion from the qualifying round, withdrew, and that advanced number four-seed, Layke Graybill, and number seven-seed, Molly Saporito. The last quarterfinal match was between the three-seed, Samantha Paulak and the sixth-seed, Megan Propeck. Propeck was 1-up going into the last and she ended up winning the 18th hole to defeat Paulak 2-up.
In the first semifinal match, Julia Misemer never trailed against Layke Graybill and ended up winning 6&4. Misemer was 3-up making the turn and then went on to win holes ten, twelve, and fourteen to close out the match.
In the second semifinal match, Molly Saporito faced off against Megan Propeck. This was a very entertaining match, one that went back and forth between both players. Saporito was 1-up making the turn. Propeck then won holes ten through thirteen to take a 3-up lead. Saporito responded, winning three out of the last four holes including hole eighteen to tie the match and send it into extra holes. The match ended on the twenty-first hole with Saporito defeating Propeck.
Julia Misemer will play Molly Saporito in the championship of the Girls Match Play. Due to Saturday being canceled, the final match of the Girls Match Play Championship will be held on Friday, May 19th at Swope Memorial Golf Course.
For the second StateLine Amateur Tour event of the season, cold temperatures, wind, and rainy conditions made Blue Hills Country Club play very difficult.
In the senior division, Steve Groom and Tom Leonard took home medalist honors with a score of one-over, 73. Groom got off to a rough start, finding himself three-over par through his first two holes. He rebounded nicely with birdies on four, twelve, and thirteen. Leonard had a steady round that included thirteen pars, three bogies, and two birdies. John Scarsella and Scott Richey tied for third with scores of four-over, 76.
David Hornaday took the Legends division title shooting a five-over, 77. Ron Brewer posted a six-over, 78, good enough for second place. There was a two-way tie for third place. Robert O’Neil and Mitch Bowen both turned in scores of nine-over, 81.
2016 KC Match Play Champion, Craig Broswick, won the Open division with a score of three-over, 75. T.J. Pennington improved on his third-place finish at Lawrence CC with a second-place finish Monday firing seven-over, 79. Jason Cross rounded out the Open division in third place with a score of eight-over, 80.
Finally, Ryan Murdock took home the players division title with a five-over, 77. Chris Meyer and Andrew Makowske finished second and third respectively, posting six-over 78 and eight-over 80.
The next StateLine Amateur Tour event is May 30th at Nicklaus Club at Lionsgate.
2015 Watson Challenge champion Chase Hanna was crowned the Big XII individual champion this week at Prairie Dunes in Hutchinson, KS.
Hanna, a senior at Kansas, battled difficult conditions, a difficult golf course and a tough field, but prevailed. Hanna fired a 7-over 287 over four rounds to win by one.’
Kansas finished third in the team competition, behind Texas and Oklahoma State.
Click here for more from KU Athletics.
(Photo Credits: Jeff Jacobson)
The 2017 Kansas City Golf Association season is officially underway! High winds proved to be a difficult challenge for players at Lawrence Country Club for the first StateLine Amatuer Tour event of the season.
Jeff Mason seemed to handle the challenge of high winds and lightning fast greens just fine. He fired a four-over, 74, taking medalist honors in the open division. Mason didn’t make anything worse than a bogey all day and his round included ten pars to go along with two birdies. He secured a two-stroke victory over Alex Forristal who shot a six-over, 76. T.J. Pennington claimed a solo third place finish at seven-over, 77.
Three players tied for first place in the senior division. Mark Addington, John Scarsella, and David Hamilton all turned in scores of eight-over, 78.
Jim Seward and Pete Robbins shared the legends division title with rounds of seven-over, 77. Dave Harris finished in solo third, one stroke back at 78.
Finally, Jeff Long took home the player’s division title with an eleven-over, 81. Mittal Patel and Michael Buckhouse finished in a two-way tie for second, both posting a thirteen-over, 83.
Net results for the first StateLine Amateur Tour event at Lawrence Country Club are shown below.
Jeff Mason and Alex Forristal finish first and second in the open division. Bryan Meyer secures third place, with a net score of eight-over, 78.
In the senior division, Kurt Lorenzen takes the title with a score of five-over, 75. David Hamilton finishes in second with a six-over, 76. Rounding out the senior division, in third place, is John Scarsella with a net score of seven-over, 77.
Frank Muehlbach wins the net legends division with a one-under, 69. Ron Brewer, David Hornaday, and Pete Robbins all fired four-over, 74 to share a three-way tie for second place.
Finally, in the net player’s division, a three-way tie for the top spot includes Jeff Long, Mike Naegele, and Christopher Berry all who finished at five-over, 75.
The second StateLine Amateur Tour event is May 1st at Blue Hills Country Club.
Rod Yeager, former KCGA Executive Director died on February 17th, 2017.
Yeager was with the KCGA from 2000-2003.
The golf sale of the year in the Heartland returns when the Sixth-Annual Kansas City Golf Show takes over the Overland Park Convention Center, Feb. 17-19! The Kansas City Golf Show draws over 7,000 golfer a year by featuring the largest gathering of golf retailers and exhibitors under one roof in the entire state — take advantage of the season’s lowest prices on name-brand clubs and equipment from the industry’s top manufacturers; be among the first in the United States to try out 2017’s hot new clubs on a free, indoor driving range; play fun skills contests featuring thousands of dollars in prizes, enjoy a free lesson from a top PGA pro, or visit special areas for golf travel and other exciting activities. In addition, attendees will receive a front door goody bag including free rounds of golf, magazine subscriptions and more! For a complete list of hours, ticket prices, exhibitors and activities, visit www.kansascitygolfshow.com.