Category: Competitions

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 >>

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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 >>

Stous Wins Prairie Invitational

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The weather couldn’t stop Rachel Stous from winning The Prairie Invitational on Wednesday.

Rachel Stous, Topeka, was crowned as the 2020 Prairie Invitational Champion. She found herself coming from behind going into today’s round after an uncharacteristic 77 during round one.

The 2019 Player of the Year, opened her round with back-to-back birdies on holes one and two followed by two more birdies on the front nine. As she made the turn, Stous bogeyed hole 11 and followed up with birdies on 13 and 15. On the 17th hole, play was suspended due to weather; the rain delay did not slow her down. Once she was back on the course, Stous held a three-shot lead going into her last hole. Despite a bogey on the 18th hole, she finished her round three-under-par and won by two shots over Audrey Judd.

Judd had three consistent rounds shooting 75-75-73. As a member at Shadow Glen Golf Club, she certainly knew how to play the course. She made an impressive birdie on hole 18 today to finish in second place.

Megan Lucas also made a run for the title during her round. Lucas, a member of the Wichita State Women’s Golf Team, shot even-par today. Lucas shared third place with Katy Winters. Winters, a former golfer at The University of Kansas, also shot even par today. On her back nine, she made three birdies in a row on holes 15, 16, and 17.

Round two leader, Madison Slayton, finished tied for fifth with Gianna Augustine.

Results >>
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Grant Wins Player’s Division

Round 2

The Player’s Division

Today marked the final round of the Player’s Division. After a great first round, Beth Grant found herself in the lead heading into round two.

“I was thinking that I needed to play an under control and consistent round today. My lead felt great at the time, but I had to remind myself that the tournament was far from over,” Grant said.

Grant and Sheri Rehmer tied after 36 holes with two-day-totals of 164. Grant made a long putt on the 18th hole to send her into a playoff with Rehmer.

“[Making that putt felt] exhilarating, I never felt anything like it before,” said Grant.

They headed back to the 18th tee to begin their playoff. Both hit the green on their third shots. Rehmer had a long putt that she left short and Grant nearly made her 15-foot putt. Rehmer missed her short put coming back, giving Grant the Player’s Title. Grant also won the KC Junior Match Play earlier in July, making this her second Central Links Golf Championship Title of the summer. This marked the first playoff in Player’s Division history.

Although Rehmer did not win the Gross Title, she did take the crown in the Net Division. “Today I just wanted to strike the ball well. Playing against myself. My drives put me into a position to attack most holes,” Rehmer said.

The Open Division

Madison Slayton shot 68 yesterday giving her the lead going into round two. This morning she had a few bogies but made up for them on her back nine, shooting 78. She is tied for the lead with Rosie Klausner. Consistency has been key for Klausner as she shot two rounds of 73.

Stacy Dennis fired a 71 (-1) during today’s round. Dennis, the Executive Director at the Texas Golf Association, had the only round under par carded for the day.

Home course favorite, Audrey Judd, also posted two solid rounds of 75, putting her in solo fourth place.

With a crowd tied for fifth, it’s really anyone’s chance for the title going into the final round tomorrow.

Note: there was a cut for the Open Division after Round 2 that included the low 18 players & ties.

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Results>>

Slayton Fires 68 in Round One at The Prairie Invitational

The Open Division

OLATHE, KS – Madison Slayton, Wichita, leads The Prairie Invitational after Round One of three. Slayton opened her round with a birdie and never slowed down. She birdied holes 10, 13, and 14 on the back nine. She made an uncharacteristic bogey on 15 and followed it up with another birdie on the 16th hole.

“A lot of my birdies came from making some good putts, but I think my birdie on 13 stood out the most. Going into the round, I knew par was going to be a good score on that hole, so to birdie it was a plus,” Slayton said. She totaled six birdies on her day, shooting 68 (-4).

Four golfers are tied for second place with rounds of 73 (+1). Bri Bolden, Mokena, IL, had a consistent birdie to bogey ratio throughout her round. Rosie Klausner, Olathe, had a steady round making two birdies on her day. Anna Jensen’s, Dubuque, IA, round was highlighted by six birdies. Olivia Sobaski, Sedalia, MO, shot one-under on the front nine and held strong on the back despite two bogeys.

2019 Kansas Women’s Mid-Amateur Champion, Katy Winters, holds solo-sixth after shooting a round of 74 (+2). Winters, a resident of Andover, made four birdies on her day. Most notably, back-to-back birdies on holes 7 and 8.

The Player’s Division

The Kansas City Girl’s Match Play Champion, Beth Grant, finds herself in the lead after shooting 78. Grant had three birdies on her round.

Barbara Cusick, Prairie Invitational Committee Member, is tied for second place with Sheri Rehmer, shooting 83.

Sarah Brookfield, Prairie Invitational Committee Member, made a Hole-In-One on the 8th hole. Brookfield is in 17th place.

Play will begin at 7:30 AM on Tuesday.

View Full Results >>

Park Ulrich Wins 110th Kansas Amateur

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Overland Park’s Park Ulrich with the Kansas Amateur trophy

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Final Match Update – July 26

30-year old Park Ulrich of Overland Park claimed the 110th Kansas Amateur Match Play Championship on Sunday at Colbert Hills Golf Course in Manhattan. Ulrich bested 21-year Wichita native and Auburn Tiger golfer Wells Padgett in the 36-hole final match that needed three extra holes to determine a champion.

The 36-hole match was back and forth during the opening 18 holes with Padgett taking a 1-up lead at the intermission. Padgett continued his solid place during the afternoon session and saw his lead increase to 3-up with six holes to go.

Ulrich chipped away at the lead late with birdies on #13 and #15 to get the match tied with three holes to play. Padgett regained the lead on #16 with a birdie. Ulrich then responded with a near hole in one on the par 3 17th hole to tie the match with one hole to play. On #18, the 36th hole of the match, both players got up and down for par to send the match to sudden death extra holes.

Both players returned to #18 tee for the first sudden-death hole. Ulrich and Padgett both just missed on birdie attempts to further extend the match.

On the second sudden-death hole, the par 5 1st hole at Colbert Hills, again both players just missed on lengthy birdie tries.

Ulrich and Padgett moved to the par 4 2nd hole at Colbert Hills for the third sudden-death playoff hole. Both players found the fairway with their tee shots, but both missed the green just right with the hole location tucked on the far right side. Ulrich was away and chipped in for a birdie. Needing to chip in for birdie to extend the match, Padgett’s birdie attempt came up just short of the cup to give Ulrich the championship title.

Thank you to the staff and members of Colbert Hills for hosting the Kansas Amateur! A big thank you to the Rules Committee members that volunteered their time this week to make for a very successful championship.

The 111th Kansas Amateur will be held at Crestview (North) Country Club in Wichita on July 19-25, 2021.


Quarterfinals & Semifinals Update – July 25

21-year old Wells Padgett of Wichita will face 30-year old Park Ulrich of Overland Park in the 36-hole final match at the 110th Kansas Amateur Match Play Championship on Sunday at Colbert Hills in Manhattan.

Padgett, a junior on the Auburn University golf team, advanced to the finals following a 4&3 victory over Overland Park junior golf standout Michael Winslow in Saturday morning’s Quarterfinal match and then defeating Kansas State University Assistant Women’s Golf Coach Jared Helin by a 5&4 margin the afternoon Semifinal.

Ulrich, a financial advisor and former collegiate golfer at UMKC, advanced to the finals with a Quarterfinal 2-up victory over Washburn golfer Andrew Beckler. In the afternoon Semifinal match, Ulrich bested future University of Nebraska golfer Will Harding 4&2.

The 36-hole final match will get underway at 7:30 am on Sunday at Colbert Hills.


Round of 32 & 16 Update – July 24

A busy day on the course at the 110th Kansas Amateur Match Play Championship at Colbert Hills on Friday has trimmed the remaining field to eight players following today’s Round of 32 matches this morning and Round of 16 matches this afternoon.

Quarterfinal matches will get underway at 7:30 am on Saturday at Colbert Hills. The Semifinals will follow in the afternoon. Meet the Quarterfinalists:

Lucas Scheufler, 17, Wellington
– 2020 Kansas Junior Tour champion
– 2020 Kansas Junior Match Play champion

Jared Helin, 34, Manhattan
– 2017 Konza Prairie Amateur champion
– Assistant Women’s Golf Coach, Kansas State University

Wells Padgett, 21, Wichita
– 2020 Kansas Four-Ball champion
– 3-time USGA Junior Amateur participant
– Auburn University golf team member

Michael Winslow, 17, Overland Park
– 2018 Kansas Junior Amateur champion
– 2018 USGA Junior Amateur participant

Park Ulrich, 30, Overland Park
– 2017 & 2019 Kansas Mid-Amateur champion
– Former UMKC golf team member

Andrew Beckler, 23, Topeka
– 2019 & 2020 Railer champion
– 2019 Kansas Men’s Player of the Year
– Washburn University golf team member

Will Harding, 19, Prairie Village
– Signed with University of Nebraska golf team
– 2018 Western Junior Amateur participant

Davis Cooper, 19, Overland Park
– Signed with University of Kansas golf team
– 2020 Kansas City Junior Amateur champion


Round of 64 Match Play Update – July 23

32 players remain in the hunt for the 110th Kansas Amateur Match Play Championship following a wild first day of match play that saw five top 20 seeds fall in the opening round.

64-seed Lucas Scheufler of Wellington, the last player into the match play field, took down top seed Matt Percy in a match that went 19 holes.

Wichita junior golfer and 62-seed Asher Whitaker bested 3-seed Kameron Shaw, 56-seed Bradley Lane of Lawrence topped 9-seed Jack Courington and Washburn golfer Ian Trebilock advanced after defeating 13-seed Sean Thayer.

Former Washburn golfer Garret Allen, the 49-seed, highlighted his match win over Pete Krsnich with a hole in one on #8 at Colbert Hills. Allen used an 8-iron from 185 yards for the ace.

The longest match of the day went 22 holes with 19-seed Will Harding advancing over 46-seed Nick Kagy.

Round of 32 matches will get underway at 7:30 am on Friday at Colbert Hills. The Round of 16 matches will follow in the afternoon.


Day Two Update – July 22

Ottawa’s Matt Percy took medalist honors during the stroke play qualifying portion of the 110th Kansas Amateur on Wednesday at Colbert Hills Golf Course in Manhattan. Percy finished at 5-under par 139 total after rounds of 70-69 to take the top seed heading to match play on Thursday.

Wellington junior golfer Blake Saffell will be the #2 seed for match play. Saffell posted back to back rounds of 2-under par 70. Round one co-leader Kameron Shaw is the three seed after finishing at 69-72–141.

A five hole sudden death playoff was needed to determine the final seven players to advance to the 64-player single elimination match play bracket. 10 players that were at a 36-hole score of 9-over par 153 were in the playoff for the remaining spots.

Round of 64 match play will begin at 7:30 am on Thursday at Colbert Hills.


Day One Update – July 21

2018 Kansas Amateur champion Sion Audrain and Salina junior golfer Kameron Shaw are tied at the top following round one of stroke play qualifying at the 110th Kansas Amateur Match Play Championship at Colbert Hills Golf Course in Manhattan. 

Audrain, a Garden City native and University of Kansas golfer, posted a 3-under par 69 to take the overnight lead along with Shaw. 

Five players sit one shot back after first round 2-under par 70’s on a day that saw a total of 2.5 hours of rain and weather delays. 

Stroke play qualifying will continue on Wednesday with the second round. 

Following the completion of the stroke play, the top 64 players will advance to a single elimination match play bracket. If necessary, a sudden death playoff will occur to determine the final players to advance to match play.



Groom, Kimmel, And Grant Emerge Victorious at Swope

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Kansas City Senior/Junior Match Play Championship

The final day of the Kansas City Senior, Boys, and Girls Match Play Championships at Swope Memorial Golf Course provided three outstanding final matches.

In the Senior Match Play Championship, 11-seed Steve Groom defeated 5-seed Dave Cunningham in the final match: A match that went to extra holes. Tied after 18 holes, Steve and Dave went two more sudden death holes to decide the champion, ending with Steve Groom winning with a par on the second extra hole. Steve’s round was highlighted with early birdies on holes 1, 4, and 7 that propelled him to a fast start and eventually the victory.

In the Boys Match Play Championship, 4-seed Caleb Kimmel defeated 7-seed Chance Rinkol in the final match by a result of 3&2. Caleb, following an impressive 29 that he fired in yesterday’s semifinal match, came out strong this morning in the final match, winning his first four holes of the match and never looked back.

In the Girls Match Play Championship, 5-seed Elizabeth Grant defeated 3-seed Caroline Giocondo in the final match by a result of 4&2. Elizabeth won four of the last five holes on the front nine, giving her a 4UP lead that she never surrendered.

Thank you to Swope Memorial Golf Course and all of our volunteers who made these championships possible!

To view final results from the Senior Match Play Championship, click here.

To view final results from the Junior Match Play Championship, click here.

Day Two Recap:

After day two of the Senior, Boys and Girls Kansas City Match Play Championships, we have three championship matches that are sure to be action-packed on Sunday.

In the Senior Match Play Championship, the 11-seed Steve Groom defeated the 14-seed Kevin Rome Saturday morning with a result of 5&3, followed by a victory in the afternoon in the semifinals over the 2-seed Frank Hoback with a result of 4&3. The other remaining player in the Senior Match Play Championship is Dave Cunningham, who won his morning match 5&4 over Mark Addington, followed by a semifinal afternoon victory over Sean Thayer with a result of 4&3. The final match of the Senior Match Play Championship is tomorrow morning at 7:30 AM between Steve Groom and Dave Cunningham.

In the Boys Match Play Championship, the 4-seed Caleb Kimmel defeated the 5-seed Davis Cooper in the morning matches with a result of 3&2, followed by a victory in the afternoon in the semifinals over the 8-seed Will Harding with a result of 6&5, highlighted by an opening nine score of 29. The other remaining player in the Boys Match Play Championship is Chance Rinkol, who who his morning match 1 UP over the 15-seed Calvin Dillon, followed by a semifinal afternoon victory over Myles Tarvin with a result of 3&2. The final match of the Boys Match Play Championship is tomorrow morning at 7:38 AM between Caleb Kimmel and Chance Rinkol.

In the Girls Match Play Championship, the 5-seed Elizabeth Grant defeated the 4-seed Tess Roman Saturday morning with a result of 4&2, followed by a victory in the afternoon in the semifinals over the 1-seed Victoria Klausner with a result of 2 UP. The other remaining player in the Girls Match Play Championship is Caroline Giocondo, who won her morning match 6&5 over the 6-seed Ella Slicker, followed by a semifinal afternoon victory over the 2-seed Lia Johnson with a result of 2&1. The final match of the Girls Match Play Championship is tomorrow morning at 7:46 AM between Elizabeth Grant and Caroline Giocondo.

2020 Watson Challenge Update

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LENEXA, Kansas, June 26, 2020 – The 2020 Watson Challenge will be played on August 4-6 at the National Golf Club of Kansas City. The rescheduled date was announced on April 3, 2020, due to coronavirus concerns.

Unfortunately, event namesake and 5-time champion, Tom Watson is having shoulder surgery and will not be able to play. The field will still be strong, including 2-time champion and 2019 Kansas Amateur champion, Andy Spencer and defending champion, Alex Springer.

Due to COVID-19, spectators will be limited to National Golf Club members, tournament sponsors, and five guests per player.

“The Watson Challenge is one of the premier golf events in the Kansas City area, and it’s our intention to keep players, spectators, volunteers, and staff safe,” Doug Habel, Tournament Director, said. Central Links Golf will continue to monitor the health crisis and make any necessary changes to the event.

Click here to view the 2020 Watson Points List.

For any questions regarding the Watson Challenge, please reach out to Doug Habel at doug@clgolf.org.

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.

Meet the Interns

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Nelson Searcy

Nelson is one of two long-term interns for Central Links. Originally from Lee’s Summit, MO, Nelson graduated from Rockhurst University this spring.

Nelson was a member of the Rockhurst men’s golf team and is very active in the golf community. According to Nelson, his favorite golf course is Pebble Beach.

His dream job is becoming an Executive Director or President of a state golf association or working for the USGA. Golf has impacted him by providing him many life lessons and opportunities that have helped him become a better person in every way. He credits the First Tee program and playing with his grandfather for his interest in the game at an early age.

Ryan Matzke

Ryan is our second long-term intern for 2020. Originally from Silver Lake, KS, Ryan graduated from the University of Kansas.

Ryan is currently in the National Guard and his dream job is a commercial airline pilot.

He found his love for golf while playing high school golf. Ever since then, he has used golf as his favorite hobby. This intern opportunity allows him to dive deeper into golf administration. His favorite golf course is Spring Creek in Seneca, KS.

Dorothy Keenan

Dorothy is a summer intern and recently graduated from Rockhurst University this spring. Originally from Larned, KS, Dorothy will actually head to Texas A&M in the fall for a Masters in Sport Management.

Dorothy was a part of the Rockhurst women’s golf team and didn’t realize how important golf was to her until she couldn’t play anymore this spring with her team. She has made so many connections through the game and is so thankful for all the places golf has taken her.

Her favorite golf course is St. Andrew’s and her dream job is a marketing and community relations coordinator.

Max Roberts

Max is a summer intern that is currently attending the University of Kansas. Originally from Overland Park, KS, Max is scheduled to graduate in 2021.

Golf has impacted him by teaching life lessons than any other sport. It has taught him that patience and practice are essential to achieving a goal. It has also connected him to many people and started friendships.

Max’s favorite golf course is Brookridge Golf & Fitness and his dream job is to be the General Manager of the Kansas City Chiefs.

Lauren Sieh

Lauren is another summer intern and is currently attending Southwestern College in Winfield, KS. She is a member of the women’s golf team.

Originally from Coweta, Oklahoma, Lauren found herself in Kansas for college. Her favorite golf course is Battle Creek GC in Broken Arrow, OK. Her dream job is to be a travel journalist.

Golf has opened up a lot of opportunities for Lauren and has given her life-long friends. It has also taught her that you can succeed with a little hard work.

Braydun Unruh

Braydun is our fourth summer intern and has a lot of family ties to our junior program in Kansas City. His two younger brothers, Keenan and Colby, have been long-time members of the KC Junior Tour.

Braydun is currently attending Calvary University and grew up in Overland Park, KS. His favorite golf course is Shadow Glen Golf Club.

Golf has been a great way to spend time with the people he loves, including his brothers and Grandfather. It has also taught him patience and perserverance. Braydon’s dream job is to be an equipment manager for the Kansas City Chiefs.