Sycamore Ridge hosted 85 of the StateLine Tour members on Tuesday for the 4^th event of the 2018 season.  The slight break in the heat made for a perfect morning and the scores reflected it.

In the Open Division, Sam Parrott stood on the 5^th tee at 3 over par and decided to turn things around a bit.  He made five birdies over the next 11 holes to come home at 2 under par 70.  Parrott claimed a one-shot victory over Matt Kelley and Chris Beaubien.  Beaubien has a slim 2-point lead over Kelley for SLAT Open Player of the Year.

In the Senior Division, Don Kuehn’s steady 2 birdie – 2 bogey even par round of 72 was 3 shots clear of runners up Mark Addington and John Samples who each returned a 3 over par 75.  Addington’s tie for 2^nd was enough to put him on top of the SLAT Senior Player of the Year list.

Mike “The Comish” Buckhouse took medalist honors in the Player’s division with a stellar 1 under par 71.  Michael Jorgensen finished 1 back at even par 72, narrowly missing a birdie putt on the 18^th that would have tied him for the title.  Andrew Makowske, Mittal Patel and Steve Hammond tied for third at 3 over par 75.  Buckhouse’s first win of the year puts him 6 points ahead of Hammond on the Player’s division Player of the Year list.

Legend Division Co-Champions David Hamilton and Bob Bezek separated themselves from the field by 6 strokes with a round of 2 under par 70.  Bezek turned at 4 under but struggled on the back a little as he got it to the house at 2 under.  Hamilton carded 4 birdies on the day, including 3 on the back nine 33 he posted.  Fran Ferns and Keith Forrest tied at third with a 76, 4 over par.  Bezek’s 2^nd SLAT victory of 2018 pulls him within 5 points of Legend’s Player of the Year leader Pete Robbins.

On the Net side in the players division, Jorgensen’s 5 under par score claimed the title.  While in the Legend’s Division, John Pawsat claimed a 2^nd net title in as many tries, with an amazing 9 under par 63.  Dennis McCormack currently has a comfortable 15-point lead of Trenton Mein for Player’s Division Net Player of the year.  Pawsat’s 2^nd victory has him 1 point ahead of Keith Forrest for Legend’s Net Player of the year.

The Second Women’s One Day Fourball event was also contested Tuesday at Sycamore Ridge, with Cathy Shenoy and Jennifer Stammeyer edging out Debbie Henderson and Shelly Amundson.  Both teams played well, but when the dust settled Shenoy and Stammemyer were at 8 under and Henderson and Amundson were 7 under.   This new event was introduced by the KCGA in 2018 and will feature 5 one day competitions for women.  The 2-woman partner format will have a gross and a net winner.  The 3 remaining events will be played at the Country Club of Leawood on July 9^th, Canyon Farms August 27 and Ironhorse Golf Club on September 19^th.

The Stateline Tour has 6 regular season events remaining, with the Tour Championship to be held at Staley Farms Golf Club on October 11^th.  The Country Club of Leawood will host the next StateLine event on July 9^th.

CLICK HERE FOR TUESDAYS RESULTS

CLICK HERE FOR THE PLAYER OF THE YEAR STANDINGS

By Todd Stice, Director of Rules and Competitions

Championship Sunday. Watson Challenge. What a day of golf.

After a few shakeups on the leaderboard on Moving Day Saturday, the leaderboard remained tight throughout the final day of competition. If you wanted to shoot low on Championship Sunday, you had to earn it.

Many players saw some risks pay off on the front nine as birdies seemed to be easier to find. The back nine, however; made players work for it. The lowest round of the day came in at 69 (-3) by Ryan Zech. Tom Watson carded the second lowest round on the day with a 70 (-2). Tom Watson’s final round of competition saw some great iron play, highlighted by just one bogey and three birdies on the day.

Andy Spencer, defending Watson Challenge Champion, began the day in the top spot by two strokes over Robert Russell and again got off to a hot start on the front nine. Spencer birdied two of the first five holes and saw his lead increase to three strokes at one point. However, Spencer ended his front nine with a bogey, double bogey to fall to second place behind Tyler Docking, who rose to 9-under after incredibly birdying Holes 2-6.

Spencer wouldn’t falter anymore after that and birdied the Par-3, 15^th to get his lead back to 8-under and two strokes over Tom Watson heading to the 16th tee. As the pressure mounted on Spencer to try to close it out, Watson ended his round with a near eagle putt on the 18^th green to add a little excitement in the gallery. He would go on to make his birdie putt and close the gap to just one stroke.

It was up to Spencer to continue his great play all tournament and finish with at least a par on the Par-5, 18^th to defend his Watson Challenge title. After hitting a great drive in the right side of the fairway, Spencer would hit his second shot just a little right of the green in the short fringe near a storm drain. As hundreds of spectators gathered around to see whether the Watson Challenge would have a playoff or not, Spencer chipped on about 15 feet passed the hole. After nearly sinking his birdie putt, Spencer would tap in for par to defeat Tom Watson and become the 2018 Watson Challenge Champion.

It was such a great weekend of golf and great to see so many out there watching and enjoying the game. Mr. Tom Watson played a great tournament and nearly won his 6^th Watson Challenge title. Andy Spencer worked his way to the top of the leaderboard with his great play and earned his title as this year’s champion for the second year in a row with a 70-66-72, 208 total tournament score. Spencer is the only player besides Watson to win back to back Watson Challenge titles.

The Watson Challenge is one the KCGA’s favorite events every year, and we love what it does for the game of golf. We hope to see just as many spectators and fans of the game out there next year at the 2019 Watson Challenge. Thank you to Shadow Glen for hosting a great tournament and for the impeccable course they gave up for the weekend to hold this event. Also a big thank you to all the volunteers from the First Tee, Shadow Glen Membership, and our KCGA Rules Officials for all their time and effort this past weekend. Without you, we couldn’t do what we do.

For pictures and video of the entire weekend, please see our KCGA Facebook page.

Full field of results, see here.

Also see Day 1 Recap and Day 2 Recap.

By Taylor Albritton, KCGA Intern

On moving day of the Watson Challenge, a new leader emerged after 36 holes of competition.

Andy Spencer,  2017 Watson Challenge Champion, shot up the leader board with a 66 (-6) round on the day to get him to 8-under total for the tournament. Spencer started off strong with four birdies through the first five holes. Two more birdies came on the back nine on #13 and #14 and an incredible sand-par save on 18 to get into the clubhouse at 6 under.

Robert Russell had himself a great round with three birdies and a an eagle on the Par-5, 10th where he holed out from 100 yards in the fairway. His 69 (-3) round matched his round one and put Russell in second place.

Tied for third is Tom Watson and Ryan Argotsinger, our co-leaders after day one. Both players had an up and down round. Argotsinger had a couple bogeys but fought back with four birdies to finish even par on his second round and five under for the tournament. Watson also had a few mistakes throughout his second round but was able to fight back with three birdies to finish even par as well.

Tyler Docking finished his day fifth with a carded round of 70 (-2) that ended on an eagle on the Par-5, 18th. Chase Hanna, the 2015 Watson Champion, made perhaps the biggest jump up next to Andy Spencer with four under round that included two birdies and an eagle on the 18th as well. Hanna finished sixth overall with his 73, 68 (141).

Championship Sunday is bound to bring lots of excitement and leader board changes as the top players battle for the title. We hope to see many of the fans out at Shadow Glen Golf Course tomorrow to watch some great golf. Tom Watson will tee off in the second to last group at 9:50 AM alongside Chase Hanna and Tyler Docking. The final pairing will go at 10:00 AM with Ryan Argotsinger, Robert Russell, and Andy Spencer.

As always, follow along on Golf Genius for live scoring and our social media for photos and video.

By Taylor Albritton, KCGA Intern

In it’s 12^th year, the Watson Challenge took to the beautiful Shadow Glen Golf Course for its three-day competition to determine the best golfer in Kansas City.

Round one of the tournament did not disappoint. Spectators and media officials all paraded around Shadow Glen for a glimpse or photograph of the great Tom Watson and to see great golf played by the best 48 players in Kansas City. The competition was intense as fourteen golfers carded an even par or better on their round. The low round of the day came in at 67 (-5). Two players tied for the top spot between Ryan Argotsinger and none other than Tom Watson himself. Three players tied for the third spot on the leaderboard with a 69 (-3) round: Michael Letzig, Robert Russell and Clay Ederer. Four players tied for sixth right on the outside looking in with a 70 (-2) on the day: Andy Spencer, Matt Foland, Tyler Docking and Ryan Buerk.

Argotsinger’s rollercoaster round was highlighted by two incredible eagles and six birdies on the day to fight off a couple bogeys. Watson’s round was a little more consistent with six birdies and only one bogey on his round. Watson ended his round with a long birdie putt on Hole 16, followed by a great sand-par save on 17 and a birdie on the par-5, 18th to get in the clubhouse at five under.

“I had a heck of a shot. I hit it with a sand wedge and I hit it about 12 feet from the hole. That was a hell of shot,” said Watson of his creative bogey save on the par-4, 14^th after hitting his drive in to the trees.

“That was the one blemish on the card today… I played very well today. I’m very happy about the way I played. I don’t think I’ve ever started five under in the first round,” said the co-leader. The gallery thought so too as an abundance of applause rang through the course as many were able to witness the greatness of Tom Watson’s game.

Round two will kick off tomorrow at 7:30 AM and tee times will continue until 10:00 AM. The final pairing of round two will include Tom Watson, Ryan Argotsinger, and Clay Ederer. The KCGA and fellow fans of golf hope round two of the Watson Challenge will be just as exciting as round one and that Tom Watson continues to show how talented he still is. The field better be ready.

Follow along with live scoring here. Follow our social media for pictures and video throughout the round.

By Taylor Albritton, KCGA Intern

Our third Stateline Tour Event of the season kicked off at the Nicklaus Club at Lionsgate on Tuesday, May 29th. Our four divisions battled through the humidity and late threat storms to claim their respective medalist.

In the Open division, only one golfer carded a score under par. Matt Kelley shot a one-under 71 on the day to earn his title as medalist. A great round of golf that included five birdies, ended with a couple missteps to bring Kelley in at one-under. Kelley took advantage of every par-5 on the day with a birdie on each. His play was enough to beat out the field by two strokes. Chris Beaubien and Gregory Diederich both came in at 73, (+1) to tie for second.

In the Senior division, Robert Booth edged out his opponents by one stroke with a two-under, 70. His round was highlighted by two birdies and an eagle on the Par-4, 13th. Steve Groom placed a close second after shooting a one-under, 71. Groom shot a fairly consistent round with three birdies and two bogeys. John Scarsella rounded out the top three with a carded round of 74, (+2).

In the gross division of the Player’s, Adam Kujawa shot the best round of the day by three with a 71 (-1). Kujawa’s round consisted of four birdies on the day with three bogeys. His birdie on the Par-4, 16th helped to cement his medalist title. Dale Nash claimed second place with a two-over, 74 and Steve Green closed the top three with a 75, (+3).

Dennis McCormack, with an incredible net score to par of 64 (-8), beat out the net division field by one. Adam Kujawa placed second with a net 65 (-7), and Jim Rich and Steve Green tied for third with a net score of 69 (-3).

For the Legend’s division, Bob Bezek won medalist with his two-over 74, beating out second place by two strokes over Pete Robbins. Bezek’s round was highlighted by two birdies, one on a Par-4 and the other on a Par-3. With Robbins in second with a four-over 76, a three way tie for third followed. Jim Seward, John Grant, and David Hornaday all carded an 80, (+8) for a third place tie.

John Pawsat shot a four-under, 68 net to become the medalist in the Legend’s net division. John Breau came in second with a 71, (-1), net score. Frank Muehlbach and Wilson Winn both carded an even par, 72, to tie for third.

For full field results, click here.

Our next SLAT event is at Sycamore Ridge Golf Club on June 12th. We look forward to seeing everyone there!

 

On May 22 at Ironhorse Golf Club, 78 players entered the Watson Challenge Qualifier for a chance to play alongside Tom Watson in the Watson Challenge the first week of June.

The Watson Challenge field is comprised of 48 of the best players around the Kansas City area. 32 spots are reserved for 16 players from the Kansas City Golf Association’s top amateurs and 16 from the PGA’s top professionals. After the various exemptions given out for club champions, juniors, and Mr. Tom Watson, the Watson Challenge Qualifier only has three qualifying spots to give.

With 78 players vying for three qualifying spots and two alternates, there was little room for error. The low scores of the day and the first two qualifying spots belonged to Ryan Argotsinger and Scott Willman, both carding an incredible 69 (-3). Argotsinger shot a fairly consistent round with only two bogeys, two birdies, and an eagle on the Par 5, 14^th. After bogeys on the first two holes, Argotsinger battled back to finish with a great round of golf to get him into the Watson Challenge.

Scott Willman also shot a consistent round with only one bogey and four birdies, three of which came on Par 5’s. Both players took advantage of their opportunities and limited their mistakes on a hazard-filled golf course.

The top three and final qualifying spot for the day was claimed by Nic Rebne with an even-par 72 round. Rebne started with two back-to-back bogeys on the first two holes but followed with a birdie on Hole 3 and 8. Finishing out his round with ten pars in row, Rebne secured in spot in the Watson Challenge come June.

Nine players sat on the outside looking in after shooting a round of 73 (+1). A playoff ensued to determine the first and second alternate to the qualifiers. All nine players went off the Par-5 9^th in hopes of securing their last hope of qualifying for the Watson Challenge. On #9, Connor Knabe and Justin Wingerter beat out the field by each scoring a birdie. Knabe and Wingerter continued on to Hole 10 and then 11 to decide who would be first and second alternate. Ultimately, Connor Knabe secured his place as first alternate and Wingerter will be the second alternate.

For a full field of results, see here.

By Taylor Albritton, KCGA Intern

The first US Open Local Qualifier took place at Wichita Country Club on May 9^th. 48 players battled for three qualifying spots to move on to sectional qualifying for this year’s US Open at Shinnecock Hills GC in New York.

Sam Stevens took the first qualifying spot with an incredible eight-under, 64, and claimed medalist honors for the low round of the day by two shots. Stevens’ round was highlighted by seven birdies and an eagle on the Par-5, 18^th hole. The second qualifying spot was secured by Kristoffer Ventura with an impressive six-under, 66. With only two bogeys, Ventura hit eight birdies on the day to finish only two strokes behind Stevens.

Austin Woody, Christopher Tidland, Cameron Bishop and Nick Heinen all tied for third with 4-under 68 rounds for the day and a playoff was required to determine the final qualifying spot as well as two alternate spots. After all four players carded a par on the first play-off hole, Woody was able to claim the third and final qualifying spot with a birdie on the second. Heinen, Bishop and Christopher Tidland continued on after all making par for the two remaining alternate spots.

The playoff continued for two more holes between Tidland and Heinen after Bishop bogeyed the third to fall out of contention and Tidland and Heinen both pared. Tidland was able to par the fourth play-off hole while Heinen unfortunately finished with a bogey, giving Tidland the first alternate spot. Heinen finished as the second alternate.

For a full field of results see here.

 

The second US Open Local qualifier was held Monday, May 14^th at the Golf Club of Creekmoor. The field consisted of 51 players fighting for three qualifying spots and two alternates to move on to sectional qualifying.

Alex Springer and Justin Bardgett both shot an even par 72 on the day to tie for first and claim the top two qualifying spots. Springer’s round was highlighted by two birdies on the day with only two bogeys. Bardgett also shot a consistent round with two bogeys and two birdies with both birdies coming on par 5’s. Their even par 72 rounds were enough to beat out t he field by one stroke.

Ryan Argotsinger and Linus Lilliedahl rounded out the top four, both shooting a plus-one 73 round. Argotsinger’s round was a little more up and down, but his four birdies on the day kept him in it and gave him a chance to battle in a playoff for the final qualifying spot. Lilliedahl also shot four birdies on the day to keep him in contention to move on to sectional qualifying.

After a one-hole playoff, Argotsinger claimed the final qualifying spot with a birdie on #10 over Lilliedahl. Lilliedahl finished as the first alternate. Travis Mays claimed the last alternate spot with his round of 74 (+2).

For a full field of results see here.

The top three qualifiers from both US Open Local Qualifiers will move on to sectional qualifying in hopes of landing a coveted spot at this year’s US Open. We wish the local talent all the luck in moving forward.