Milburn Country Club Ranked in Top 10

Best Remodels of 2017 released by Golf Digest

Overland Park, Kansas: Milburn Country Club has been ranked in the Top 10 of Best Remodeled Courses in 2017 by Golf Digest. The Renovation Category is defined as remodeling that maintains the original architecture but has made modifications in terms of course upgrades (technology, aesthetics).

“A nice feel to an old country club…A hidden gem in Kansas City and a sneaky good Old School experience” raved panelists. Ron Whitten, Contributor at Golf Digest, adds “Milburn is not one of those flashy courses that panelists gush over on the first glimpse. It’s the sort of solid design that gets more appreciation the more one plays it.”

“Not only is this an incredible honor for the Club, but it is also for our membership who have patiently seen these projects through from conception to reality”, said James Nanson, GM/COO. Golf Digest panelists played and assessed new and remodeled golf courses throughout the year. Over 1,000 panelists participated and evaluated clubs in the United States and Canada. Categories that were evaluated consisted of Shot Values, Design Variety, Resistance to Scoring, Conditioning, Ambience, Aesthetics and Memorability.  Milburn Country Club was the only club in Kansas and Missouri recognized in the Renovation Category.

About Milburn Country Club

Located in Overland Park, Kansas, and founded in 1917, Milburn is home to one of the oldest, top-ranked championship golf courses in the Kansas City area. The country club is exclusive to members yet provides a warm and welcoming environment.  In the spring of 2013, Milburn unveiled a new 30,000-square-foot clubhouse. Additional features at Milburn include five tennis courts, swim facility, exceptional dining and superior service that come together to give members the finest golf and country club experience around.

For more information please contact the club at (913) 432-0490 or visit us online at www.milburn.org.

Despite less than optimal conditions, battling through a day of on and off again rain, over 90 juniors competed at Minor Park in our Kansas City Junior Tour summer series.

Players battled through the wind chill and rain to fight for their division championship title. In our Boys 16+ division, Michael Bessenbacher claimed his first victory this summer with a round of 73 (+3). With a few bogeys and two birdies, Bessenbacher was able to grind it out through the rain to beat out Michael Garcia by one stroke for first place. Rees Conder, Luke Elbrader, and Daniel Duffin all tied for third place with rounds of 76 (+6).

In our Boys 13-15 age division, Patrick Neal claimed the division title for the second week in a row with an incredible 72 (+2). Neal had a consistent round despite conditions and his lone birdie on the day helped propel him to the top of the leaderboard. Nate Saporito came in second place with a round of 75 and Ian McCrary rounded out the top three with a 78 (+8).

For the 16+ Girls division, Victoria Klausner ran away with her division with an amazing 73 (+2). Klausner excitement was evident after shooting such a great round. She also earned her first win of the summer series with four birdies on the day. Hope and Hanna Robinett tied for second place with rounds of 81.

In the Girls 13-15 division, Caroline Giocondo beat out Lia Johnson by two strokes to card an 82 for her division title. Her best hole of the day came with a birdie on the Par-5, 6th. Libby Green rounded out the top three with an 88.

In our Prep division, Chance Rinkol won his division for the second week in a row with a nine hole score of 38 (+3). His consistency showed with his seven pars on the day fighting through the rain. Jacob Fratzel came in second with a nine hole score of 40.

Once again, thank you to everyone who participated and we enjoyed having everyone out at Minor Park today for another great KC Junior event. We hope to see everyone again June 28 at Drumm Farm.

For full field results click here.

For pictures and video from today’s event, see our KCGA Instagram and KCGA Facebook page.

For Player of the Year standings, click here.

By Taylor Albritton, KCGA Intern

Wichita, KS – Denise Desilet of Wichita continued her consecutive victory streak after a 3-hole playoff with Susan DeVoe of Overland Park at Wichita Country Club.  Down two at the start of round two, Desilet was not ready to let the trophy go and held on to claim her seventh consecutive Kansas Women’s Senior Championship and her eleventh championship title.  Opening with an even par 36 on the front to DeVoe’s 40, Desilet opened a two-shot lead.  DeVoe responded with a 36 on the back nine to force the playoff.  Both players made pars on the first two playoff holes before Desilet finally edged out the victory with a par on number three.

There was spectacular play in every division of the championship.  Megan Dupy of Salina had a hard-fought battle with Jordan Patterson of Hays to claim the first-ever Mid-Amateur Championship.  Dupy started the day one shot behind first round leader Patterson after an opening 80.  Steady play in round two with a 73 edged Patterson by one stroke.  The Mid-Am Division had particularly strong play with four players carding sub-80 rounds on a very difficult WCC golf course.

Judy Morris of Derby had the come-back round of the day to win the Super Senior Gross title by two shots over first round leader Phyllis Fast.  Morris opened the day with a 38 on the front nine in spite of two double bogeys.  Birdies on 2, 4 and 8 closed the gap, and steady play on the back nine sealed the championship title.

MidAm
1st Gross – Megan Dupy (Salina)
1st Net – Jordan Patterson (Hays)

Senior Overall
1st Gross – Denise Desilet (Wichita)
1st Net – Susan DeVoe (Overland Park), Paula Routon (Wichita), Darlene Lamb (Overland Park)

Senior Division Championship Flight
1st Gross – Denise Desilet (Wichita)
2nd Gross – Paula Routon (Wichita)

1st Net – Susan DeVoe (Overland Park)
2nd Net – Susan Mueller (Wichita)

Senior Division First Flight
1st Gross – Stephanie Welk (Wichita)
2nd Gross – Laurie Gaston (Wellington)

1st Net – Marcia Roets (Manhattan)
2nd Net – Danell Wilbur (Wichita)

Senior Division Second Flight
1st Gross – Darlene Lamb (Overland Park)
2nd Gross – Carol Herter (Wichita)

1st Net – Paula Gill (Wellington)
2nd Net – Beth Kuckelman (Topeka)

Senior Division Third Flight
1st Gross – Janet Ast (Wichita)
2nd Gross – Pat Garrison (El Dorado)

1st Net – Kelly Rundell (Wichita)
2nd Net – Becky Rogers (Wichita)

Super Senior Division
1st Gross – Judy Morris (Derby)
2nd Gross – Phyllis Fast (Topeka)

1st Net – Jan Wiley (Ozawkie)
2nd Net – Carla Winn (Wichita)

Wichita, KS – Beautiful conditions prevailed at Wichita Country Club for round one of the Kansas Women’s Senior/Super Senior/Mid-Amateur Championship. The championship consists of divisions for Mid-Amateurs who are 25-49 years of age, Seniors age 50-69, and Super Seniors age 70+.

Susan DeVoe of Overland Park leads the Senior Division with a steady round of 77, carding nothing more than a bogey.  DeVoe has a one-shot lead over Paula Routon (Wichita) and leads six-time defending/ten time champion Denise Desilet (Wichita) by two strokes. Marcia Roets of Manhattan holds the lead in the Net Championship with a 2-under 69.

Phyllis Fast of Topeka has a commanding six-stroke lead in the Super Senior Division over Judy Morris (Derby).  The Super Senior Net is a close race with Bev Dilsaver-Millan tied with Fast at 1-under 70.

This year marks the first time in the history of the competition for the Mid-Amateur Division.  Jordan Patterson of Hays leads the Mid-Ams with a strong performance carding a 79 despite a triple-bogey 8 on number 9.  She has a narrow margin over Megan Dupy of Salina and Martha Linscott of Mission Hills.

The final round will begin at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow at Wichita CC.

For the second year in a row, Joe Bultman shot the low round of the day to qualify for the US Junior Amateur Championship at Milburn CC.

With 21 total players in the field, there was one spot to give for the US Junior Amateur at Baltusrol GC. Joe Bultman got out to a quick lead, stretching to four-under at one point in his round. A couple mistakes brought him back to one-under through 14 holes and tied with Cole Elling.

Bultman battled by birdying the Par-3, 15th to go one up over the field. Bultman would par out to stay at two-under and win low medalist with a round of 70 (-2).

Cole Elling had a great round with four birdies on the day, two coming on the Par-3’s. He will be the first alternate for the US Junior Amateur Championship. Third place finisher Liam Coughlin, 73 (+1), will be the second alternate.

Bultman qualified last year for the US Junior Amateur out of Illinois after a schedule conflict kept him from playing in the Kansas City qualifier. He says his goal this year for the US Junior Championship is to make it match play and of course play well.

We wish Joe the best of luck out in New Jersey July 16-21 in the championship his second time around. Bultman has had a great year so far after coming in second at our KC Junior Championship and just finishing a good showing in the Watson Challenge.

For results of today’s qualifier see here.

For an interview with Bultman, see our KCGA Facebook page.

By Taylor Albritton, KCGA Intern

91 of our juniors golfers competed at our second KCJT event of the summer at Hillcrest Golf and CC.

With such a great turnout, each division saw competitive scoring and some multiple champions. In the 16+ Girls division, Caroline Setter beat out last week’s division champion Jaclyn Koziol with an impressive 79 (+7) round. Caroline’s round included a few bogeys, but battled back with a birdie on the front nine and a birdie on the back.

Jaclyn Koziol missed first place by one stroke with an 80 round, and Maggie King came in third with a round of 82.

In the 16+ Boys division, we had three co-champions all bringing in a round of 75. Hillcrest seemed to be a tougher course than that of Fred Arbanas last week as scores were a little higher. Brett Blau, Michael Garcia and Tanner Collins all had a great round of 75 (+3). Each player had at least two birdies on their round and all finished tied for the lead. In a four way tie for fourth, Griffin Brassell, Michael Bessenbacher, Trey Stone and Brooks Baldwin all carded a 78 (+6).

In our 13-15 Girls division, good friends Tess Roman and Savannah Gentry claimed co-division champions with a 89 round. After coming off her first ever eagle last week at Fred Arbanas, Gentry followed it up with a chip-in birdie this week. Roman had two birdies on her round, one on a Par-3 and the other on a Par-4.

In the 13-15 Boys, our last competitor in stole the show with a carded round of 83. Patrick Neal beat out Nathan Thompson by 3 strokes to take the division champion title. Despite some mistakes, Neal birdied Holes 11, 12 and 13 to take home the champion towel.

In our 9-hole Prep division, Chance Rinkol beat out Jacob Fratzel by one stroke with a 38 (+2) 9-hole round. Rinkol played a consistent 9 with 7 pars and two bogeys. Fratzel made a birdie on the Par-5, 14th to battle back from a few bogeys to narrowly miss first place with a 39.

KCJT events are a great chance to play friends and be competitive. We love seeing our juniors golfers get out to play no matter their talent level. Our next KCJT event will be at Minor Park GC June 21. Don’t miss out!

To see pictures of our champions, check out the KCGA instagram page.

For Player of the Year Standings click here.

By Taylor Albritton, KCGA Intern

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