Category: Men’s Golf

KCGA Competitions Preview

Posted on

As we begin our 103rd year of supporting amateur golf in the Kansas City Metro, the Kansas City Golf Association is pleased to announce the 2015 Competitions schedule is now available on our website at www.kansascitygolfer.org.  Tournament registrations will open on March 3rd, 2015 at 10:00am.  Please contact the KCGA office at (913) 649-5242 with any questions related to KCGA competitions.

Regional Championships

The 100th Kansas City Match Play Championship will be held at Swope Memorial Golf Course May 8th-10th.  The Kansas City Match Play is one of the longest running championships in the area and has a long list of notable champions, including Tom Watson in 1964 and 1967. Phil Bartimus is the defending champion.

The Kansas City Junior Championship is the premier junior tournament in the Kansas City area.  This year’s championship will be conducted at Prairie Highlands on June 2nd and 3rd, and the event will identify the best junior golfers, both boys and girls, in the region.  The boys’ champion will receive an exemption into the 2015 Watson Challenge, under residency requirements. The defending KC Junior champions are Eric Pahls and India Gaume.

The 9th Watson Challenge will be conducted at Mission Hills Country Club on June 12th,13th & 14th.  Last year’s champion, Robert Streb, is in 2nd place in the PGA Tour FedEx Cup points standings at the time of this writing and has been a PGA Tour winner at The McGladrey Classic in October 2014. The Watson Challenge offers the strongest field of amateur and professional golfers in the Kansas City area.  Proceeds from The Watson Challenge benefit The First Tee of Greater Kansas City.

The Prairie Invitational, formerly The Women’s Amateur of Kansas City, is the region’s top event for both amateurs and professionals.  The 2015 event will be played at Staley Farms Golf Club on June 30th and July 1st.  The event was renamed The Prairie Invitational in 2014 with the intent to identify the Best Female Golfer in the Midwest, whether amateur or professional.  Catherine Dolan was the first Prairie Invitational Open champion with a two-under-par 142 total.

The Kansas City Amateur Championship will be held at Shoal Creek Golf Course on July 17th through July 19th.  The Kansas City Amateur is a three-day, 54-hole stroke play event aimed to determine the best amateur player in the Kansas City area.  PGA Tour player Gary Woodland is among the list of notable champions. Zac Dittmer is the reigning KC Amateur Champion.

StateLine Amateur Tour

The StateLine Amateur Tour is a great opportunity for amateurs in the Kansas City regional golf community to compete on some of the best courses in the area in an atmosphere similar to inside the ropes at a big-time tour event or national amateur championship.  All events are one day, 18-hole competitions.  The StateLine Amateur Tour has eleven events on the schedule featuring different divisions of play.  This year’s tour schedule is highlighted by events at Loch Lloyd Country Club, Blue Hills Country Club, The Nicklaus Club at Lionsgate, and Lake Quivira Country Club.

Kansas City Junior Tour

The Kansas City Junior Tour provides opportunities for varying levels of junior golfers.  Two flights separate the Kansas City Junior Tour – the Prep division and the Players division. Junior golfers ages 9-12 may compete in the Prep division, which plays nine holes at each of the events.  Junior golfers ages 13 and older may participate in the Players division, which plays eighteen holes at each event.  The Players division is divided into flights for boys/girls ages 13-15 and boys/girls ages 16 and over and boys varsity.  This year’s Tour Championship will be at Shadow Glen Golf Club.

The KCGA hopes all golfers in the Kansas City Metro will consider competing in a KCGA-sponsored event and support The First Tee and golf in the Kansas City area by attending The Watson Challenge as a spectator.

Three Tied for Lead at KC Masters

Posted on

Wolf Creek Golf Club — The 2014 KC Masters began with incredible October weather this morning.  Temperatures started in the mid 60s and hovered around 70 degrees for most of the day.  The weather was a stark contrast to the 2013 KC Masters where the wind and chilly temperatures created extremely difficult playing conditions.

Four players took advantage through the first nine holes and posted front nine, under par rounds. The back nine of Wolf Creek would claim several victims and only three players were able to complete under par rounds.

University of South Florida standout, Joseph Winslow, was one of only a few players to card a back nine better than his front.  With four birdies and a blemish free back nine, Winslow posted 36 – 34 to finish at two under 70.

Former KC Amateur champion, Steve Groom, would match Winslow’s total with a par of 35s to post 70.  Groom’s only misstep was a bogey on the difficult 444 yard eighteenth.

Completing tomorrow’s final pairing will be Craig Broswick.  Broswick led all competitors after nine holes firing a blistering three under 33 on the opening nine. He followed the opening nine with a back nine 70.  His only dropped shot came at the difficult down hill par 3 eleventh.

Twenty-seven competitors will return to Wolf Creek tomorrow in the final regional championship of the season.  Up for grabs are the year’s final player of the year points and positioning for the 2015 Watson Challenge.

For complete results of today’s action click here.

Three Teams from Kansas City Qualify

Posted on

The inaugural U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship in May 2015 will be hosted at The Olympic Club in San Francisco. The first inaugural qualifier was held today at Kansas City Country Club. The course was in championship condition, and the KCGA staff would like to thank Andy Fisher and the members at Kansas City Country Club for the use of their club.

fourball 2
Tyler Shelton and his caddie stare down his birdie putt on the short Par 3, #2. He would go on to make the putt and secure a spot in the Four-Ball Championship.

The qualifier had 45 teams competing for three qualifier spots and two alternates. With some of the best players in Kansas City playing together; the competitive was going to be tough.
After 18-holes of competition six teams finished T1 with a 4 under, 66. The six teams that were left would compete in a playoff for the three qualifying positions.

The team of Chelle/Fiscus would come out on fire on the first hole at KCCC. After an incredible drive and second shot Cole Chelle sank his 5ft birdie putt on the first hole to secure the first qualifier position.

In the second playoff group Jon Troutman had an amazing second shot from the rough to put the ball with 15ft of the hole. He would then proceed to sink his birdie putt to secure the team of Walsworth/Troutman as the second qualifier position.

The third and final spot would have to wait until the second hole. With all of the pressure on him Tyler Shelton hit his tee shot on the short Par 3 to within 3 feet. Then after watching all of the birdie attempts from the competitors fail to find the hole, Tyler sank his birdie putt.

The final qualifier spot would go to the team of Albers/Shelton. After the putt we asked Tyler how he handled the pressure in the playoff, and he replied, “I did not feel that much pressure on the hole. The distance really set up nicely for me so I knew what shot I needed to hit. The competitors’ concentration was really on there on the green but I knew the putt was straight and all I have to do was give it a little push.”

The last two teams left competed on the uphill 9th hole for the first and second alternate position. After a missed birdie attempt from the team of Amundson/Martin, the team of Englander/Healer sunk their short birdie putt to become the first alternate.

Thank you everyone who came out to compete in the first qualifier for the inaugural USGA Four-Ball Championship and good luck to those teams that qualified.

To see the full results Click Here.

Rain Causes Delay in Round One at StateLine Tour Championship

Posted on

Cold weather, rain, and windy conditions made the first round of the StateLine Tour Championship a tough one. Weather did start to

Michael Buckhouse was not effected by the cold or the rain at Shoal Creek today; he fired off a -1, 70.
Michael Buckhouse was not effected by the cold or the rain at Shoal Creek today; he fired off a -1, 70.

warm up when skies cleared up after a 1 hour and 10 minute rain delay in the morning.

The Legends Division was first out this morning and they were bundled up for warmth. The cold did not seem to bother Fran Ferns who is the leader after 18-holes. Fran shot a +2, 73. Fran struggled in the weather early in the morning but played much better on the back nine when the weather cleared. Fran was -1 on the back nine.

In the Senior Division Steve Groom continued his dominating run in 2014 with a +1, 72. He is followed closely by Tom Leonard who is two strokes back after a first round 74. Tom finished off his impressive round with a birdie on 18.

There is a close battle for first in the Open Division. Josh Weems leads after round one with a +1, 72 but is followed closely by a pack of great players. One shot back in second is Mark Terranova with a 73, and behind him is a two way tie for third between Don Walsworth and Brent Mertz. It will be a tight race in tomorrow’s round.

And finally in the Players Division saw an outstanding first round from Michael Buckhouse. He shot the low score for the day with a -1, 70. He had four birdies on the day and missed a three footer on the 7th hole for another birdie.

The second round is tomorrow starting at 8:00am. Make sure to follow the action online.

To see the full results from today Click Here!

Groom Dominates at St. Andrew’s to Grab his Fourth Victory

Posted on

St. Andrew’s Golf Course – It was a beautiful Friday morning at St. Andrew’s Golf Course for the StateLine players in their final regular tour event. Sunny skies and light winds made a short but tight course play a little easier for the players.

In the open division Michael Greene struck again with another huge round. He shot a 3 under, 68. Michael took advantage of the short front nine with three birdies. Right behind Michael was Mark Terranova. Mark took advantage of the great conditions shooting a 2 under, 69. Mark had a rough start on the front nine but came out on fire on the back nine with birdies on holes 1, 2, 4, 5, and 8.

In the players division Rich Nigh came out on top with a 1 under, 70. Rich had three birdies on the day and eliminated mistakes with only two bogeys.  Marko Ungashick fired off a +1, 72 to come in second. Marko had a colorful scorecard today but came up big with a total of four birdies. He was one under after nine but a double bogey on 13 would change that. This is Marko first victory of the year.

Close behind Marko in third was Kyle Kindler who shot a +2, 73. Kyle played consistent on the tight course and added two birdies on the back nine to finish.

The senior division saw excellent play once again from Steve Groom. This is Steve’s fourth victory of the year. Steve had consistent play all day and added three birdies to shot a 1 under, 70. After the round we asked Steve what he thought about the course, he replied, “I have not played the course since the redesign and the course is a great design and a fun to play. I am glad I decided to play today.”

Behind Steve in the Senior Division was Don Kuehn with a +3, 74. Don struggled at the start with a bogey, double bogey, and bogey start. He bounced back from that with two birdies and consistent play to stay at +3.

And finally in the legends division Jim Lodes shot a +2, 73. After the round we asked Jim what he thought about his round, he replied, “I just tried to play smart golf today. I did not find myself in trouble today and most of the putts were falling.” Jim finished with three birdies on the day.

Second place saw a tight battle between Ronnie Walters and Brad Robinson. Both played consistent throughout the round. They tied for 1st with a +5, 76. Brad had big birdies on holes 17, and 5 to stay in contention.

This is the last regular StateLine Event of 2014. The Tour Championship is October 3rd – 4th at Shoal Creek Golf Course. The deadline for signup is Monday at noon.

To see the full results Click Here!

Wolf Creek Wins Again

Posted on

Ironhorse Golf Course – Another Kansas City Cup trophy found its way into Captain Ron Brewer’s hand on Tuesday night at Ironhorse Golf Course. Wolf Creek held off Stone Canyon in a close match on Tuesday at Ironhorse to become the 2014 Kansas City Cup Champions.

This is multiple Kansas City Cup wins for Wolf Creek in recent years. Wolf Creek won the match 6 to 3 but it was a lot closer than on paper.

Match number one was back and forth on the front nine. Stone Canyon started to pull away in on holes 10 and 11 but Mark Addington and Mark Terranova would not go away. They made a roaring comeback after winning holes 14 and 15 to bring the match to all square. Hole 16 would be the turning point in the match when Mark Terranova chipped in for birdie to go 1 up. Wolf Creek would go on to win that match 2 up after a par on 18.

Wolf Creek dominated in the single matches with Brent Mertz winning 6 and 5 and Fred Rowland holding off Mike Craddock with a 3 and 2 victory.

The professionals from Wolf Creek also dominated their match against Stone Canyon. An injury to Rick Holtcamp made it tough to play on the challenging Ironhorse course, and ultimately the Stone Canyon team fell to far behind. Wolf Creek would take a four to zero lead after match number four ended 5 and 4 in favor of Wolf.

Down four points and only five groups left on the course, Stone Canyon had a tough road to comeback. Match number five fell to Stone Canyon in a 2 up victory for Steve Bush and Denny Limbach. This gave Stone Canyon some life and put a point on the board making it 4 to 1.

That life would soon be taken from Stone Canyon when match number would finish in favor of Wolf Creek on the 18 green. Mike Bowersock and Chris Williams would hold off Bobby Jones and Alan Jessup in a 2 up win that would secure the Kansas City Cup for Wolf Creek.

Thanks again for Ironhorse for hosting the event and to all the clubs that competed this year.

                                                    Final Results per match
Wolf Creek Golf Links                       Result             Stone Canyon Golf Course

Mark Addington/Mark Terranova              2 Up                               Shane Collins/Derek Hileman
Brent Mertz                                                           6 & 5                                               Kris Casburn
Fred Rowland                                                        3 & 2                                             Mike Craddock
Rodney Wray/Wes Nichols                            5 & 4                                    Joe Bauer/Rick Holtcamp
John Devaney/Greg Mealy                                    2 Up                               Steve Bush/Denny Limbach
Mike Bowersock/Chris Williams                2 Up                               Bobby Jones/Alan Jessup
Ned Eddy/Taylor Nedrow                                      2 & 1                     Gregg Morrison/Craig Roberts
Mason Jones/Steve Purdum                                   AS                                Justin Stroud/Lee Anderson
Nate Sprague/Ryan Barauskas                               AS                                  Kyle Sinclair/Steve Johnson
Total Points                                                       6 to 3                                          Total Points

The KC Cup Finals Are Set

Posted on

After a season long tough competition including a vast majority of Kansas City’s golf clubs the 2014 Men’s and Women’s Kansas City Cup Finals are set.

On the Men’s side the championship match will take place at Ironhorse Golf Club on Tuesday September 23. The match is between the number one seed Wolf Creek Golf Links who defeated Blue Hills Country Club 5 to 4 in the semifinals.

Wolf Creek will face off against number two seed Stone Canyon Golf Course. Stone Canyon defeated Fred Arbanas Golf Course 51/2 to 31/2 at Blue Springs Country Club yesterday.

One the Women’s side Golf Club of Kansas dominated their semifinal match against Indian Hills at Tiffany Greens Golf Course. Golf Club of Kansas won the match 3 to 0.

On the other side of the bracket Blue Hills Country Club faced off against Hillcrest Golf and Country Club. It was a close match till the end but Blue Hills came out on top with a 2 to 1 victory.

The Women’s championship match will take place at Meadowbrook Golf and Country Club on September 24th.

Make sure to follow the action live next week on our twitter @thekcga.

To see information on Kansas City Cup Click Here.

Kansas City Golfers Grab National Headlines

Posted on

Unless you have been living under a rock, you know that the legendary Tom Watson will captain the U.S. Ryder Cup team in Gleneagles, Scotland next week.  Watson will try to lead the U.S. team to victory on foreign soil for the first time since he last captained the squad in 1993.

What you may not know is that the area’s best players have been dominating the national golf headlines the past several weeks.

The run of great play from area residents began with Robert Streb at the Deutsche Bank Championship in Boston.  The Kansas State alum caused an uproar throughout local clubs when he holed an eagle putt on his final hole of the championship.  The NBC broadcast team promptly declared that the dramatic eagle putt was good enough for Streb to continue on in the FedEx Cup race.  The putt momentarily put him in the top 70, but after some recalculating, Streb would fall just two FedEx Cup points short of continuing.

Even though his 2014 season was cut short, Streb has made quite a splash in his second year on tour amassing 1.3 million dollars and while becoming the 181st ranked player in the world.  Streb also claimed the title of Kansas City’s best player when he took down the metro’s best at Loch Lloyd earlier this year during the Watson Challenge.  His class as a player and person was on display at this year’s Watson Challenge as he and his wife promptly donated the winner’s check of $10,000 to the First Tee of Greater Kansas City.

“When Robert said that during the awards ceremony, my mouth just dropped open,” said KCGA Executive Director, Matt Williams.  “I know he is having a great year, but he is only three seasons removed from scrapping it around in the mini-tour world. I mean ten grand is ten grand and it took some real class to step up and have an impact on our community like that.”

With the new PGA Tour schedule, Streb is not likely to stay idle for long.  The official 2015 PGA Tour season kicks off at the Frys.com Open in early October which is an event he had reasonable success at last season.

Shortly after Robert Streb’s eagle putt dropped in Boston, the 2014 U.S Mid-Amateur Championship kicked off at Saucon Valley Country Club in Bethlehem, PA.  The event, which gathers the best amateurs ages 25 and over, boasts one of the greatest first place prizes in all of amateur golf.  The Mid-Amateur champion is traditionally awarded a spot in the Masters each spring.  Needless to say, the competition from the average “working Joes” is fierce.

St. Joseph’s Brad Nurski, is no stranger to big events.  He has been an excellent player on the local and statewide scene, but has never had substantial success on the national level.  After advancing through the Kansas City local qualifier as medalist, Nurski joined 264 other players from across the globe with the hopes of claiming one of amateur golf’s top prizes.

Nurski opened up with two solid rounds of 70 and 71 to finish one under in stroke play qualifying.  The one under total would be good enough to share medalist honors with Scott Harvey of Grensboro, N.C.  The two players received the first and second seeds in the sixty-four player bracket and went about their business.  After five sets of matches, the two co-medalists would end up squaring off in the finals.

When asked if co-medalists have ever played in a USGA final, the USGA’S Mark Passey explained, “I’m sure our historians back at Golf House are scrambling to find out, but I am not sure it has ever happened.  You typically do not see two players sustain such a high level of golf for an entire week.”

Unfortunately for Nurski, his incredible run would end in the finals.  The inevitable question came from the media following the match. “Obviously you are disappointed with the finish, but what do you take away from this experience?”

Nurski responded, “I mean.. you know that you can compete with the top mid-am guys in the country.  And that was my goal, and the goal is always to win, but Ijust didn’t come out on top today.

You know, obviously it’s going to open up a few doors for me which I didn’t have open when I got here.  I’ll get to play in the U.S. Am next year and I’ll get to come back to this tournament for two years, so that takes a lot of weight off your shoulders when you know you don’t have to qualify for some things.  And we obviously got the USGA State Team coming up in a couple of weeks and hopefully team Missouri can get a little revenge on North Carolina.”

As he mentioned, Nurski will team up with Skip Bermeyer and Phil Caravia, both of St. Louis in the USGA State Team Championship for team Missouri next month.

One of the members of the winning USGA State Team from 2010, Bryan Norton, also grabbed the national spotlight earlier today.  A longtime stalwart in Kansas City area competition, Norton came up just short in the 2014 U.S. Senior Amateur Championship today in Newport Beach, CA.  This was the first time Norton was eligible for the championship as all participants must be at least 55 years of age.

Norton has already amassed an impressive season with a victory in the Senior Coleman Invitational, earned a spot in the U.S. Senior Open at Oak Tree in Oklahoma and took the title at the Kansas Amateur at his home club of Mission Hills.

All that aside, Norton has always had his eyes set on an individual USGA title.  Norton has been very close before.  He suffered an injury in the final match of the 2003 U.S. Mid-Amateur and was forced to concede the match to Nathan Smith.  The final match concession was the first of its kind in the 108 year history of the USGA.

Redemption will have to wait at least one year more as Norton came up just short in his bid at the Senior Amateur today.  Norton dropped four of his first nine holes, but after birdies on holes eleven and twelve, Norton had clawed his way back into the match.  His opponent Pat Tallent of Vienna, VA rolled in a thirty foot birdie putt on the par four 17th to close out the match 2 and 1.

Norton’s year will certainly be a highlight of his golfing career and as one of the “rookies” in Senior golf, he is poised to be a dominant figure in many more events in the future.

With all this local golf excitement, one burning question remains.  Can Tom Watson lead what experts believe is an underdog American team to a victory in the Ryder Cup?  A victory by the Kansas City icon would serve as the bookend on one of the greatest months in local golf history.

Watson has been downplaying his role as of late. “I am just the director. I put the pieces in place and the actors do their thing.  I really don’t have much say in the outcome,” explained Watson.

That may be true, but Watson is the most successful American ever to play in Europe.  His five British Open victories, dominant record and successful captaincy in the 1993 Ryder Cup can do nothing but bolster the confidence of the twelve man team.

No matter the outcome, the additional exposure on Watson has done nothing but enhance golf in Kansas City.  “I can’t explain it, but there is just a buzz going around golf in Kansas City,” said Matt Williams of the KCGA.  “Every day there is a great story about someone doing something amazing on the links and if team USA can win next week, there will be people celebrating in the streets.  The level of competition here in Kansas City is some of the best in the country and it is exciting to see it play out in the world’s biggest events.”

Greene and Groom Grab Their Third Victory on the Year

Posted on

Fast greens and narrow fairways at St. Joseph Country Club made golf difficult for the StateLine players in today’s event. Other than the tough course conditions it was a beautiful day for golf.

Steve Groom dominated the field once again winning by five strokes after shooting a 1 over, 72. He only had two birdies on the day and struggled on the long, difficult Par 3’s.

Behind Steve in second was Ted Roberts with a 77 and in third was Ed Walsworth with a 78. This is Steve’s third victory on the StateLine Tour this year.

In the Legends Division Ron Brewer came out on top with the victory after shooting a 6 over, 77. Ron did not have a birdie on the day but played consistent throughout the round to finish in first. Behind Ron in second was Bob McKinney who had a great birdie on 18 but finished with a 79.

The Open Division saw fantastic golf from Don Walsworth and Michael Greene who both shot even today. Greene had a colorful scorecard but got the job done after an eagle on 10 and four birdies. Don saw a colorful scorecard as well but had 6 birdies on the day to finish tied for first.

Behind Greene and Walsworth was Brent Mertz who finished with a 3 over, 74. This is Greene’s third victory on the year and he leads the point’s race in the open division.

In the Players Division Michael Buckhouse had a fantastic round going today with a 3 over, 74. He started off great with birdies on holes 1 and 5 but struggled the rest of the round. He finished in first and grabbed his second victory of the year in the players division.

The next event is September 26th at St. Andrew’s Golf Course. Be sure to get signed up before the September 19th deadline.

To see the full results Click Here.

Groom Conquers the Heat and Hillcrest

Posted on
Jim Lodes hits a punch shot out of the trees on the Par 4, 12th, he would go on to make par on the hole.
Jim Lodes hits a punch shot out of the trees on the Par 4, 12th, he would go on to make par on the hole.

Steve Groom was the story of the day at Hillcrest. Even in the scorching heat of the mid-afternoon Groom managed to shoot a 6 under, 66. Groom dominated the Senior Division with a total of six birdies and one eagle.

Behind Groom was Heart of America Champion Don Keuhn, who shot even par. Don is continuing his hot streak of great golf after The Heart; he had a total of three birdies and three bogeys on the day.

The Legends Division also battled the afternoon heat today at Hillcrest but that didn’t stop Jim Lodes and Bob McKinney from doing well. The two of them shot 2 over, 74 today on a tough Hillcrest setup. This is Jim’s first StateLine victory of the year and Bob’s second.

In the Open Division, Watson Challenge competitor Brent Mertz beat out Tyler Shelton by one shot for the victory. Mertz shot a 2 under, 70 with a total of four birdies on the day. This is Brent’s second win of the year after finishing first at Meadowbrook.

The surprise of the day came in the men’s Players Division where Addie Chapin, the only girl in today’s competition, won shooting a one over, 73. This is only her second tournament to compete in the men’s Players Division. Simon Walley finished closely behind in second with 4 over, 76.

The next event is September 8th at St. Joseph Country Club. Be sure to get signed up.

To see the results Click Here!