The Ryder Cup style, Mid America Junior Cup was held at Bogey Hills GC in St. Louis as it was the Metropolitan Amateur Golf Association’s turn to host. Eight of the top junior golfers for each team competed in a two day event that consisted of a round of four-ball, foursomes, and eight singles matches.

Kansas City Golf Association retained the Mid America Junior Cup last year after tying with MAGA 4 to 4. A few changes were made to this year’s format that allowed for a total of 16 points to be won in competition as opposed to the usual 8 points allotted.

The roster of MAGA consisted of: Brooke Biermann, Nicole Rallo, Momo Kikuchi, Claire Solovic, Hunter Niles, Kal Kolar, Max Kreikemeier, and Zach Walsh.

The KCGA roster consisted of: Julia Misemer, Lia Johnson, Vera Bohning, Sarah Lawson, Liam Coughlin, Michael Winslow, Joe Bultman, and Justin Wingerter.

Day one of competition began on Saturday, October 20 at 9 AM with a round of four, four-ball matches. MAGA got out to an early lead over the KCGA by winning two matches out right and halving one. The pair of Joe Bultman/Justin Wingerter were the only team to win their four-ball match and pick up a point for the KCGA. The score after the morning round stood in favor of MAGA, 2 1/2 to 1 1/2.

The afternoon session kicked off around 1:30 PM with a round of foursomes or alternate shot. KCGA had a strong showing during the foursomes in which they took 3 out of the 4 points available over MAGA. Julia Misemer/Michael Winslow had a 3 and 1 victory while Lia Johnson/Liam Coughlin took their match 6 and 4. Vera Bohning/Justin Wingerter won a close match over Kikuchi/Kreikemeier 2 and 1. Solovic/Walsh beat Lawson/Bultman 1 up to score a point in the afternoon matches. After day one of competition, the KCGA lead 4 1/2 to 3 1/2.

The final day of competition consisted of eight singles matches where each player competed against a player from the opposing team. Heading into singles, the KCGA was up by one point and need to win at least four points to claim victory. Singles brought lots of tight competition and as match play always does, some excitement.

MAGA took two points quickly on Sunday with a 7 & 6 from Claire Solovic and a 4 & 3 victory from Hunter Niles. KCGA fought back with a 4 & 2 win from Sarah Lawson and a 4 & 3 victory from Justin Wingerter. With four matches remaining, the score stood 6 1/2 to 5 1/2 in favor of KCGA. Lia Johnson would lose to Nicole Rallo of MAGA in a very competitive and close match, 1 up.

KCGA’s Julia Misemer would gain a very important half point against Brooke Biermann after being down four through 7 holes. Michael Winslow took another point in favor of KCGA after beating Kal Kolar 4 & 2. In the final match of the day,  Joe Bultman would secure the win for the KCGA with a 4 & 3 win over Max Kreikemeier! The KCGA would take home the Mid America Junior Cup trophy back to Kansas City with a 9 to 7 victory over MAGA.

It was a great showing for both golf associations and all of the talented juniors representing both teams. We are so proud of all the players and thank you to the Metropolitan Amateur Golf Association for hosting a great tournament. The Mid America Junior Cup is back where it belongs!

A great 2018 season for the Stateline Amateur Tour came to a close at Staley Farms on October 11 for our SLAT Championship. Over 70 players came out for a chance to win their division Tour Championship as well as fight for Player of the Year.

In our Open division, Jon Dold won the tour championship with an incredible four-under, 68 in a round that featured only two bogeys and six birdies. Greg Diederich shot a two-over, 74, to claim second place followed by Chris  Beaubien in third with a three-over, 75.

This played a part in the Open Player of the Year as Chris Beaubien, Greg Diederich, and Matt Kelley all had a chance to take home the Player of the Year award coming into the SLAT Championship. Chris’s third place finish in the championship gave him enough points over Greg Diederich to claim Player of the Year!

A familiar face to the KCGA winner circle, Mark Addington claimed both the tour championship and Senior Player of the Year after shooting a three-over, 75. His tour victory was enough to give Addington the POY award by 14 points over Steve Groom.

In the Legends Gross division, Jim Seward would shoot an impressive 77 that featured two birdies on the Par-3, 10th and 12th holes to win the tour championship. Pete Robbins would edge out Bob Bezek for the Legends Player of the Year award by a narrow 6 points after out scoring Bezek in the stroke play championship.

In the Legends Net division, John Pawsat ran away with the Player of the Year after shooting a net score of even par 72 to claim the tour championship as well. Pawsat played consistently well all season and overtook Ron Brewer in second place by over 30 points in the Player of the Year race.

Alex Reed and Steve Hammond both shot a six-over, 78, to claim co-tour champions in the Players Gross division. Both players had three birdies on the day and Hammond’s tour co-championship would be enough to edge out both Michael Buckhouse and Chris Meyer in the Player of the Year race by 14 points. Hammond was our third double champion on the day, winning both the tour championship and Player of the Year (Pawsat, Addington).

In our final division at the SLAT Championship, Jacob Epperson claimed the Players Net tour championship with a net score of 71. Mike Naegele and Mittal Patel would both shoot a one-over, 73, to tie for second place. Patel’s second place finish would move him in to the top spot in the Players Net Player of the Year race. Overtaking Gary Gatten by 6 points, Patel’s hard work all season would pay off and earn him the Player of the Year award.

The KCGA would like to thank all of our Stateline Amateur players that came out to play over the season and we are so grateful to have such great talent that continues to show up each and every event. Without the players, we couldn’t do what we do. Also a big thank you to all of our amazing volunteers that donate their time and effort to support the Kansas City Golf Association and our events. As the 2018 comes to a close, we are thrilled about what next year has to bring.

For a full results of the field from our SLAT Championship, see here.

For final Player of the Year standings, see here.

The Mid America Jr Cup is an annual competition between the Metropolitan Amateur Golf Association and the Kansas City Golf Association. This competition began in 1999 as an effort to showcase the top juniors from each association’s respective regions. The format consists of a Ryder Cup format with both fourball and single matches over a weekend of competition The MAGA leads the competition with 9 wins to the KCGA’s 7 wins with 3 years being halved. The KCGA retains the trophy after winning back to back titles in 2015 and 2016 and halved last year. This year’s Jr Cup will be held at Bogey Hills CC on October 20 & 21 in St. Louis. The team includes:

Joe Bultman, Justin Wingerter, Sarah Lawson, Vera Bohning, Liam Coughlin, Michael Winslow, Lia Johnson, and Julia Misemer

On November 6, the KCGA will be hosting an informational session for junior golfers wanting to learn more about the recruiting process and getting to speak with college coaches from schools such as Rockhurst University, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas State University, Central Missouri and more. The recruiting night will be held at St. Andrew’s Golf Club on Thursday at 6:00 PM. Doors will be open at 5:45 and a $10 signup fee is all the is required to attend. Cookies, soft drinks, water, and tea will be provided for all in attendance. Sign up for the information session through the link provided here.

Swope Memorial Golf Course – Kansas City, MO

The 2018 Boys/Senior Match Play Championship began on Friday, September 28th at Swope Memorial Golf Course with a morning 18-hole stroke play qualifying round for the Senior division. 27 players vied for 16 spots to get in to match play.

The top qualifying score belonged to David Kirschbaum with an even par, 72. Billy Mandina claimed the last qualifying spot for match play with an 80.

The Juniors qualified later Friday afternoon in a 9-hole stroke play round with 17 players vying for 16 spots. Rees Conder and Joe Bultman tied for the first seed with three-under, 33’s. Cole Fischman claimed the last qualifying spot with a 44.

In the Senior’s Round of 16, the higher seed took 5 out of the 8 matches. 1 seed David Kirschbaum defeated Billy Mandina 1 up. The 13 seed John Scarsella defeated 4 seed John Samples 3 and 2 while the 2 seed Steve Groom needed 19 holes to overtake 15 seed Pete Robbins.

The Round of 16 for the Juniors took place Saturday morning alongside the Senior’s Quarterfinals. The higher seed defeated the lower seed in only 3 out of the 8 matches played. 1 seed Joe Bultman took care of business winning his first round match over Cole Fischman. 6 seed Liam Coughlin defeated 11 seed Cole Elling 2 and 1 while 2 seed Rees Conder defeated 15 seed Daniel Duffin 2 up.

Unlike the Round of 16, 3 out of the four higher seeds took the win in the Senior Quarterfinals. Mark Worthey defeated John Scarsella 1 up and Steve Groom took care of Gregory Goode 2 and 1. Mark Addington got it done in 19 holes over Tom Leonard. 1 seed David Kirschbaum was taken out by 8 seed Chris Wallace in a great match that went to 19 holes.

In the Junior Quarterfinals, the higher seed won three out of the four matches. 6 seed Liam Coughlin overtook Daniel Gutgesell in a very competitive, 1-up match. 12 seed Nicklaus Mason defeated 13 seed Blake Muller 4 and 3 while 1 seed Joe Bultman defeated 9 seed Calvin Dillon 4 and 2. 2 seed Rees Conder was beaten by 10 seed Michael Winslow 6 and 5.

The Senior semifinals were set and played Saturday afternoon between Mark Worthey (5) vs Chris Wallace (8) and Steve Groom (2) vs Mark Addington (3). The first semifinal match between Mark Worthey and Chris Wallace saw Wallace going 3 up through 6 with Worthey making a birdie on the Par-5, 9th to cut the lead to 2. Worthey would fight back and cut Wallace’s lead to one after the Par-5, 12th hole, but Wallace would win the next three holes to clinch the match 4 and 3.

In the second semifinal match with Steve Groom and Mark Addington, Groom would get off to a hot start going 5 up through 8 holes. Addington would try to claw his way back, cutting the lead to 3 through 12 holes, but the lead would be too much to overcome and Groom secured his place in the Senior final with a 3 and 2 win.

The Junior semifinal and Senior final took place Sunday morning at Swope Memorial. The first semifinal Boys match between Joe Bultman and Nicklaus Mason saw Bultman go one up after the first hole with a par. Mason answered back with a birdie on the third hole of the match. 6 out of the next 7 holes would be halved and saw Bultman with a 2 up lead heading to the Par-4, 15th hole. Bultman needed a clutch birdie putt on the Par-5, 17th hole to clinch his spot in the Junior finals.

The second semifinal between Michael Winslow and Liam Coughlin was a very competitive and tight semifinal match. Coughlin quickly went two up through the first four holes. Winslow was able to get one back with a birdie on the Par-5, 9th hole. The two players fought back and worth through out the back nine. Winslow’s big break came when he drove the green on the Par-4, 15th hole. A birdie on the 15th and a birdie on the Par-5, 17th would get the match to all square heading to 18. Winslow would need three shots to get to the green after a wayward tee shot, while Coughlin would reach in two. Coughlin drained his birdie putt for 35 feet on the 18th green to defeat Michael Winslow and secure his ticket to face Bultman in the finals.

The Senior finals match between Chris Wallace and Steve Groom got off to a surprising start with Groom quickly going down three after losing the first three holes. Groom bounced back quickly, winning three out of the next four holes and found himself one up making the turn with an eagle on the Par-5, 9th. Groom’s momentum continued throughout the back nine, winning the 10th hole and 12th hole with yet another eagle. Wallace won the Par-3, 13th hole trying to cut Groom’s deficit to 2 up. Groom would win the 14th hole and after almost driving the green on the Par-4, 15th, Groom would make a great birdie putt to claim the 2018 KC Senior Match Play Championship and defend his 2017 title.

The Juniors final took place Sunday afternoon at Swope Memorial between 1 seed Joe Bultman and 6 seed Liam Coughlin. Bultman got out to an early lead winning the first two holes with back to back birdies. Coughlin got the match back to all square after winning holes 5 and 6. Coughlin stumbled a little on the 9th and 10th hole to allow Bultman another two up lead. After a great drive and chip at the Par-4, 15th, Coughlin made a clutch birdie putt to cut the lead to 1. The match stood Bultman 1 up heading in to the par-5, 17th. Coughlin was forced to lay up after hitting his drive into the right rough. Bultman’s second shot from the fairway came up ten feet short of the green. With Coughlin laying three at the edge of the green, Bultman knew he needed a good chip to have a good chance for birdie. Who needs a birdie, when you can chip in for the eagle and the win? Bultman holed his chip shot from off the green to claim his first KC Junior Match Play title.

It was a great tournament for both the Senior and Junior division. The talent we have here in Kansas City is only getting better and better. Congratulations to both Joe Bultman and Steve Groom on their championship titles as well as Liam Coughlin and Chris Wallace for a hard fought tournament and runner up title. Thank you to all of our participants in this year’s championship as well as all of our volunteers who help us do what we do each and every tournament.

A full field of results can be seen here. Check out our social media pages for pictures of the champions and live video of each division’s win.

As the Stateline Amateur season winds down, 60 players competed out at the tough Ironhorse Golf Club in Leawood. On a day when summer was still making its presence known, players battled the humidity as well as the abundant presence of hazards.

In the Open division, Gregory Diederich took home the win with an impressive one-under, 71 with four birdies and three bogeys. Our Senior division winner was Steve Groom with a two-over, 73 which featured five birdies.

In the Legends Gross division, Ron Brewer and David Hamilton tied for first with a two-under, 70. Brewer’s round was highlighted by four birdies on the day and Hamilton’s bogey-free round featured two birdies.

In the Net division, Ron Brewer again took first with a net score of 64 with Dennis Ortman in a close second with a net score of 65.

Bill Grosdidier and Chris Meyer tied for first in the Players Gross division with two-over rounds of 74. Gary Gatten took home first in the Players Net division with a score of 69.

For a full field of results, see here.

On September 10, 2018, golf lovers from the Kansas City Golf Association will take the formidable challenge to play 100 holes of golf in one day to raise money and awareness for Youth on Course. Now in its 12th year, Youth on Course is expanding nationally and currently operates in 25 states, serves over 40,000 youth members, and provides access to affordable golf at 900+ facilities nation-wide.

To support Kansas City Golf Association Youth on Course, you can pledge any amount towards any golfer below for each hole of golf they play. For example, if you pledge $1 per hole and the golfer completes 100 holes, that’s $100 towards Youth on Course. Golfers will be playing from sunup to sundown, walking 20+ miles, and taking hundreds of swings. It will be a fun, but challenging day and your backing will help keep participants going!

To see the KCGA leaderboard and more information, click here.

August 18, 2018 – Manhattan CC, Manhattan, KS

The 2018 Kansas Partner Tournament had the strongest field in recent history compete for the championship at Manhattan CC.  Perfect weather and soft conditions from recent much-needed rains led to low scores throughout the field.  Teams played nine holes of four ball stroke play and nine holes of scramble in the annual state-wide competition.  Prizes are awarded for both gross and net scoring in flights and over the entire field.

Corey Novascone and Hannah Perkins of Wichita captured the Overall Gross title with a 63 (-7), leading a group of very strong teams.  The pair carded six birdies between them on the four ball nine on their way to a front-nine 32 (-4).  Three more birdies on the back nine sealed the victory over Bob and Jettie Bezek of Ottawa, Baile and Tony Winslow of Overland Park, and defending champions Taylor and Jerol DeBoer of Hays.

Kristen and Scott Longenecker of Wichita claimed the Overall Net title with a 59 (-11) thanks in part to a net 1 on the very difficult par-3 seventh hole.  Rose Schuh and Scott Workman had a very strong round of 63 (-7), but mistakes by both players on the fourth hole led to a double bogey.  A strong back nine 28 was not enough to overcome the lead the Longeneckers had at the turn.

The 2018 Heart of America Fourball Championship was one to remember. Held at The National Golf Club of Kansas City, 16 teams competed in a bracket style match play format with eight qualifying from the Kansas Golf Association and the other eight qualifying from the Kansas City Golf Association.

The round of 16 took place Wednesday morning, August 8th. In the KGA bracket, it would be David Rismiller/Jason Seeman, Jack Lee/Nick Kagy, Bradley Lane/William Gantz and Josh Williams/Kit Grove who would advance to the afternoon quarterfinal round. Rismiller/Seeman would take down Lee/Kagy in the quarterfinals with a 4 and 3 victory. Williams/Grove advanced to the semi-finals with a 5 and 3 win over Lane/Gantz.

On the KCGA side, Andy Kelley/Matt Kelley, Jeff Mason/Sam Parrott, Gregory Diederich/Kevin Rome, and Elliot Soyez/Jeff Bell would all advance to the quarterfinal matches. Mason/Parrott would take down top seed Matt/Andy Kelley in a close 3 and 1 win. Defending champions Soyez/Bell would handle Diederich/Rome 4 and 3.

In what would be a great set of semi-final matches, Williams/Grove competed against Rismiller/Seeman while Soyez/Bell went up against Parrott/Mason on Thursday morning, August 9th. Parrott/Mason got out to an early lead over the defending champions after a birdie on their first hole. Their lead would extend to 2 up after a win on the Par-4, 3rd hole. Soyez/Bell wouldn’t go lightly and with a birdie by Bell on the Par-4, 7th, the deficit would cut to 1.

The next six holes would be halved, but after another birdie by Bell on #14, Mason/Parrott would see their lead diminish completely as the match stood all square heading into #15. Parrott would put the team back in front with a birdie and keep the 1 up lead going into the Par-5, 18th hole. The hole would come down to Parrott and Soyez as both Mason and Bell would pick up after errant shots. After Soyez made a ten-footer for birdie, the match would be all square after the regulation 18 holes and head to extras.

Bell/Soyez would clinch a spot in the Heart of America Four-Ball finals and complete their comeback with a birdie on the 19th hole of competition.

In the second semi-final of the HOA Four-Ball Championship, Seeman/Rismiller lead their match over Grove/Williams 3 up heading into the Par-3, 16th after controlling their match all morning. Kit Grove would be the only player in the foursome to make par to decrease the deficit to 2 up with two holes to play. Grove would go on to birdie the last two holes of competition to miraculously make the match all square after 18 holes for perhaps the biggest comeback in Heart of America history.

The match would last another six holes until Seeman/Rismiller both bogeyed the Par-3, 6th. Grove/Williams parred the 24th hole of competition to complete their amazing comeback and move on to the Heart of America Four-Ball finals against Soyez/Bell.

To add drama to the mix, after going 6 extra holes in the semifinal match, the finals would not start until 3:45 PM, nearly two and half hours after originally scheduled. With sunset scheduled at 8:30 PM, the two teams were not only competing against each other, but against Mother Nature.

Looking to defend their title, Soyez/Bell found themselves out to an early lead and were 2 up heading into the Par-4, 11th. With a birdie from Williams on 11 and a birdie from Grove on 12, the match was unexpectedly all square going in to 13. The match would complete a 180 as Williams again birdied 13 and Grove followed suit with another birdie on 14 and found themselves 2 up after 4 consecutive birdies. Some poor tee shots from Williams/Grove in the last few holes left the door open for Soyez/Bell who would capitalize and get back to all square heading into 18.

Both Williams and Soyez would make clutch par putts on the 18th green to send the HOA Finals into extra holes, the second time of the day for both teams. Mother Nature was catching up after the third extra hole of the championship and darkness would only allow time for one final hole: the short Par-4, 13th. Standing on the 13th green in near darkness, Williams would pitch in onto the green and a foot from the hole for an easy par. Bell, about ten feet away and putting for par, would pull off his greatest putt of the day to extend the match.

A scheduled two-day championship would extend into its third day as a winner was still undecided. After 46 holes of competition for Williams/Grove and 41 for Soyez/Bell, both would return to The National on Friday, August 10th to finish their match and capture the Heart of America Champion trophy.

Both teams teed off #1 for the 6th time in three days at 7:45 AM on Friday morning. With four pars on the 23rd hole of competition, both teams would continue on to the Par-5, 2nd. With Bell/Soyez both in with pars, Kit Grove would find himself on the 2nd green with a chance at birdie and a win. Ten feet stood between Grove/Williams and their amazing story at the 2018 Heart of America Four-Ball Championship. Williams watched on the side of the green as his partner would make his ten-foot birdie and finally claim victory after such an amazing comeback in their semifinals as well as their final match.

The tenacity and heart displayed by the entire field, especially by Kit Grove and Josh Williams was something you never forget. The 2018 Heart of America Four-Ball will be a special one that people remember for a long time. Congratulations to Elliot Soyez and Jeff Bell on a hard fought championship as well. Both men played great golf and even when they were down, never thought they were done. Congratulations to Kit and Josh on a great display of golf throughout the entire tournament and congratulations on one of the greatest comebacks we have seen here at the KCGA.

We hope Grove and Williams will be back next to defend their title and that we have just as much great competition as we did this year. What a display of golf.

For a full field of results, see here.

 

By Taylor Albritton, KCGA Intern