Category: Top Story

Pahls and Spencer Advance to Finals

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Sycamore Ridge Golf Course – The Saturday afternoon semifinal matches of the Boys Metro Match Championship have concluded, and Eric Pahls and Andy Spencer have survived to play for the title.

In semifinal #1, Ethan Packel jumped out to a big lead early. Packel the 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 8th holes to go 4-up and looked like he would cruise to an easy victory. Pahls, however, had other plans. With wins on the 10th, 11th and 12th, Pahls got to within one and would square the match with a par on 15. Packel ran into trouble down the stretch and Pahls would finish off a 2&1 victory with solid pars.

Unlike semifinal #1, semifinal #2 was close the whole way. Andy Spencer birdied the 1st to take a 1-up lead, but that would be short-lived, as James Henderson birdied the 2nd to square the match. On the 16th hole Spencer was 1-up and looked poised to take a commanding 2-up lead, but Henderson was able to make a long putt to save par from the hazard and Spencer missed a short putt that resulted in the match being all square. On the 18th with Spencer safely on the green in regulation Henderson caught a flier from the left rough and ended up in a very difficult position behind the green. Henderson was unable to save his par and conceded the hole, giving Spencer the match and a showdown with Pahls in the morning.

The final will take place tomorrow morning at 7:30am. Complete results and live scoring for tomorrow’s finals match can be found by clicking here…

Semifinal Matches set for Boys’ Match Play

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Sycamore Ridge Golf Course — The quarterfinal matches are in the books at the 2014 Boys’ Match Play Championship.  In the largest upset of the event, number eight seed Erin Packel defeated number one seed Preston Fleenor 4 and 2.  Packel utilized extremely cautious, but accurate play on the difficult Sycamore Ridge layout and it proved effective as Fleenor frequently found trouble off the tee.

Facing off against Packel in the Semifinals will be KC Junior Champion, Eric Pahls.  Pahls defeated Nicholas Klock 2 and 1.

In the bottom of the semifinal bracket, James Henderson and Andy Spencer will face off for a chance at tomorrow’s finals.  Henderson beat Jake Goldman 2 up with a clutch birdie on the final hole of the morning.  Spencer dispatched Tanner Owen 4 & 3.

Live scoring will be available for the afternoon semifinal matches.  Click here for complete results.

Fleenor Grabs the Number One Seed after Qualifying Round

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It was a wet and windy start to the Boys Metro Match Play Championship at Sycamore Ridge Golf Course. Ten of the best junior golfers in Kansas City faced off in a 9-hole stroke play qualifier for eight spots in tomorrow’s match play.

Preston showed today why he is the heavy favorite in this year’s Championship. He fired off a 36 on the front nine of Sycamore Ridge Golf Course to claim the number 1 overall seed. Preston will face number eight seed Ethan Packel tomorrow.

Preston was followed closely by James Henderson who also shot a 36. James had a rocky start but came back strong after the one hour rain delay with birdies on 6, 7, and 9. James will be the number two overall seed after he lost the draw for number one. James will play Jake Goldman in tomorrow’s match.

Andy Spencer grinned out a 37 in the windy conditions to claim the number three seed and will face off against Tanner Owen the number six seed.

Kansas City Junior Champion Eric Pahls also shot a 1 over, 37, but lost the draw to Andy to become the number four seed. He will play Nicholas Klock tomorrow in the first match.

Make sure to follow the action live tomorrow.

To see the full results from today’s round Click Here.

KCGA Announces 2014 Mid-America Junior Cup Team

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The Kansas City Golf Association is proud to announce its 2014 Mid-America Junior Cup Team. 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. This year’s event will take place October 25-26 at Fox Run Golf Club in Eureka, MO. 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 looks to retain the Cup they secured at Blue Hills in 2013.

This year’s team is as follows:

MAJC Team

Girls

  • Taylor Black – Girls Metro Match Play Champion
  • Jean Tyrrell – Girls Metro Match Play Runner Up
  • Olivia Laub – Girls Metro Match Play Semifinalist & 2013 Crusaders Junior Championship Runner Up
  • India Gaume – Kansas City Junior Champion

Boys

  • Eric Pahls – Kansas City Junior Champion
  • Preston Fleenor – Round one leader of the 2014 Watson Challenge
  • Tryston Tovkach – Boys KC Junior Tour Varsity Division Player of the Year
  • Nicholas Klock – Boys 13-15 KC Junior Tour Championship Winner

 

 

 

 

 

Groom Conquers the Heat and Hillcrest

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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!

336 Team Entries Accepted for Inaugural U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball

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FAR HILLS, N.J. – The United States Golf Association has accepted entries for 336 teams (or two-player sides) for the 2015 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship, to be contested May 9-13 on the Pacific Dunes Course at Bandon Dunes in Bandon, Ore.

Entries for the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball are open to players who have a Handicap Index® not exceeding 14.4, with no age restrictions. Team partners are not required to be from the same club, state or country, and substitution of partners was permitted until the close of entries.

To see the full story Click Here!

The inaugural U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball Championship will be held on the Pacific Dunes Course at Bandon Dunes Resort in Bandon, Ore., May 9-13, 2015. (USGA/John Mummert)
The inaugural U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship will be held on the Pacific Dunes Course at Bandon Dunes Resort in Bandon, Ore., May 9-13, 2015. (USGA/John Mummert)

Greene Goes on Birdie Streak at Creekmoor

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The day was set up perfectly for the Stateline event at The Golf Club at Creekmoor. Clear skies and minimum winds made it a great day to score low. On top of the perfect weather today, members of the StateLine Amateur Tour played a golf course in fantastic shape.

In the Legends division, David Hornaday took advantage of the great day, scoring a 2 under, 70. He started off strong with a 2 under front nine, but then struggled on the tough back nine shooting even. David had a total of six birdies on the day.

The Senior Division had some tough competition today. Heart of America Champions, Greg Loteckie and Don Keuhn continued their outstanding play at Creekmoor; Greg shot a 3 under, 69 and Don shot a 72. Greg also took advantage of an easy front nine shooting 3 under, and had a total of five birdies.

Greg Loteckie stares down his putt for birdie on the Par 3, 17th.
Greg Loteckie stares down his putt for birdie on the Par 3, 17th.

Greg shared the lead with Steve Groom who struggled on the front nine but came out strong on the back shooting 4 under. The best statistic of the day for Steve was that he only had one bogey on the day.

They were followed closely by Tom Leonard who shot a 1 under, 71. Tom had a total of three birdies and two bogeys.

The players division saw some fantastic play today from Michael Buckhouse. Michael saw birdies on holes 5, 12, and 14 but struggled on hole 8 with a double bogey. He finished in 2nd place.

1st place went to Matt Barberich who shot a 2 under, 70. He birdied three of the four par threes and almost had a hole in one on hole 17. He finished with a total of five birdies on the day.

Finally in the open division Michael Greene shot the low score for the day with a 4 under, 68. He continues his incredible 2014 season with another win. Michael had the most birdies on the day with seven, and had no bogeys on the back nine.

Behind him in the open division was UMKC golfer Cameron Wiltse who shot a 2 under, 70. Cameron had six birdies on the day and finished with an incredible birdie putt on the 18th.

The next event is at Hillcrest Golf & Country Club on August 25. Be sure to get signed up before the deadline.

To see photos from the event Click Here.

Mini-Masters Sees Excellent Golf

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Joshua Fratzel receives his Mini-Masters Trophy after shooting an incredible 3-hole score of 11.
Joshua Fratzel receives his Mini-Masters Trophy after shooting an incredible 3-hole score of 11.

Heart of America – The weather was perfect for the Mini-Masters yesterday afternoon at the Heart of America Academy executive course. Twelve adorable kids ages four to eight took on the executive course Tuesday afternoon at 4:30pm.

The Mini-Masters is designed to expose young golfers to the competition side of golf. The rules of golf will therefore be applied very liberally for the event. We want the players to enjoy their time at the Mini-Masters. After their tough round of golf, all of the players are greeted back at the clubhouse with their very own hotdog, chips and a drink.

There was all smiles and no waterworks for this years event. The story of the day goes to the Fratzel brothers who dominated the competition in the event.

The oldest of the two, Jacob age 7, flew through the course shooting and incredible 20 after six holes. His best stretch of golf was three pars on holes two through four. He finished with an unbelievable four pars and two bogeys. Jacob won the 8-9 age division despite only being seven, playing up an age group.

His brother, Joshua age 4, might be better than his brother. Joshua shot an outstanding 11 on three holes. He finished with a lone par on hole three and two bogeys on holes one and four. Joshua won the 4-5 age division by four strokes over Logan Wall and his impressive score of 15.

We wish the best of luck to these two boys and their future golf careers.

In the 6-7 age division, there was a close battle between Peyton Smith age 6 and Jonathan Cornick age 6. Peyton would take the division with a 3 hole score of 15, but was followed closely by Jonathan who shot a 3 hole score of 17. Peyton was consistent across the board, making a double bogey on every hole.

After the event Executive Director Matt Williams had this to say. “It was a pleasure to watch the joy on the golfers faces as they played today. Even when they hit a bad shot, it did not seem to upset them, they were still smiling and laughing. It makes us remember why we love this game so much and why we continue to play it year after year.”

This was the final Mini-Masters event for the year but the KCGA staff looks forward to next years events.

To see photos from the event Click Here!

Barry, Yates Crowned Heart of America Champions

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The weather delay created from Wednesday’s storms advantageously changed the momentum for the eventual 53rd Heart of America champions.

Thursday morning saw two teams punch their tickets for the 18-hole, normally 36, match-play championship.

The team of Jackson Foth and Josh Weems, arguably one of the greatest pair of Heart of America teammates and defending champions, out-dueled the Kansas City Match-Play champion Phil Bartimus and his teammate Michael Greene, who claimed the fifth seed, by a score of 2 and 1 to secure their spot in the championship round.

Matt Barry and Colby Yates, a pair of University of Missouri-Saint Louis teammates, stand with the 53rd Heart of America Champions Trophy.
Matt Barry and Colby Yates, a pair of University of Missouri-Saint Louis teammates, stand with the 53rd Heart of America Champions Trophy.

Foth and Weems, the tournament’s second-overall seed, made their third appearance in as many years in the final round of play in the historic match-play tournament.

Weems continued his personal streak of four consecutive championship appearances.

However, awaiting the three-time finalists were ninth-seeded Matt Barry and Colby Yates, a pair of teammates who also team up together during the collegiate season at University of Missouri-Saint Louis.

Barry and Yates saw an early 2 up lead erased by fifth-seeded semifinalists Cameron and Wiltse and Evan Shartzer, who will be teammates this fall at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, but rallied on No. 11 to eventually win 4 and 3.

The Foth and Weems combination jumped out to an early 1 up lead after a birdie on No. 3, but Barry and Yates answered with a birdie on No. 6 and 7 to turn the match in the champions favor.

The pair added an additional birdie on No. 11 to take a 2 up lead, which would stand pat until Foth and Weems tallied a birdie on No. 14 to cut the lead to 1 up.

Barry and Yates delivered the final blow of the match, birdieing No. 16, which eventually sealed a 2 and 1 victory over Foth and Weems.

The open division only needed 17 holes to decide the fate of the championship, the senior division needed every bit of all 18 holes.

The championship match featured the top-seeds Don Kuehn and Greg Loteckie, against third-seeded Andy Smith and Karl Elbrecht.

Kuehn and Loteckie defeated

The match never swung in either direction beyond a two-hole lead by Kuehn and Loteckie before Smith and Elbrecht evened the match at all square on No. 17 with a chip-in from in front of the green and well below the hole from Smith.

However, Kuehn took control of the match by rolling in a 20-foot birdie putt from the back fringe.

The putt sealed the senior championship for Loteckie and Kuehn.

View the full results from the week’s Heart of America championship, here.

 

 

 

Severe Weather Delays Heart of America

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The third day of play at the 53rd Heart of America could not out run the inbound severe weather.

Despite completing the quarterfinal round without a hitch, the open division could not escape lightning before suffering a substantial delay.

However, the senior division final match is set, as top seeds Don Kuehn and Greg Loteckie defeated Mark Addington and Chris Gaunce 1 up.

DSC_7117

Kuehn and Loteckie entered the semifinals round by claiming a 4 and 3 victory over Mike Snyder and Dick Clancey.

Andy Smith and Karl Elbrecht teamed up to defeat Ron Brewer and Fred Rowland by a 5 and 4 decision.

Smith and Elbrecht punched their tickets to the semifinals with a 2 and 1 win over Doug Anderson and George McDonnell.

Shortly after the final senior division match concluded, a strong storm cell proceeded to flood numerous areas of the course while lighting up the darkening sky with a relentless lightning show.

Jackson Foth and Josh Weems, the open division No. 2 seed, clung to a 1 up lead over Phil Bartimus and Michael Greene at the time of the storm and weather delay.

The other match was controlled by Evan Shartzer and Cameron Wiltse, leading Matt Barry and Colby Yates by a 1 up lead.

The course was cleared due to lightning and inclement weather in the area , forcing players to wait well over an hour before the tournament executive committee decided to suspend play for the remainder of the evening.

The Open division semifinal matches will resume tomorrow morning at 7:30 a.m. and the final of the Senior division has been rescheduled for a 9:30 a.m. start weather permitting.