Category: Editorial

The Passing of a Legend

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Kansas golf lost a legend this week with the passing of Natasha Matson Fife.

Five-time winner of the Kansas Women’s Amateur, seven-time winner of the Wichita city championship and three-time Broadmoor (Colorado) Invitational champion, Fife took a self-imposed ten-year hiatus to raise her daughters, then returned to competitive golf and captured seven Kansas Women’s Senior Championships.

The daughter of four-time Kansas Amateur champion George Matson (1932, ’33, ’36 and ’37), Natasha was recognized as an “up and comer” by the USGA and, as a fourteen-year-old, was offered a special invitation (along with fellow Kansas legend Judy Bell) into the 1950 US Women’s Open at Rolling Hills.

It was during that tournament that thirteen women, including Babe Zaharias, Patty Berg, Opal Hill, Betty Jameson and Marilyn Smith came together to form the LPGA. And young Natasha was there to witness it.

She also played in five USGA Women’s Amateurs, making the quarter finals in 1960 (Tulsa). That year the USGA had her ranked among the Top- 10 amateurs in the country in both the Women’s and Senior Women’s categories.

Fife began teaching Physical Education at Wichita State in 1959 and, a decade later, was instrumental in creating a separate women’s athletic program, ushering in the “varsity era” of women’s sports at WSU. In 1974 she was named the school’s first Director of Women’s Intercollegiate Athletics. After Title IX was established and the Men’s and Women’s programs were merged, she served as Associate Athletic Director until 1984. She retired from WSU with “Emeritus” status in 1998.

Fife was inducted into three Halls of Fame: the Kansas Golf Foundation Hall of Fame (1993), The Kansas Sports Hall of Fame (2006) and the Shocker Sports Hall of Fame (2018). In 2023 she became the first woman to be included in the Hall of Legends in conjunction with the Legends of Kansas Championship.

Central Links Golf extends our condolences to Natasha’s family and legions of her friends throughout the state of Kansas. She made a difference.

A Masters Story… from 1968

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If you’ve ever been interested in sports history in the Midwest, chances are you’ve come across publications by Jack Garvin. Jack is a Central Links Golf board member, author, and self-proclaimed history buff for all things golf.

In the spirit of Masters week, Jack takes us back with a personal recount of being at Augusta National by happenstance during one of the most trying times in American history. It’s personal, yet relatable at the same time. Enjoy.

The 2015 KC Women’s Golf Clinic

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LENEXA, Kan. — Shadow Glen hosted the first annual KC Women’s Golf Clinic presented by Lockton on Monday, October 19. It was a day filled with 65 female golfers throughout Kansas City that gathered to learn and gain knowledge of the game.

The KC Women’s Golf Coalition’s mission is to promote women’s health and wellness through the game of golf and encourage women to participate in the game. This event included personalized small group instructions with female LPGA and PGA teaching professionals on pitching, putting, chipping, full-swing, on course strategies and fitness. There were also on course competitions with prizes and had the opportunity to play Shadow Glen Golf Club. Each Participant received breakfast, lunch, cocktails and hors d’oeuvres in addition to six hours of golf instruction.

Each participant was sent home with a personalized plan for improvement from their teaching professional and complimentary gift bag. Portions of the proceeds from the event went to Rose Brooks (a local domestic violence shelter) and WIN for KC (a local organization supporting women’s and girl’s athletic development).

Other sponsors included: Garmin, Bushnell, KC Women’s Golf Coalition, Shadow Glen, Elite Golf & Fitness, KPMG, Whole Foods, San Soleil, Valley Wine & Spirits, Toyota, Fitness First, Footprints in Fairways, PGA Midwest Section, EP, Top Notch, Arnold Palmer’s Tee and Veracity.

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The KCGA is proud to announce its 2015 Mid-America Junior Cup Team

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The Mid-America Junior Cup is a two day Ryder/Walker Cup style competition begun in 1999 in which the top juniors from Kansas City face off against the top juniors from St. Louis.  The KCGA and Metropolitan Amateur Golf Association (St. Louis) alternate in hosting the event each year. This year’s event will take place October 24-25 at Nicklaus Golf Club at Lionsgate in Overland Park, Kansas. Eligibility for the team is based off of the KCGA Junior Amateur Boys/Girls Standings for the year. The format for the first day is same-gender four-ball while the second day is co-ed alternate-shot. The KCGA team looks to continue its success and keep the Cup in Kansas City.

Here is a look at this year’s KCGA team

Andy Spencer: Andy Spencer is from Prairie Village, Kansas, attending Shawnee Mission East High School. Spencer competes on the SM East golf team where he achieved the Kansas 6A individual champion in the spring of 2015. Along with the 6A State title, he has won the 2014 Boy’s Metro Match Play Championship and the AJGA’s Lockton Kansas City Junior. Adding on to Spencer’s accomplished year, he achieved the 2015 Kenneth Smith Award and was selected as the Kansas City Star’s All-Metro Boy’s golfer of the year. This is his third year as a member of the KCGA Mid-America Cup team.

Eric Pahls: Eric Pahls of Kansas City, Kansas, will be returning for his second appearance on the KCGA Mid-America Cup team. Pahls recently placed second at the Kansas Class 4A state golf championship and is the back-to-back champion of the Kansas City Junior Championship, giving him exemption into the Watson Challenge. Pahls was also the runner-up at the 2014 Midwest Junior PGA Championship.

Garrett Clark: Garrett Clark of Kansas City, Kansas, is a member of the Kansas City Junior Tour where he competes on a regular basis. Clark recently qualified and advanced to semifinals of the 2015 Kansas City Match Play Championship.

Joe Bultman: Joe Bultman is from Shawnee, Kansas, and is a member of the Kansas City Junior Tour. Bultman competes on the KCJT and won the event at Shirkey Golf Club. He achieved the honors of the winning the KCJT Player of the Year award in his division.

Taylor Black: Taylor Black is a back-to-back Girl’s Metro Match Play champion. Black is also the 2013 Heartland Junior Amateur and the 2015 Missouri Class 2 State Champion. She also qualified for the 2015 U.S. Girls Junior Amateur Championship.

Caroline Klemp: Caroline Klemp is from Lansing, Kansas, where she plays on the St. James Academy girl’s golf team. Klemp had a big year in 2015 where she posted the lowest junior score at the Prairie Invitational. She also won the Midwest Junior Tour Player of the Year and qualified Big I National Championship.

Julia Misemer: Julia Misemer is from Overland Park, Kansas, and is 11 years old. She has accomplished many things this season. She was a part of the Junior KC Cup team at Brookridge Golf & Fitness team. She was the 2015 KC Junior Tour Player of the Year, while winning 4 of the 10 events in her division. Misemer has also qualified for the Drive, Pitch & Putt National Finals at Augusta National, the home Masters.

Megan Propeck: Megan Propeck is from Leawood, Kansas. Propeck was a member of the 2015 Junior KC Cup Championship team of Blue Hills Country Club. She also finished runner-up at the 2015 Missouri Junior Amateur Championship.

The 2015 KC Junior Tour is in the Shadows

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OLATHE, Kan. – The 2015 Kansas City Junior Tour wrapped up the season with the championship at Shadow Glen Golf Club on Monday, August 10.

Shadow Glen is a Tom Watson design that is built to be an 18-hole championship course in the rolling hills and wooden terrain. It is intended to give beauty and challenge to the golfers around the area.  The KCJT Championship consisted of 113 junior golfers from around the Kansas City area to compete one last time at Shadow Glen. Throughout the season, the junior golfers have accumulated points depending on their finish at each event.

James O’Connor from Greenwood, Missouri, led the boys 16 and up division as he earned 86 points on the year to claim the 2015 player of the year award. Joe Bultman from Shawnee, Kansas, led the boys 13 to 15 division as he tallied 76 points on the year to earn the 2015 player of the year award in his division.

Brianna Walker from Liberty, Missouri, dominated the girls 16 and up division as she racked up 96 points to earn the 2015 player of the year award. Julia Misemer controlled the girls 13 to 15 division as she tallied 96 points to win the player of the year award in her division.  The prep division was led by Drake Krumme from Lenexa, Kansas, as he won the 2015 player of the year award in the division.

The low-score of the day in the boys 16 and up division was posted by Cole Gage at 76 (+4). There was a four-way tie for the lowest score in the girls 16 and up division as Meg Green, Brianna Walker, Caroline Klemp and India Guame – all posted a 78 (+6). The low-score of the day in the girls 13 to 15 division was posted by Rosalyn Klausner at 86.

Six juniors posted an eagle at Shadow Glen, including Eddie Fromm who fired the low-score of the prep division at 35 (-1), Cole Elling who led the boys 13 to 15 division at 71 (-1) and Will Harding in the boys 13 to 15 division also fired an eagle.  Isabella Hadden in the girls 13 to 15 division posted an eagle on hole number 10.  Nikki McCurdy posted two eagles on the day and Haley Bell inked an eagle on her scorecard as well.

Click here for final results at Shadow Glen Golf Club.

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