Author: Taylor Albritton

KS-NE Cup Team Announced

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After the conclusion of the Kansas Junior Tour Championship at Stagg Hill Golf Club yesterday, the top 8 boys on the Junior Player of the Year list have qualified for the 2021 Kansas-Nebraska Junior Cup team.

The event will take place August 10-12th at Wild Horse Golf Course in Gothenburg, Nebraska. In 2020, Team Kansas hosted at Prairie Dunes Country Club in Hutchinson and took home the Junior Cup trophy with a 10.5 to 5.5 victory over Nebraska.

This year, Team Kansas hopes to repeat as Junior Cup Champions. Congratulations to the following 8 team members:

  1. Luke Scheufler
  2. Ian McCrary
  3. Brent Reintjes
  4. Michael Winslow
  5. Blake Saffell
  6. Carson Baker
  7. Asher Whitaker
  8. Noah Holtzman

Bring home the trophy!

Spencer Adds Third Watson Challenge Victory

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A beautiful, warm Championship Saturday and the Watson Challenge has a new (repeat) Champion.

The 14th Watson Challenge began at The National Golf Course of Kansas City on Thursday, June 3rd. After COVID-19 cancelled the 2020 Watson Challenge, excitement buzzed on the first day of competition in almost two years. 48 players teed off Thursday morning in prime, warm conditions.

The star of round one was Michael Letzig, Parkville, MO, with a four-under round of 68 that featured five birdies and one bogey on the day. Letzig had the best round of the day by two strokes, with only six players shooting under par with The National showing its teeth early in the competition.

Scoring for round two seemed a little better across the board and saw seven players card an under par round. Of those included two-time Watson Challenge Champion, Andy Spencer. Spencer had a fantastic day, carding a seven-under round of 65, highlighted by five birdies and an eagle on the Par-5, 15th hole to move up the leaderboard to first with a two-day total of 135 (-9).

Charlie Hillier, Overland Park, KS, also had a great day that moved him up the leaderboard after firing a six-under round of 66. A lone bogey, five birdies, and an eagle moved Charlie up to a two-under, two-day total. Letzig fought through a rollercoaster round to card a one-under 71 and sit close behind Spencer in second place heading in to the final round.

Championship Saturday began on a warm, sunny day with the final pairing of Spencer (-9), Letzig (-5), and Ryan Argotsinger (-3). Letzig got out to a quick start with two birdies in a row to start his round and cut the lead by one. Spencer had an up and down first 5 holes with two birdies and two bogeys and made the turn at even par and Letzig turning at one-under. Both players held steady to start the back 9 with two pars and matched each other with a birdie on the 12th hole.

Spencer added to his lead with a birdie on the Par-3, 14th hole, but gave it right back with a bogey on 15. Letzig continued to battle and put pressure on Spencer, but with smart play Spencer would par the 16th and 17th hole, heading to 18 tee with a three shot lead. Playing it safe off the tee, Spencer found himself in the fairway and chose to lay up with his second shot on the Par-5, 18th hole. Letzig hit a great third shot about 15 feet from the hole for a birdie chance. Spencer was just off the green with his third shot and chipped to about 8 feet for par. Letzig would convert on his birdie putt to get in the clubhouse at three-under for the day, and tournament total of 208 (-8).

Spencer was just too good, and after converting his par putt let out a victory yell in excitement, claiming his third Watson Challenge victory. This marks three wins in the last five years for Spencer, who recently turned professional after graduating from Kansas University (2017, 2018, 2021).

Tournament host Tom Watson finished tied for 19th after carding his best round of the tournament on Saturday with a two-over, 74, to finish with a three-day total of 227 (+11). Robert Russell had the round of the day with a four-under, 68, that pushed him up the leaderboard to finish 4th overall (212, -4). Charlie Hillier followed up his great second round score with another great round of three-under, 69, that gave him solo third place (211, -5).

After not having this event in 2020, the 2021 Watson Challenge did not disappoint. Thank you to The National Golf Course of Kansas City for hosting and giving up their golf course for three days. The course was in great shape and we are grateful to all those who helped to make this event happen.

Full field of results, see here.

Ederer, Greene, and Gutgesell Claim Spot in Watson Challenge Field

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The Watson Challenge field is comprised of the best 48 golfers from the Kansas City Area. Those exempt into the field are the top 18 on The Midwest PGA Rankings, top 16 on The Central Links Amateur List, top 5 from the 2019 Watson Challenge, Watson Challenge winners from the previous 5 years, the host course club champion as well as club pro. The rest of the field is comprised of special exemptions and qualifiers.

On May 17 at Falcon Ridge Golf Club, 41 players competed in the Watson Challenge Qualifier for a chance to compete in the Watson Challenge the first week of June. Falcon Ridge Golf Course played extra-long due to heavy rains the day prior.

The 41 players at Falcon Ridge were qualifying for three spots and two alternates. Clay Ederer got off to a hot start birding 4 of the first 7 holes and taking the early lead. He would face some adversity on the back nine but would finish with a 71(-1). 71 was good enough to qualify for one of the three spots. Daniel Gutgesell came into 17th hole one over par; however, he would turn it on and birdie the last two. Gutgesell finished his round one under to claim the second of the three spots.

To claim the last spot, a playoff was contested between Dustin Nichols, Michael Greene, Cade Uhlenhake who shot 72(E). Michael Greene claimed the third and final qualifying spot with a 20 foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole. Cade Uhlenhake had to take a penalty stroke for a lost ball and lost the third playoff hole with a bogey to Dustin Nichols. Nichols is first alternate and Uhlenhake second alternate.

The Watson Challenge will be held June 4th thru June 6th at the National Golf Club. Clay Ederer, Daniel Gutgesell, and Michael Greene claimed their spot in the field and if they are unable to compete, then first alternate Dustin Nichols will fill their shoes. If Dustin Nichols is unable to compete, Cade Uhlenhake will fill their shoes. 

KC Match Play Down to Two

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After a week off from competition after Mother Nature postponed the semifinal matches of the KC Match Play Championship, we are finally down to two competitors. The top four agreed to play Monday, May 24th at Swope Memorial at 4:00 p.m. Doug Albers was facing Alex Springer and Ben Pearson was up against Zach VanDolah.

1 seed Pearson had a strong front nine and was 2 up over VanDolah making the turn. Zach fought back to tie the match through 13 holes after two birdies, but Pearson rebounded with a win on the 14th hole. VanDolah tied the match once again with a birdie on 17 and with two pars on 18, the match would go extra holes.

VanDolah and Pearson both parred the 19th hole, and after almost driving the green on the Par-4, 20th hole, VanDolah had a great chance at birdie. He would convert his birdie chance and win the hole and match against 1 seed Pearson.

In the second semifinal match, Doug Albers was in full control most of the match. He quickly got out to a 3 up lead through the first five holes and again through 10. Springer tried to dip in to the lead with a birdie on the 11th hole, but after a few pars and a bogey on 15th, the match was heading to 16 tee dormie. Albers and Springer would both par the 16th hole, and Albers clinched his spot in the final with a 3 & 2 victory.

The Championship match is set between Zach VanDolah and Doug Albers. A date and time is to be determined and will be updated on the website and social media. Live scoring will be available.

Final Four Postponed due to Weather

Championship Sunday at Swope Memorial never began as thunderstorms rolled in to Kansas City. The semifinal matches of the KC Match Play Championship were first delayed until noon with the hopes of at least getting one round of match play in, only to have the golf course become unplayable due to the amount of rain throughout the morning.

An unfortunate delay to our first championship of the year, but the semifinals will be scheduled at a later date that is yet to be determined. Opponents will work with each others schedules to determine an open date and more information will be relayed at that time. A champion of the 2021 KC Match Play Championship will be crowned of the following players: Doug Albers, Ben Pearson, Zach VanDolah, or Alex Springer. Stay tuned.

Top Seeds Set for Semifinals in KC Match Play

Despite some early rain, day two of the Kansas City Match Play was completed in narrowing down the field from 16 to its top four semifinalists. 1 seed Ben Pearson continued on after an easy victory of 5 & 4 over Jesse Helms and then defeated Brian Fehr 3 & 1 to clinch the first semifinalist spot.

2 seed Doug Albers defeated Jordan Bobert in his Round of 16 match 5 & 3 and then took out Drew Carlson 3 & 2. He faces 3 seed Alex Springer in his semifinal match after Springer defeated Ian Boat 2 & 1 and then Hank Simpson 5 & 3.

5 seed Zach VanDolah defeated 4 seed Lane Wallace in his quarterfinal match in 21 holes after taking out Jim Gates 2 up in the Round of 16. In unusual fashion, four of the top five seeds have advanced to the semifinal round.

The semifinal matches are scheduled for Sunday morning at 8:00 a.m. The weather forecast predicts some thunderstorms, but we hope to begin on time and any weather delays will be updated on the website and event page.

Full results for the event can be found here >>

Day One Concludes for KC Match Play

The 2021 Kansas City Match Play Championship returned to its traditional May date after COVID forced its reschedule to last Fall for 2020. The Friday morning stroke play qualifier began at Swope Memorial with 100 players vying for the top 32 spots to advance to match play, including the first female in the field – Julia Misemer.

Doug Albers, Leawood, KS, and Ben Pearson, Overland Park, KS, both tied for low medalist honors in the qualifying morning session with a three-under, 69. Albers’s card was highlighted with five birdies and the only blemish coming on the Par-4, 7th hole with a double bogey. Pearson carded six birdies on the day with a few bogeys. Watson Challenge Champion, Alex Springer, finished at one-under, 71, along with Lane Wallace, Zach VanDolah, and Kade Prentice to make the only six players under par.

Tied for 26th position at 77 (+5) was the magic cut off number and saw 15 players in a playoff for the final 7 spots to advance to match play in the afternoon to fill the field. The top ten seeds were set: Ben Pearson, Doug Albers, Alex Springer, Lane Wallace, Zach VanDolah, Kade Prentice, Ryne Fisher, Brian Fehr, Will Harding, and Daniel Duffin. 9 of the lower seeds won their match to advance to the Round of 16. Pearson, Fehr, Springer and Harding all won handily with 6 & 5 victories. Kade Prentice defeated Jeff Mason 4 & 3 and Hank Simpson clinched their ticket to the next round with 4 & 3 and 4 & 2 wins. 20 seed Nick Noland upset 13 seed Michael Garden 2 & 1 and 26 seed Michael Foster upset 7 seed Ryne Fisher in 20 holes.

The field is down to the top 16 and matches are set to begin at 7:30 a.m. Saturday morning depending on the weather conditions. Any weather delays will be communicated to players and updated on the website.

KC Retains Mid America Cup

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The 22nd Mid-America Junior Cup took place in Lake St. Louis at Lake Forest Country Club this past weekend. A Ryder-Cup style format event in which the top juniors from Kansas City and St. Louis battle it out in match play to determine who wins the Cup.

KC has had the Cup since 2013 and was hoping to keep the Cup heading in to the weekend against a strong St. Louis team. In order to tie and retain the Cup, KC needed 8 of the 16 available points. St. Louis needed 8.5 points to win and keep the Cup in St. Louis.

Saturday consisted of morning Foursomes and afternoon Four-Ball matches. Foursomes (alternate shot) is typically the toughest session of the weekend with boys and girls teaming up for co-ed alternate shot. Team KC played well and took 2.5 points with two victories of Misemer/McCrary and McVey/Rinkol and a tie from Currier/Tarvin.

Heading in to Four-Ball, KC had a 2.5 to 1.5 lead. Four-Ball didn’t have the same success for KC, with St. Louis taking 3 out of the 4 points. KC’s lone victory came from Currier/McVey with a 2 and 1 victory. St. Louis held a 4.5 to 3.5 point lead heading in to Singles on Sunday.

Sunday singles is always exciting and this was no different. KC needed to take 4.5 points from singles in order to tie and keep the Cup in Kansas City. The 8 year streak was on the line and St. Louis proved to be quite the opponent.

KC got off to a quick start with two wins from Myles Tarvin (3 & 1) and Hillary Currier (6 & 5). KC and STL would split with a tie from Chance Rinkol and Bubba Chapman to add a half a point to each team, bringing the team totals to 6 to 5 in KC’s favor. Drew Nienhaus of STL followed with a win of her own over Libby Green to bring the teams’ total to 6 to 6. Julia Misemer defeated Brooke Biermann 4 & 3 to give KC another point and within one point to retain the Cup.

Maya McVey of KC would fall in a close and hard fought match to STL’s Rylie Andrews. KC and STL were tied 7 to 7 at this point with only two singles matches left to decide who would take the trophy. Ryan Walsh of STL defeated Michael Winslow 4 & 2 and KC’s only hope would come down to Ian McCrary’s singles match. Without a win from McCrary, KC would snap it’s streak.

Ian McCrary was 1 down heading in to 17th tee against Blake Skornia and needed to win the final two holes to win his match. After a tee shot that sat on the edge of a penalty area, McCrary was forced to pitch out in to the fairway. Skornia with a great drive and approach shot was on the green in two, facing a lengthy birdie putt. McCrary hit his approach shot on the green to about 15 feet for par. Skornia’s birdie putt ran past the hole and he faced a tough par putt coming back. McCrary, with a must-make par putt, sank the 15 footer to put pressure on Skornia. Skornia’s par putt would slide just by and we were heading to 18th tee.

Both players hit their tee shots to the right side of the fairway, just in the rough on a dog-leg left, par-5. McCrary’s second shot was hindered some by tree branches but he was able to hit an amazing punch shot that left him about 75 yards out. Ian followed with an even better approach shot in to the green that left about 5 feet for birdie. Skornia was putting for birdie from about 20 feet. His birdie putt would run past the hole on a tricky sloped 18th green, leaving some work left for par. Blake’s par putt missed the hole and McCrary just needed to two putt for the win. McCrary would do just that and par the hole to give KC the tie and bring the Cup back home!

It was an exciting competition and so proud of all the competitors and how hard they fought. Team KC battled and with a great team effort and Ian fighting until the last shot was able to retain the Cup for another year. We look forward to competing against St. Louis again next year, this time in Kansas City.

2020 Roster:

  • Michael Winslow – Overland Park, KS
  • Ian McCrary – Overland Park, KS
  • Julia Misemer – Overland Park, KS
  • Libby Green – Shawnee, KS
  • Myles Tarvin – Olathe, KS
  • Chance Rinkol – Leawood, KS
  • Maya McVey – Blue Springs, MO
  • Hillary Currier – Olathe, KS

Match Results can be seen here.

Stone Canyon Wins KC Cup

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Stone Canyon repeated as KC Cup Champions, defeating Shamrock Hills, in their second win. Stone Canyon first won the event in 2017.

At Blue Hills Country Club, both Shamrock Hills and Stone Canyon hoped to be crowned the KC Cup Champions. 11 total points were available, the winner needing at least 6 points. It was a close match that came down to the wire. Of the 11 matches, 3 ended up being halved and proved to be the deciding factor.

Stone Canyon got off to a quick start, taking the first two matches 4 & 2 and 2 & 1. Admire got a point for Shamrock Hills with a 4 & 2 victory. Stone Canyon took another two points with wins of 1 up and 5 & 4. Shamrock Hills added to their deficit with a 4 & 3 win but Stone Canyon would clinch the win with another point, giving them 6.5 points.

The final total would end up as 6.5 to 4.5 with Stone Canyon narrowly defeating Shamrock Hills. Congratulations to a hard fought victory for Stone Canyon.

Full results >>

Tyler Shelton Repeats as KC Match Play Champion

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What a victory for Tyler Shelton. It took six rounds of golf, a weather delay, and a 5 down comeback semifinal win, but he is our 2020 KC Match Play Champion. This is his second KC Match Play victory, with the first coming in 1994.

Shelton finished stroke play qualifying on Friday morning as the 22 seed with an even par round of 72 that featured one birdie and one bogey. He matched up with Patrick Roth in the first round of match play and after winning Holes 16 & 17 went on to win the match, 1 up.

In the Round of 16 on Saturday morning, Shelton faced a familiar name in Kansas City of Mark Terranova. After getting out to an early 3 up lead, Shelton faced a tough competitor in Terranova who tried to stage a comeback. Winning Hole 15, Shelton had a comfortable 2 up lead heading in to 16 and clinched the match with a par on the 17th hole to win 2 and 1.

Shelton stayed steady in his Quarterfinal match on Saturday afternoon, going up against Stateline Amateur player Alex Reed. Shelton again got out to an early 3 up lead and after trading a few holes got back to a 3 up lead heading in to the par-5, 12th hole. Reed and Shelton halved the next three and with a win on the 15th, Shelton was heading to the semifinals on Sunday.

In his first match of the day, Shelton faced a tough opponent in Kyle Hummer, who had defeated Kansas Amateur Champion, Park Ulrich, and 2 seed Ryne Fisher. What an exciting match it was. Instead of getting out to an early lead, Shelton saw himself down 5 after the front nine. Hummer had the early momentum with three birdies through the first five holes.

“When you’re five down, you really think you’re done. But I just hung in there and kept going,” said Shelton after the match. And kept going he did. Shelton chipped away at Hummer’s lead with a win on Hole 10 and 12. Hummer quickly responded with a win of us own on Hole 13 and Shelton was down 4 heading to 14 tee. Shelton birdied 14 to cut in to the lead and with a bogey by Hummer on 15, Shelton was two down with three holes to play. Hummer made a clutch par putt on 16 green to keep his lead. Hummer had a little trouble on 17 and with a bogey, left the door open a little for Shelton on 18. An errant tee shot, gave Shelton the opening he needed and was able to capitalize with a par on 18 to send the match to extra holes.

Despite an hour and a half of a weather delay, Shelton and Hummer returned to 1 fairway to resume their extra holes match. Both players would par Holes 1 & 2. Hummer’s tee shot on Hole 3 (21st hole) was left and he had to chip through the trees to the green. Laying two in the greenside bunker, Hummer chipped to about 15 feet for par. He would barely miss and Shelton had two putts to win the match. With a clutch par putt, Shelton completed his epic comeback and was headed to the finals.

In a windy and rainy afternoon, the 1 seed Luke Horseman and 22 seed Tyler Shelton faced off to claim the KC Match Play crown. Horseman struck first with a birdie Hole 2, but Shelton quickly followed with a win on Hole 4 and 6. Luke tried to battle back and tie the match with a birdie on Holy 7, but Tyler responded yet again with wins on 8 & 9 to go two up through the front nine. With another win on Hole 10 and then 12 & 13, Shelton found himself 5 up heading to 14 tee. Horseman continued to fight and made a clutch par putt to put some pressure on Shelton. He responded with a par putt of his own to clinch the match.

It was a great weekend and we had such a strong field this year. This is one of our premiere events and we are excited to see the growth of the field size and talent this year.

Thank you to Swope Memorial for hosting us yet again and for being so flexible and helpful. The course is in fantastic shape and we love having events out there. Thank you of course to all of our volunteers as well. It’s been a busy and exciting 2020 for us and we hope to see everyone again next year. The tournament is scheduled to be played in its usual month of May in 2021.

>> Full Results Here

Day Two Recap

And then there were four.

Saturday at Swope Memorial featured two rounds of match play between a very competitive field. The top 8 seeds remained in the bracket at the start of the day and only the 1 seed remains.

1 seed, Luke Horseman secured his place in the semi-finals with a narrow victory over Nebraska freshman, Will Harding, 1 up, and an extra holes match against junior golfer Nicklaus Mason, winning with a birdie on the 21st hole.

The three remaining players are 21, 22, and 23 seed respectively. Michael Garden (21) looks toward his match up with the 1 seed, Horseman, after taking out Jeff Spradlin and Greg Goode. Kyle Hummer (23) and Tyler Shelton (22) will compete in our second semi-final match tomorrow morning. Hummer had to go through Kansas Amateur Champion Park Ulrich and 2 seed Ryne Fisher to earn his spot in the semifinals. Shelton took out Mark Terranova on the 17th hole and secured his place in the semis with a 4 & 3 win over Alex Reed.

It should be an exciting finish to the 2020 KC Match Play Championship as we are guaranteed to have a new winner. Live scoring for each match will be available.

>> See Results Here

Day One Recap

After a beautiful Friday of golf, the Kansas City Match Play Championship is in to the Round of 16.

An 18-hole stroke play qualifying round kicked the tournament off Friday morning at Swope Memorial Golf Course. 84 players competed to earn their spot in the top 32 golfers and make match play.

Low medalist of the morning qualifying round was Luke Horseman, of Weston, after shooting an impressive nine-under round of 63. Horseman, the current Kansas City Amateur Champion, had a bogey-free round with four birdies on the front nine and five on the back.

Ryne Fisher and Zach VanDolah, both of Kansas City, finished tied for second in the qualifying round with rounds of 65 (-7). VanDolah and Fisher had 15 birdies combined on the day with the only blemish coming on Hole 15 for Fisher.

A total of 15 players carded under-par rounds for qualifying. Five players were tied at 31st place after all rounds had been turned in at 75 (+3). A playoff began on Hole 5 and with two birdies, the last two seeds were determined. Tyler Norris finished as the 31 seed and Eric Lester as the 32.

The Round of 32 afternoon matches began at 2:00 pm off Holes 1 & 10. The #1 seed, Horseman advanced with a win over Lester, 7 & 5. Michael Garden (21) and Ryne Fisher (2) also cruised to the Round of 16 with a 6 & 5 and 5 & 4 victory respectively. The lower seed took 8 out of the 16 matches this afternoon.

Some upsets included Brent Mertz (18) over Jeff Mason (15) in 19 holes, Colton Allen (24) over Scott Schaeffer (9), and Tyler Shelton (22) over Patrick Roth (11).

We will return to Swope Memorial tomorrow morning to see who makes it to the Quarterfinals in the afternoon.

Kansas Defeats Nebraska 10.5 to 5.5 in KS-NE Junior Cup

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The 2020 KS-NE Junior Cup took place at the one and only Prairie Dunes Country Club in Hutchinson, Kansas and it was one for the books. After losing in 2018 and tying in 2019, Team Kansas was victorious and able to bring the trophy back home.

The Kansas-Nebraska Junior Cup Matches pit the top eight male juniors from Kansas against the same from Nebraska in Ryder Cup-style matches, with history dating back to 1986. The competition begins with Foursomes and Four-Ball matches and concludes with eight Singles matches. Each match is worth one point. The 2020 team consists of Lucas Scheufler, Blake Saffell, Cooper Schultz, Davis Cooper, Will Harding, Calvin Dillon, Ian McCrary, and Caleb Kimmel.

Team Kansas got off to a great start in the morning foursome matches on Wednesday. Lucas Scheufler and Blake Saffell took the first foursomes match 3 & 2 and Ian McCrary and Caleb Kimmel took the second match 4 & 2. Will Harding and Calvin Dillon were close behind with their own victory of 2 & 1. The final foursomes match went to 18 and after a bogey by Team Kansas, the match was tied and each team received a half a point. Kansas was leading 3.5 to .5 after the morning session.

In the afternoon four-ball matches, Kansas and Nebraska split 2 and 2. Scheufler/Saffell continued their momentum with another 3 and 2 win. McCrary/Kimmel also claimed another point for Kansas with a 2 and 1 victory. Schultz/Cooper fell in a close match 2 & 1 and Harding/Dillon fought through a toss 3 & 2 loss. Those two points were big in carrying team momentum and adding to the team total heading in to singles Thursday morning. Kansas led 5.5 to 2.5.

In morning singles, Kansas needed only 3 points to clinch the Cup. Schuefler got Kansas off to a quick start with a 6 & 5 victory in the first match of the day. Cooper Schultz added another point to Team Kansas with his 3 & 2 win. Sitting at 7.5 points, Kansas just needed one more match to clinch.

Nebraska tallied a point after Saffell lost a hard fought match 2 & 1. Davis Cooper ended his match on 15 green, not only winning his match 4 & 3 but clinching the victory for Team Kansas. The remaining singles matches continued on, and Kansas ultimately won two more matches from Kimmel and Harding, ending with a total of 10.5 points.

It was a great two days at Prairie Dunes Country Club and it was a great display of golf by our eight players. They played like a team and it was fun to watch. Congratulations to our five seniors on the team and good luck to them as they move on to college in a couple weeks.

We look forward to heading out to Nebraska in 2021 to defend!

Results >>

Photo Album >>

Horseman Eagles 2nd Playoff Hole to Win KC Amateur

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It took extra holes, but Lucas Horseman, Missouri Western State golfer, captured his first KC Amateur victory with an eagle on #18. After 36 holes, Horseman was tied with Ross Steelman, University of Missouri redshirt-sophomore, at a two-day total of 137 (-7). Both players birdied the first playoff hole and re-teed on #18. Horseman made a ten footer for Eagle and it was up to Steelman to make his putt to extend. Steelman fought hard and barely missed his eagle putt to keep the playoff going.

Both players shot 67-70 for their 137 total. Horseman had 14 birdies over his two rounds and despite a few hiccups, seemed calm and collected while on the golf course. Steelman had 9 birdies and one eagle during competition and showed some grit under pressure during the playoff.

The 2020 Kansas City Amateur Championship had to be shortened to 36 holes after Friday’s round was cancelled due to rain and course conditions. Despite the shortened event, the KC Amateur featured some great golf and familiar names.

Kit Grove finished solo third at 141 (-3) and Kansas Amateur Champion Park Ulrich finished in fourth place at 142 (-2).

In our Players division, another playoff occurred to determine our champion. Matt Foster and Nathan Deadmond both finished at 155 (+11) and headed out to #1 tee to begin their playoff. With a birdie on the first, Deadmond claimed his first Player’s title. Gary Gatten and Brian Moeller finished tied for Players Net Champion at 146 (+2).

Our Senior Champion is no stranger to the winner’s circle for Central Links Golf events. Steve Groom shot one-under, 71, for his second round to come from behind and take the title, finishing at 147 (+3). Groom had five birdies over his two rounds of competition, four of them coming on Sunday to help him take the victory. Dave Cunningham and Kevin Rome tied for second at 148 (+4).

Our Legends Champion is none other than Don Kuehn. Kuehn bested the field by two strokes, finishing at 149 (+5). His competition rounds were highlight by six total birdies. Bob Bezek finished in second place with a 151. Jim Moore captured the Legends Net Champion title after his 74-72 rounds to total 146.

Congratulations to all of our winners this weekend and thank you to Creekmoor for continuing to host this event for us. We will see everyone next year at Shoal Creek Golf Course.

Full Results Here >>

Photo Album >>

Day One Recap

Missouri Western State golfer Lucas Horseman and University of Missouri redshirt-sophomore Ross Steelman are tied for the lead after the first round of the Kansas City Amateur after carding five-under, 67. Horseman had eight birdies on the day, four on each nine. Steelman carded six birdies on his round and a single bogey. Four of the size birdies came on the back nine, including one on the Par-5th, 18th hole.

Kansas Amateur Champion, Park Ulrich, sits in solo third after carding a four-under round of 68. Ulrich’s round was highlighted by a double eagle on the Par-5, 9th hole and an eagle on Hole 16. Ulrich also carded a birdie on the Par-4, 2nd hole.  

Alex Downing sits in solo fourth heading in to the final round of competition. Downing finished his round at three-under, 69, with six birdies on the day.

In the Senior division, Dave Cunningham leads the competition after an even-par round of 72 with three birdies. Kevin Rome and Brett Allen sit at solo second and third place. Rome shot a one-over, 73, and Allen followed closely behind with a 74.

Don Kuehn leads the Legends division with a two-over round of 74. Bryan Meyer and Nathan Deadmond are tied for the lead in the Players division after rounds of 77.

The Kansas City Amateur Championship continues tomorrow morning with the final round of competition. The event has been shortened to 36 holes after a rain-out on Friday occurred. Final results will be concluded based on total scores after tomorrow’s round. No cut has been made for this year’s competition.

See full results and pairings >>

Schultz Goes Back-to-Back, Tilma Wins First Junior Am

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Cooper Schultz and Kate Tilma battled through windy conditions at Salina Municipal Golf Course over the three days of the Kansas Junior Amateur Championship, winning the Overall Boys and Girls titles, respectively.

The Kansas Junior Amateur Championship is a three-day event with a cut after two rounds to the top-15 and ties in each age division. After two rounds, Cooper Schultz found himself at 8-under par and never looked back, shooting a final-round 65 that included a stellar opening nine score of 31. Cooper Schultz finished the event with a three-day total of 13-under par (197). Schultz successfully defended his 2019 title, beating last year’s performance by 9 strokes.

Kate Tilma also got off to a quick start to the tournament, as she fired back-to-back under-par rounds of 69 and 67 in the first two rounds. Kate finished up her final round with a solid score of 72, which included a clutch birdie on the final hole, and finished the event with a three-day total of 2-under par (208). After finishing runner up in 2019, Tilma was able to break through for her first Junior Amateur win.

As far as each age division goes, the champion of each boys age division and their final score are listed below:

  • 14 and under: Chance Rinkol, 4-over par (214)
  • 15 years old: Ryder Cowan and Will King, 2-under par (208)
  • 16 years old: Ryan Lee, 2-under par (208)
  • 17 years old: Michael Winslow, 5-under par (205)
  • 18 years old: Cooper Schultz, 13-under par (197).

Thank you to Salina Municipal for hosting us and we hope to see everyone again in 2021. To see full results, please see here.