Category: Top Story

US Senior Open Qualifying

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For a chance to qualify for the US Senior Open at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, Colorado, 72 players played for two spots at Blue Hills CC Wednesday, May 23rd.

Two spots and two alternate spots were on the line for the 18-hole qualifying round. Deane Pappas carded the low round of the day with an incredible 66 (-6) to claim the first qualifying spot. Pappas only had one bogey on the day, with 7 total birdies with one coming on the 18th green to finish his round.

Matt Seitz (67) and Deane Pappas (66) Qualify for US Senior Open

Pappas beat out Matt Seitz for medalist by one stroke. Seitz had an incredibly consistent round with no bogeys and five birdies to shoot a 67 (-5). With this, Seitz punched his ticket to the US Senior Open alongside Pappas.

To determine the alternate spots, a playoff began between Jay Williamson, John Riegger, and Bryan Norton. All players carded an impressive 70 on the day and fought to secure an alternate spot to the US Senior Open. Jay Williamson secured first alternate and Bryan Norton second alternate.

For results, see here.

By Taylor Albritton, KCGA Intern

Jackson Foth Claims His First KCGA Major Title at the KC Match Play Championship

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By Taylor Albritton, KCGA Boatwright Intern

The 2018 Kansas City Match Play Championship kicked off Friday, May 18th with a full field of 78 players teeing it up at Swope Memorial Golf Course.

With a beautiful opening day and optimal conditions, the golfers fought for the chance to make match play after 18 holes of stroke-play qualifying Friday morning. The top 32 scores advanced to match play later that afternoon with the cut line at 75 (+3). Five players carded a 75 on their round tied at 29th and a playoff was required to narrow down the field. Five players went off at #5 at Swope Memorial, battling for four spots left for match play.

Mark Terranova, Blake Mullen, Scott Schaeffer, Ritch Nigh, and Alex Downing fought through a 3 hole playoff, and ultimately Alex Downing was left on the outside looking in. Some other featured names who made match play include Ryne Fisher, Matt Kelley, Luke Lutgen, and defending champion Travis Mays.

With the match play field set, the round of 32 began Friday afternoon. As the 32 seed, Terranova pulled off the upset by defeating the 1 seed, Park Ulrich. A few other upsets included Ryne Fisher, 24 seed, over Ryan Faherty, 7 seed, and Blake Mullen, 30 seed, over Nick Nash, 3 seed.

The round of 16 began Saturday morning after a two hour rain delay. Terranova and Mullen continued their upset bids by beating Jim Seward, the 16 seed and Luke Horseman, the 19 seed. Cam Wiltse took out Doug Albers 3 and 2 and the round of 16 saw defending champion Travis Mays lose to Jay Gregory 6 and 5.

The quarterfinals began that afternoon between the top 8. Terranova went up against Jeff Mason and secured a spot in the semi-finals 2 and 1. Cam Wiltse defeated Jay Gregory 4 and 2 while Michael Madrigal took out Blake Allen 2 and 1. The last quarterfinal match between Jackson Foth and Blake Mullen was decided handily by Foth 7 and 6.

Championship Sunday began after another brief weather delay in the morning. Mark Terranova went up against Cam Wiltse in the first semi-final match of the day. Wiltse struggled on the opening few holes, and Terranova took advantage. Never losing his lead, Terranova won his way to the championship match 3 and 2.

The second semi-final match between Michael Madrigal and Jackson Foth saw a competitive first nine. Both players battled back and forth, but Foth ultimately made the turn at 1 up after a birdie on #9. After a few mistakes by Madrigal on the back nine, Foth came out on top 4 and 2 with five birdies and an eagle on his round.

The championship match was set between Mark Terranova, the 32 seed, and Jackson Foth, the 22 seed. Foth got off to a early lead after three birdies in a row. Terranova continued to fight back throughout the front nine, but after a couple more birdies, Foth made the turn at 2 up. Terranova and Foth were step for step through the first four holes on the back nine. After a bogey on 14 by Terranova, Foth saw himself 3 up with four holes to go. After a great 20-foot birdie make on the Par-3, 16th, Foth became the 2018 Kansas City Match Play Champion at 3 and 2.

Both players played great golf all weekend, along with the many others who joined us for this weekend. It was a great championship, and a big congratulations to the new KC Match Play Champion: Jackson Foth.

As always we couldn’t do any of this without the many volunteers who help us as well as Swope Memorial Golf Course for hosting. We can’t wait to see everyone back next year!

For a full field of results, see here. See our Facebook page for an interview with Jackson Foth after his win.

Stateline Tour at Lawrence CC Recap

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On May 7th, the beautiful Lawrence Country Club hosted our second Stateline Amateur Tour event of the season. 76 players battled through perfect conditions at Lawrence CC to claim medalist honors in each of the four divisions.

The low round of the day belonged to Ritch Nigh of the Seniors division. Nigh recorded a 71 (+1) on the day, highlighted by three birdies. Nigh claimed the Senior division title by 5 strokes over second place finisher John Samples (76). Samples battled through an up and down round with his three birdies on the day helping to secure him second place. Third place was captured by David Hamilton with a 77 (+7) round.

In the Open division, Lee York came out on top with a 74 (+4) round at Lawrence CC. Despite a few bogeys, York’s round was highlighted by a birdie on both the front and back nine with his first birdie on the day coming at the Par-5, Hole #3. Charles Rinehart finished second only by 1 stroke with a 75 (+5). In a two-way tie for third was Jason Adkins and Gregory Diederich was 76 rounds (+6). The close competition in the Open division is always great to see by the KCGA.

In the Legend’s division, Pete Robbins took home his second victory in a row in the gross division with a six-over 76. Despite a double bogey late in his round, Robbins battled with two birdies on the day to claim the gross division title by 4 strokes. David Hornaday finished second after shooting a round of 80 and Philip Squier rounded out the top three with an 81 (+11).

In the net division, Hornaday and Squier both tied for first with scores of 72 net. Gross division winner Pete Robbins took third. Congratulations to all three for top finishes in both the gross and net division for the Legends.

With a six-over, 76, Steve Hammond claimed first place in the Player’s Gross division. Despite an up and down round, Hammond’s three birdies put him atop the leaderboard by two strokes. Andrew Makowske and Derek Garver both finished second with 78 (+8) rounds.

Finally, in the Player’s Net division, Hammond also claimed the title with a 70 net score. Derek Garver finished second in the net division as well with a 72 net score and third place was closely followed by Jacob Epperson and Andrew Makowske who both posted scores of 74 net.

As always the KCGA appreciate all of its tournament participants and congratulate the medalists on the day. Our next SLAT event will take place May 29th at the Nicklaus Golf Club at Lionsgate.

To see results from the whole field, see https://www.golfgenius.com/pages/1407762.

Carmen Titus Wins KC Women’s Match Play

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Carmen Titus defeated defending champion Lacy Shelton on Saturday afternoon at Swope Memorial to win the 65th playing of the Kansas City Women’s Match Play Championship.

Shelton took a quick 2-up lead in the final match, but Titus fought back to square it up through five. From there, the match was very even, with both players trading 1-up leads. Titus took a 1-up lead into the 17th, but made bogey, squaring the match. Following a halve on 18, the players went back to #1 to play their 19th hole. Shelton, who hit her approach shot over the green, was unable to save par, setting up a 2-putt victory for Titus.

The KC Women’s Match Play dates back to 1915. Click here to see the history.

Groom, Rome & Robbins Highlight First SLAT Event at Loch Lloyd

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By Taylor Albritton, Boatwright Intern

The 2018 Kansas City Golf Association season kicked off this week with our first event at the Country Club of Loch Lloyd. Despite the windy, cold conditions, we had a great turn out for our first Stateline Amateur Tour event with over 100 players.

18th green at CC of Loch Lloyd

On top of the chilly weather, players battled slick greens and the abundant water hazards around Loch Lloyd. This beautiful course lived up to its reputation and players tried their best to navigate this difficult golf course.

The low round of the day belonged to Steve Groom, shooting an even par 72 and claiming the Senior division title. His round was highlighted by three birdies and three bogeys, shooting 36 on both the front and back nine.

Ritch Nigh trailed Groom by one stroke, finishing with a one-over, 73. After starting out bogey-bogey, Nigh battled back to finish with two birdies and one bogey on the back nine. Two players tied for third place in the Senior division, Mark Addington and Kurt Lorenzen, both shooting a four-over, 76 round for the day.

In the Open division, Kevin Rome claimed low-medalist with a three-over, 75. Despite an up and down round from Rome, his three birdies on the day propelled him to the top of the leaderboard.

Jackson Foth followed in second place by one shot with a four-over, 76. Mark Terranova and Chris Beaubien both tied for third place right behind Foth and Rome with five-over, 77 rounds.

In the Legend’s battle, Pete Robbins took home the title in the gross division with a two-over, 74. His round was highlighted by two birdies on the back nine. Keith Forrest claimed second place with a five-over, 77. Three players tied for third place with a 79 (+7) in the gross division: Mitch Bowen, Bob Bezek, and Jim Lodes.

In the Legend’s net division, Keith Forrest came out on top with a six-under, 66 net score. Tom Baddeley secured second place with a three-under, 69 net score. Top three was rounded out by Dan Gray with an even par, 72 net score.

With a four-over, 76, Chris Meyer claimed first place in the Player’s Gross division. Despite a few bogeys, Meyer’s two birdies on the day helped propel him into first. Three players tied for second place shooting a 77 (+5) in the gross division: Anthony Morales, Michael Buckhouse, and Alex Reed.

In the Player’s Net division, Dennis McCormack shot a four-under, 68 net score to claim the lead. In second place was Spencer Webb with a three-under, 69. Two players tied for third with a 70 (-2) net score: Anthony Morales and Alex Reed.

As always, the KCGA thanks of all its participants for sticking through the weather and coming out to play in our first event of the season. We hope to see everyone at our next SLAT event on May 7 at Lawrence Country Club.

To see the full field of results, click here.

To register for our next SLAT, click here.

2018 Tomahawk Hills Invitational

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Tomahawk Hills Women’s Golf Association 2018 Invitational

  • 18 Hole Ladies Invitational – 2 person scramble
  • Wednesday June 6, 2018
  • Enter by May 28, Limited to 50 teams
  • All skill levels are welcome! Event holes, prizes, raffles
  • 8:00 AM Shotgun start
  • $60 per person – includes greens fee, cart, mulligans, breakfast, lunch, participation gift, and cash prizes

Make checks payable to the THWGA and mail to:

Peggy MacKay; 4925 Widmer Rd. Shawnee, KS 66216

Call or email Peggy at Macpeg56@aol.com or (913)-631-1191

For registration form, click here: 2018 THWGA Application.

 

2018 KCGA Season is Officially Open!

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The 2018 KCGA Season has officially begun!

As of 10 AM today, players are now eligible to register for any KCGA event, as well as post scores. Registration for KCGA events will be through Tournament Pairing Program (TPP), the same system used last year.

Click here to register!

To be eligible to register, players must have an active GHIN number. For StateLine Amateur Tour and Kansas City Junior Tour, players must also be a registered member of the league before signing up for individual events.

If you have any questions or issues feel free to email the KCGA staff or give us a call at (913)-649-5242 ext 0.

New Advocacy Group Established by Western Golf Association and Leading Golf Organizations Promotes Youth Caddying

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WGA partners with World Golf Foundation and other organizations on Carry the Game initiative to create more opportunities for youth to work as caddies, learn the game of golf

GOLF, Ill. – Together with a number of leading golf organizations, the Western Golf Association (WGA) announces today a groundbreaking initiative centered around promoting youth caddying and golf called Carry the Game.

Carry the Game is an advocacy group that introduces young students to the game of golf by creating additional opportunities for them to train and work as caddies and encourages them to become lifelong players.

Through caddying, young people learn valuable life lessons, develop a strong work ethic and money management skills, and make professional contacts on the golf course. In addition to being a great way to learn about the game, caddying provides life-changing benefits that are instrumental to their individual growth.

Carry the Game operates under the organizational umbrella of the WGA; participants in the effort include the World Golf Foundation, United States Golf Association, PGA of America, The First Tee and Youth on Course, among other groups. This special collaboration to promote the role of youth caddying within the game of golf will help ensure Carry the Game’s long-term success while encouraging a new generation of young golfers to play the game.

“Over the past few years, numerous leading golf organizations have discussed the importance of creating a governing body for youth caddying, and we’re excited to see that the WGA is spearheading this important initiative,” said World Golf Foundation CEO Steve Mona. “The WGA is a recognized leader in youth caddying, and we’re all looking forward to working together to help bring this effort to life.”

Carry the Game will be a resource for anyone interested in becoming a caddie or forming a youth caddie program. In 2018, the group will begin an extensive research project to provide qualitative data on the current state of youth caddying and inform the initiative’s work.

The overall goal of Carry the Game is to increase the number of youth caddies – and the diversity of those caddies – by helping to establish additional caddying opportunities at golf clubs nationwide. Carry the Game will also promote youth caddie programs as a way to create future golfers and preserve and enhance the tradition of caddying within the game of golf.

It will offer resources including caddie training materials and certification, a caddie club locator, best practices on creating and managing programs, media and public relations support, and knowledge and expertise on all caddie-related topics.

“Through Carry the Game, our goal is to provide young people with an early introduction to golf by creating life-changing opportunities to work as a caddie,” said WGA President and CEO John Kaczkowski. “Ultimately, we believe the experiences and mentorship gained through caddying are invaluable to a young person’s development and will help cultivate a lifelong passion for playing golf. Some of golf’s greatest players, as well as many of the world’s most successful executives, emerged from the caddie ranks. We look forward to supporting current and future caddies as they continue the legacy of a game so beloved and carry it forward for years to come.”

Carry the Game will also share and promote local and national caddie scholarship opportunities and resources. 

Club Champion Now Open in the Kansas City

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Club Champion Now Open in the Kansas City Area

Golfers Choose from 35,000 Head & Shaft Combinations

Willowbrook, IL — Club Champion, the country’s #1 premium golf club fitting and building company, announces the opening of its new Kansas City fitting studio in Overland Park, Kansas at 7400 W. 121st Street.

Club Champion fits, sells, and builds custom golf clubs constructed from clubheads, shafts, and grips from the best brands in golf including Callaway, TaylorMade, Ping, Titleist, PXG, Fujikura, Golf Pride and many more. The company delivers a Tour-quality fitting that produces longer, more accurate shots, with a nearly 100% satisfaction rate for golfers of any ability level.

The new location features approximately 3,000 square feet of space and has been designed to showcase Club Champion’s premium fitting experience and 35,000 hittable clubhead and shaft combinations. The studio includes two indoor hitting bays with Trackman launch monitors for analyzing performance, a SAM PuttLab’s fitting system to find the perfect putter on their practice green, and a build shop for repairing and assembling golf clubs by hand.

“We are excited to bring the finest club fitting and building to the Kansas City area,” said Joe Lee, CEO and president of Club Champion. “Our approach is unbiased, with no promotion of any specific vendors. Our only goal is to find the best combination of components to help customers hit longer, more accurate shots, and lower their scores and enjoy the game more.”

Ranked by Golf Digest as one of the 100 Best Club Fitters eight years running, Club Champion hires experienced fitters who then receive an additional 150+ hours of training before starting their job; unmatched in the golf industry. The company has a unique coupling system that allows them to combine any head and shaft together, so golfers hit the precise combination to be custom built for them. They are the only fitter in the country to offer 35,000 interchangeable head and shaft combinations on-site, at all locations. Golfers get to hit the exact club that will be custom built for them.

Says Lee, “Our unrivaled fitters and demo options generate unmatched results. A recent Golf Magazine study showed our average customer gained 22 yards off the tee, 15 yards with their irons and lowered their scores by 3 strokes. Many players think they aren’t good enough to be custom fit. But the study showed that higher-handicappers saw the biggest gains. Some of these golfers gained as much as 25 more yards with their drivers and shaved as many as 10 strokes per round.”

 

With advances in club technology, most golfers could easily hit the ball farther and more accurately, yet a Golf Magazine study found that 90% of US golfers may be playing with improperly fit clubs. Club Champion endorser and world-renowned golf instructor David Leadbetter stated, “It never ceases to amaze me that golfers buy clubs off the shelf and assume they’re right for them. Whether you’re a great golfer or a casual one, getting a custom club fitting is one of the quickest ways to improve your game.”

To celebrate the new opening, for a limited time (see website for details), the Kansas City store will offer 50% off full bag fittings, normally $350 (now $175), and 33% off driver, fairway wood, long game, hybrid, wedge, and putter fittings. This store opening special will run until March 31, 2018. The studio is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday and Friday and Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.  More information on the company can be found at www.clubchampiongolf.com or by calling (888) 340-7820.

 About Club Champion

Established in 2010, Club Champion is a national club fitting and building company headquartered in Chicago, IL. The company currently has 28 studios in major markets across the country and will be adding 11 new locations by Summer 2018. The studios carry all the top golf club, shaft, and grip manufacturers in the industry, which allows for 35,000+ equipment combinations for customers to trial. Studios are equipped with advanced analysis technology with highly trained certified fitters and builders that must complete an extensive training program. Services include custom fitting and building for all club purchases, repair services, personalization, and highly engaging corporate and personal entertainment events. For more information about Club Champion, visit www.clubchampiongolf.com.