Letzig and Hanna Lead at Mission Hills

Mission Hills, KS — On what turned out to be a great day for golf at Mission Hills Country Club, 48 players teed it up in the hopes of adding their name to the list of Watson Challenge champions.

Michael Letzig and Chase Hanna teed off early with and set the bar high for the rest of the field by posting 67’s. Letzig, a former PGA Tour player, got off to a hot start, with birdies on #2, #3, #8 and #9 to get to four under. Hanna, on the other hand, got off to a slow start, with bogeys at #1 and #3. From #4 in, however, Hanna played great golf. He played the last 15 holes at 5-under to get to 67.

Just behind Letzig and Hanna are Zac Gavlak at -2 and Curtis Yonke at -1.

The group at even par includes the events namesake and 5-time Watson Challenge champion Tom Watson. Watson struggled with his ball-striking at times, but holed enough putts to stay in contention.

Complete results and starting times can be found by clicking here…

Spencer, Buerk, Elliott and Ward Earn Spots in Watson Challenge

The qualifier for the 2015 Watson Challenge was held today at Prairie Highlands Golf Course in Olathe, KS. The Prairie Highlands staff worked around the clock to get the golf course into playable condition for the 65 players who would vie for 4 qualifying spots.

Newly crowned Kansas 6A high school state champion Andy Spencer continued his run of great play by firing an even par 72 to take one spot. Recent Missouri Southern grad Ryan Buerk matched Spencer’s 72 and locked up a trip to Mission Hills.

Finishing just behind Spencer and Buerk was Travis Elliott. Elliot shot a 2-over 74.

Rounding out the qualifiers was former Kansas Jayhawk Kevin Ward. Ward shot 74 to lock up the final invitation.

The Watson Challenge will be played June 12th-14th at Mission Hills Country Club.

Complete results can be found be clicking here…

Fowler Punches Ticket to Senior Open

The U.S. Senior Open Championship local qualifier took place at Loch Lloyd Country Club, Monday, May 18.  The 34-golfer field gathered from around the Midwest and three international golfers from Spain and New Zealand to compete for a spot in the 2015 U.S. Senior Open Championship.

Peter Fowler shined as he posted a 67 (-4) to qualify for the 2015 U.S. Senior Open Championship in Sacramento, California, on June 22-28 at the Del Paso Country Club. Fowler, the 1983 Australian Open Champion fired a bogey-free round, including three birdies on the front nine and one on the back nine.

The first alternate for the 2015 U.S. Senior Open Championship is the runner-up Miguel Angel Martin of Spain who shot 68 (-3), including five-birdies.

The second alternate is Jeff Sheppard who posted 69 (-2), including five birdies on the day.

Results of the rest of the field can be found at http://www.ghintpp.com/kcga/TPPOnlineScoring/Default.aspx?id=589

 

Booth Shines Through the Rain at Adams Pointe

The third event of the 2015 Stateline Amateur Tour began Thursday, May 14, at Adams Pointe Golf Course in Blue Springs, Missouri.

The event began with a solid turnout of 71 players to battle non-stop rain and windy conditions throughout the morning until the weather lightened up in the afternoon.  There were five divisions competing in the Stateline Amateur Tour event including the open, players, senior, legends and women.

Frank Booth led the senior division posting a 72, even par, carding three birdies on the day.  Following Booth was Don Kuehn who fired 78 (+6).  Ernie Swart and Greg Loteckie both shot 79 (+7).

In the Legends division, Pat Goeke won the event shooting 75 (+3), edging the runners-up Jerry Reid and Jim Lodes who both posted a 76 (+4). Gary Noble finished fourth shooting 77 (+5).  Goeke carded two birdies on the day.  In the net competition, Pat Goeke won with a 66 (-6), followed by Mike Findley with 70 (-2) and Jim Lodes with 71 (-1).

In the Open Division, Dave Cunningham took the win with a 74 (+2), defeating the eight-golfer field.  Nicholas Rehmer finished second with 77 (+5) and Luke Lutgen in third at 78 (+6).  Cunningham played solid on the front nine shooting even par (36), but double bogeyed hole number 14.

The Players Division consisted of a 25-golfer field led by Jim Thompson who fired a 73 (+1) including five birdies on the day. Chris Meyer finished runner-up posting 76 (+4), followed by Doug Flint at 77 (+5) and Jeff Mott with 79 (+7). In the net competition, Jim Thompson won shooting 70 (-2), edging the runner-up Doug Flint by one-stroke 71 (-1).

Five women battled the rainy weather in the women’s division, which was led by Addie Chapin who posted 85 (+13), followed by Jettie Bezek at 86 (+14).

Final results for the Stateline Amateur Tour at Adams Pointe can be found at http://www.ghintpp.com/kcga/TPPOnlineScoring/Default.aspx?id=538

The next Stateline Tour event is Tuesday, May 26 at The Nicklaus Club at Lionsgate. The entry deadline is Tuesday, May 19.

 

Four Advance to Sectionals

On a day that saw extremely difficult condition at Blue Hills Country Club, where the stroke average was 81.3, four players advanced to sectional qualifying for the 2015 U.S. Open at Chambers Bay.

The medalist, Zechariah Potter was the only player that managed an even par score, carding a 72. Korbin Kuehn finished second with a 73, and Josh Weems and Curtis Yonke finished tied for third with 74’s.

Potter, Kuehn, Weems and Yonke will now go on to play in a 36 hole qualifier for the rite to play in the 2015 United States Open Championship.

For full results, click here….

The Kansas City Match Play Championship – Day 2

The 100th Kansas City Match Play Championship continued with the round of 16 Saturday morning.  The action kicked off early as Ryne Fisher carded five birdies through 14 holes to defeat Chris Reinert 6 and 4.  Hank Simpson won 3 and 2 over Dave Cunningham and Alex Springer defeated Matt Kelley 3 and 1.  Jeff Mason won one up over Patrick Roth and Josh Weems defeated Matt Barry one up.

Two of the morning matches were decided in extra holes.  Joseph Winslow won on the 19th hole as he made a par and his competitor, Cy Moritz, bogeyed.  The second match to go beyond the 18th hole was Jon Platz vs. Ed Brown.  Brown made par to move on to the quarterfinals as Platz bogeyed the 20th hole.

The matchups for the quarterfinals:

Steve Groom vs. Jeff Mason

Ryne Fisher vs. Joseph Winslow

Ed Brown vs. Alex Springer

Hanks Simpson vs. Josh Weems

 

As the quarterfinals began, Groom took off on a commanding lead over Mason as he won four of the first nine holes.  Groom continued his momentum onto the back nine as he won the 10th and the 11th hole over Jeff Mason to finish 6 and 5 to advance to the semifinals.  Springer had a one- hole lead over Brown through nine holes.  As they moved on to the back nine, Springer took over as he won the first two holes and finished 4 and 3 to move into the semifinals.  Fisher controlled Winslow as he got off to a two-hole lead after four holes.  Fisher maintained his lead through the round as he advanced into the semifinals.  Simpson and Weems battled back and forth throughout the round as Simpson advanced to the semifinals winning one up on the 18th hole.

The Kansas City Match Play Championship will continue tomorrow, May 10 at 7:30 a.m. CT. The pairings and results of the Kansas City Match Play Championship can be found at http://www.ghintpp.com/kcga/TPPOnlineScoring/ResultsMatch.aspx?id=530

 

 

 

The Kansas City Match Play Championship – Day 1

The 100th Kansas City Match Play Championship began Friday, May 8, at Swope Park Memorial Golf Course.

The tournament consisted of one 18-hole stroke play competition to determine the top-32 out the 78-golfer field that will advance to match play.  Day one of the event began battling rainy conditions as the golfers began stroke play.  The players dodged the weather as it cleared up to be a nice day at Swope Memorial.

The lowest score of the day was 66 (-6) shot by Nick Arman, followed by Jon Platz 67 (-5). Arman and Platz both shot a front-nine 31 (-5) as Arman carded nine birdies and Platz posted six birdies in stroke play. Charlie Schorgl aced the 16th hole allowing him to make the cut and advance to match play. The cut was placed at 74 (+2) as 32-golfers advanced into matched play Friday afternoon.

The seedings and pairings of the first round of the match play competition were

  1. Nick Arman vs. 32. Dale Bowne
  2. Steve Groom vs. 17. Alex Downing
  3. Craig Broswick vs. 25. Jeff Mason
  4. Patrick Roth vs. 24. Mark Addington
  5. Ryne Fisher vs. 29. Colby Yates
  6. Chris Reinert vs. Scott Richey
  7. Russell Holzbaur vs. 28. Cy Moritz
  8. Michael Greene vs. 21. Joseph Winslow
  9. Jon Platz vs. Richard Hairgrove
  10. Ed Brown vs. 18. Dan Schaller
  11. Alex Springer vs. 26. Tyler Norris
  12. Travis Holt vs. 23. Matt Kelley
  13. Hank Simpson vs. 30. Charlie Schorgl
  14. Dave Cunningham vs. 19. Jon Scarsella
  15. Matt Barry vs. 27. Aaron Uzelac
  16. Mark Terranova vs. 22. Josh Weems

 

Arman went on to defeat Bowne 5 and 4, Groom beat Downing 3 and 2, Mason Beat Broswick 3 and 1, Roth won one up against Addington, Fisher beat Yates 2 and 1, Reinert beat Richey 4 and 3, Moritz beat Holzbaur one up, Winslow beat Greene 3 and 2, Platz beat Hairgrove 2 and 1, Brown beat Schaller 2 and 1, Kelley defeated Holt 8 and 6, Cunningham defeated Scarsella one up, Barry beat Uzelac 3 and 2 and Weems won one up against Terranova.  Two matches went into extra holes. Springer wins one up on the 19th over Norris and Simpson won on the 20th hole over Schorgl.

 

The second round and quarterfinals of the Kansas City Match Play Championship will continue at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, Friday, May 8. Results of the stroke play and first round of match play, as well as pairings for day two can be found at http://www.ghintpp.com/kcga/TPPOnlineScoring/Default.aspx?id=530

The Second Stateline Tour Event a Success at Blue Hills Country Club

The second Stateline Tour event was held at Blue Hills Country Club, Monday, April 27.  There was a solid turnout of 104 golfers that competed in today’s event.

In the Senior division, Frank Booth, Kurt Lorenzen and Charlie Schorgl shot a 74 (+2).  Booth and Schorgl both carded one birdie as Lorenzen carded two on the day.  Don Kuehn and Steve Groom finished runner-up shooting 75 (+3).

In the Legends division, Jerry Reid won the event firing 73 (+1), defeating the runner-up Matt Miller who shot 76 (+4).  Brad Losson finished third shooting 77 (+5).  Reid carded three birdies on the day.  In the net competition, Matt Miller won with 67 (-5), followed by Mike Findley with 70 (-2) and Jerry Reid with 71 (-1).

In the Open Division, Michael Greene took the win with a 76 (+4), edging the runner-up Jon Platz and Mark Terranova who both shot 77 (+5).  Greene carded two birdies on the day, but struggled as he bogeyed three holes on the front and three holes on the back nine.

In the Players Division, Chris Meyer took home first place with a 78 (+6), including two birdies. Mike Berlin finished runner-up posting 80 (+8), followed by Doug Flint and Ryan Murdock. Flint and Murdock tied for third shooting 81 (+9).  In the net competition, Mike Berlin won shooting 72 (E). Christian Guild finished second with net 73 (+1).

Final results can be found at http://www.ghintpp.com/kcga/TPPOnlineScoring/Default.aspx?id=537

The next Stateline Tour event is May 14th at Adams Pointe Golf Course.  Entry deadline is May 7th.

The 2015 Stateline Season Kicks Off at Loch Lloyd

Beautiful Loch Lloyd Country Club hosted the first Stateline Amateur Tour event of the 2015 season today. A strong field of 96 players turned out to battle cool, windy conditions.

In the Senior division, Ed Walsworth fired a solid 76 to win. Walsworth made birdies at #5 and #12 and an eagle at #10. Kurt Lorenzen finished one shot off the pace with a 77. Charlie Schorgl rounded out the top 10 with a 78.

In the Legends division, Dave Harris, won with a 72. Harris, making his Legends Division debut, made three bogeys and two birdies. Mitch Bowen finished second with a 75 and Jim Lodes finished third with a 76. John Pawsat won the net competition with a net 69. Pat Goeke finished second with a net 71.

In the Open Division, John Lovell, playing on his home course, took the win with a 72. After a rough start, with a double bogey at #2, Lovell righted the ship and cruised to victory. Nate Steinwart shot 73 to take home second place.

In the Players Division, Chris Meyer took home first place with a 76, including three birdies. Simon Walley finished second with 79 and Jamie Lyndes finished third with 80. In the net competition, Christian Guild won with 74. Tony Khunnajchian finished second with net 75.

For complete results click here!

 

2015 KC Cup Fields are Set, Let the Games Begin!

The metro’s largest golf competition kicked off Wednesday with the 2015 KC Cup Men’s Captains meeting at Infiniti of Kansas City, and the Women’s meeting at Milburn Country Club.   Both the men’s and women’s divisions were drawn as well as tournament information on format changes for the 2015 year.

Infiniti of Kansas City were gracious hosts for the Men’s Captains meeting, and have partnered up with the Kansas City Golf Association to bring the area golfers the best tournament schedule and golf services the industry has to offer.  As the title sponsor of the Kansas City Golf Association, Infiniti of Kansas City brings a whole new dynamic level of support to the KCGA.

The men’s defending champions Wolf Creek Golf Club look to defend their title in 2015,  but they have a tough division to get past with The National Golf Club, Shamrock Hills, and Ironhorse Golf Club.

On the Women’s side defending champions Blue Hills Country Club look to come out strong in the 2015 season. They are competing in division 5 against Milburn Country Club, Nicklaus Golf Club at Lionsgate, and Brookridge Golf & Fitness.

Both the men’s and women’s captains began setting match play dates with the teams in their divisions. The first round of matches should be completed by early May with the final divisional match in late August. The playoffs will start August 8 and will finish up with the finals being on September 22 and 23.

The competition is going to be tough this year in both the men’s and women’s division of the KC Cup. Beginning now ten matches separates the field from kissing the prestigious KC Cup

To following the action live throughout the season make sure to follow the KCGA on twitter at @thekcga or look for the hashtag #kccup.

For complete information on divisions and results visit the KCGA KC Cup web page by clicking here.

KCCInf