Indian Hills Country Club, Mission Hills, KS, July 25, 2018 –

Emma Whitaker of Wichita, Kansas captured The Prairie Invitational title in a two-hole playoff with defending champion Kristen Samp of Lawrence, Kansas.  This is the first appearance in The Prairie Invitational for Whitaker, who will be a sophomore at Oklahoma State University in the fall.

Competitors in The Prairie Invitational enjoyed great weather throughout the three days, but the course did not yield low scores easily.  An A.W. Tillinghast gem, the set up at Indian Hills proved challenging for players in both divisions.  The tree lined fairways and undulating greens proved to be a great test of golf, yielding a field-best single round score of 71 (+1 by Reagan Zibilski in round 1) and a winning three-round total of +14.

The leader board was in a constant state of change throughout the day on Wednesday with Whitaker, Samp, Jess Meek (Columbia, MO), and Whitney Pyle (assistant professional at Ironhorse GC) all holding the lead at one point.  Chloe Kraus (Olathe, KS), Reagan Zibilksi (Nixa, MO), Ellen Port (St. Louis, MO), and Kirsten Baete (Beatrice, NE) all were within striking distance throughout the day.

Jess Meek had a very solid round going until back-to-back bogeys on 16 and 17 left her one shot out of the lead at the end of the day.  Whitney Pyle also bogeyed 17 to slip into a tie for third with Meek.  Chloe Kraus made a late charge with back-to-back birdies on 14 and 15, but a costly double bogey on 12 proved too much to overcome.  Reagan Zibilski had a very strong performance with a 74 on Wednesday after a difficult 81 in the second round.  Ellen Port had a very steady performance all three rounds.  Kraus, Zibilski, and Port all tied for 5th place at +16

Kristen Samp charged into the lead coming into the final hole with a birdie on the long and difficult #17.  Her lead was erased after a bogey on the par-5 18th, falling into a tie with Whitaker who parred the final five holes.  Both players tied the first playoff hole.  Samp’s drive on #2 found the left trees, while Whitaker hit a tremendous shot into the fairway.  Samp hit a great recovery shot, but was unable to find the green in regulation after being left with a long approach.  Whitaker hit the green in regulation.  Samp was unable to get up and down from the greenside bunker, and Whitaker ended the playoff with a two-putt.  Samp finished the event as the Open Division Runner-Up and claimed the Midwest Section PGA Women’s Championship trophy.

Along with her title in The Prairie Invitational, Whitaker also captured the Kansas Women’s Amateur title.  This is her first win in the Kansas Women’s Amateur as well.  Reagan Zibilski earned the Open Division Low Junior title, while Julia Misemer claimed the trophy for Kansas Low Junior.

The Prairie Invitational will next be contested at The National Golf Club of Kansas City in Parkville, Missouri in July of 2019.

Indian Hills Country Club, Mission Hills, Kansas

The Players Division wrapped up today with twins Hope and Hanna Robinett finishing first and second. Hope shot 16 over while Hanna shot 28 over. Hope shot one of her lowest rounds in a tournament on Monday with a seven over 77. She then played another great round with a 79 today. She shot an even par 35 on her first nine holes of the tournament which gave her a lot of momentum for the following holes. She then shot seven over 42 on the back nine.

The Prairie Invitational Open Division made cuts to the top 18 players plus ties after 36 holes. The remaining players will compete for the Prairie Invitational Champion and Kansas Women’s Amateur Champion titles tomorrow. Players to watch include leaders, Jessica Meek (+8) from Columbia, Missouri and Kirsten Baete (+8) from Beatrice, Nebraska. Local talent on the leaderboard is Assistant Golf Professional at Ironhorse Golf Club, Whitney Pyle (+9) of Overland Park, Kansas. Emma Whitaker (+10) of Wichita, Kansas and Chloe Kraus (+10) of Olathe, Kansas are also at the top of the Kansas Women’s Amateur leaderboard. The competition is close and the unique set up of the event allows for anyone to move up on the leaderboard.

About the event:

The Prairie Invitational is a premier women’s golf event in Kansas City for amateur and professional players. The purpose of the tournament is to enhance women’s golf and junior women’s golf not only in the Kansas City area, but on the regional level. The Prairie was formerly known as the Women’s Amateur of Kansas City, to find the best female golfer in the Midwest. The 2017 tournament was the first time the event was 54 holes of play in the Open Division with a cut after 36 holes played. 2017 was also the first year the tournament was included in the World Amateur Golf Rankings.

The Prairie Invitational also hosted the KGA Kansas Women’s Amateur Championship. The two divisions are the Open division and the Player’s division. The Open division targets expert level players and they will play from the championship yardage of 6,000-6,200 yards. The Open division is 54 holes of play while the Players division is 36 holes with a division for gross and net. The Players division plays from the ladies’ tees.

This is the fourth year the Prairie Invitational has taken place. The first tournament took place at Falcon Ridge Golf Club with 49 players. The field has grown exponentially each year since. The winners for the first three years were amateurs, while last year Kristen Samp, was the first professional to win last year at Milburn Country Club.

-Teagan Noblit, Contributor

At what seemed like our first cloudy KCJT event, KCGA juniors carded some of our lowest scores all season and three new winners captured their Champion’s towel.

In our 16+ Boys division, Tanner Collins shot a 69 (-3) to capture his third KCJT win. Collins had four birdies and an eagle on the Par 5, 16th on his round to beat out second place finisher Michael Garcia by three strokes. Liam Coughlin won his first KCJT event in the 13-15 Boys division with a one-under 71. Despite four bogeys, Coughlin battled back with five birdies on the day to get the win by two strokes over Christian Rischer.

For the 16+ Girls division, Vera Bohning also took home her first win of the summer with a round of 80. Bohning has fought hard all season, playing in five out of seven events and finally getting the win she’s fought hard for.  Caroline Setter and Martha Saferstein tied for second place with an 84 (+12). All the way from Columbia came our division winner for the 13-15 Girls division. Audrey Rischer, brother of second place finisher Christian, took home her first win as well as playing in her first KCJT event. Rischer had three birdies on the day to get atop the leader board with a 77 (+5) over Savannah Gentry by five strokes.

No surprise for our Prep division. Jacob Fratzel took home his fourth win of the season with a nine-hole score of 40 over Fletcher Noblit by four strokes.

Our Player of the Year race is a tight one this year as we have two and sometimes three players all within reach each week. With only three KCJT events left in the season, it should be a great finish. Left on the schedule is Eagle’s Landing, Swope Memorial and the KCJT Championship at Lake Quivira on August 2nd. Get registered here.

For a full field of results see here.

For Player of the Year standings see here.

The best of the best competed at Milburn CC July 16th to win a ticket to the US Amateur Championship at the infamous Pebble Beach golf course on the Monterrey Peninsula in California.

Over 60 players fought through 36 holes of qualifying for the top two spots. After round one a familiar face found himself atop the leader board in a three way tie for first place. Andy Spencer, 2018 Watson Challenge Champion, shot a round one score of 65 (-7) at his home course. Spencer shot four birdies in a row on the front nine, eight total on the day and only one bogey. Spencer faced some competition as two others shot a round one 65: Brady Dixon and Denzel Ieremia.

Dixon had a bogey free round with five birdies and an eagle on the Par-4, 16th. Ieremia’s round was highlighted by eight birdies and only one bogey to claim a share of the top spot.

In a field of that featured a lot of low scores, Spencer, Dixon and Ieremia had to replicate their round one scoring in order to claim their spot in the US Amateur Championship. Andy Spencer started off his second round with two birdies on the front nine. After nine pars in a row, Spencer finished with two birdies in the last five holes to shoot a four under 68. Brady Dixon started his second round a little slower making the turn at even par for the day and two birdies on the back nine to finish at 70 (-2).

Spencer finished his 36 holes of qualifying with a total score of 133 (65, 68) to claim the top qualifying spot and edge out Brady Dixon by two. Dixon shot 65, 70 to come in at 135 and secure the second place finish and his spot at Pebble Beach. McCain Schellhardt came in a close third place with a total 136 (68, 68) to claim the first alternate spot for the US Amateur Championship. Lachlan Barker claimed the second alternate spot with a 137 total score (68, 69).

Good luck to both Andy Spencer and Brady Dixon as they go out to California and compete at the great Pebble Beach.

Full field of results is here.

This week we were lucky enough to have two Kansas City Junior Tour events: Lakewood Oaks and St Andrews.

The overwhelming heat continued on July 9 out at Lakewood Oaks. 65 players played their best despite the humidity and blaring sun.

A few new faces emerged as division champions. In our 16+ Girls Division, Lauren Muller had two birdies on the day to help card an 84 and capture the division champion title.

In our 16+ Boys division, Griffin Brassell won his second KCJT title in a row with a round of 76 (+5). Brassell’s round was highlighted by two birdies on the day.

In our 13-15 Girls Division, Hillary Currier had her first win of the season with an 88, highlighted by a birdie on the Par 4, 15th. Patrick Neal won his third KCJT event this season with a 74 (+3) with a birdie on the Par-3, 16th.

Our Prep division was won by Jacob Fraztel with a 37 (+1) nine hole round. Fratzel played a great round with two bogeys and a birdie on the 8th.

 

We did it all again on July 11th, this time at St Andrews GC. We had 95 golfers try to compete for their first or multiple win this season. Competition was stiff at this KCJT event and had a few new faces get their first champion’s towel.

In our 16+ Boys division, we had two new winners  Jackson Likes and Jack Dwyer both carded 75 and both had two birdies on the day to tie for first and become co-champions. In our 16+ Girls division, Sarah Lawson won her first event of the season with a 77 (+6) highlighted by a birdie at the Par-3, 4th.

For our 13-15 Boys, Benjamin Bessette also won his first event after coming in second at Lakewood Oaks with a great round of 72 (+1). Bessette had three birdies on the first nine holes and finally captured his champion’s towel. Elizabeth Grant took home her first win of the season in the 13-15 Girls division with a round of 85.

Jacob Fratzel carded another 37 for the second week in a row  and his second win in a row. Him and Chance Rinkol have battled it out all season. Fratzel was interviewed after his round and is posted on our KCGA Facebook page. Pictures of all of our division champions are posted on our KCGA Instagram page.

As always we enjoy the KCJT and hope more kids come out to play each week. We have three events and a championship left in the KCJT series: Blue Springs, Eagle’s Landing, Swope, and Lake Quivira.

For a full field of results for Lakewood see here.

For a full field of results for St Andrews see here.

For Player of the Year standings, see here.

By Taylor Albritton, KCGA Intern

47 players attempted to qualify for the US Women’s Amateur at Eagle Bend Golf Course in Lawrence, Kansas on June 27th. It was a hot, humid day and the players had to weather the conditions to make the top 4.

Our medalist on the day was Ashley Gilliam from Manchester, Tennessee with a two-under, 70. Gilliam’s round was highlighted by four birdies and a consistent finish with six pars in a row to end her day in the top spot.

Sera Tadokoro (Japan) and Katy Winters (Wichita) tied for second place with even par 72. Tadokoro started out hot with three birdies in a row and four total through the front nine. A couple hiccups on the back would slow down her round and bring her into the clubhouse with a 72 (E). Winters started out with a couple bogeys, but battled back with four birdies on the day to tie for second place.

A five way tie for fourth with a 73 (+1) round would cause a playoff to determine the fourth and final qualifying spot. Brook Boardman from Waukee, Iowa, was victorious in the five-player playoff to claim our final spot.

Despite the heat, it was a great, competitive day of golf out at Eagle Bend. Good luck to the women who qualified as they move on.

For a full field of results, see here.

Just when you thought $5 or less was a great deal for youth golf… it gets even better this Friday June 29th! All Youth on Course members can play golf for $1 for National Youth on Course Day at any YOC participating facility.

This Thursday June 28th is also YOC Day of Giving. The goal for this day is to raise $25,000 for Youth on Course which equates to $2,500 rounds of golf on YOC Day.

For more information on YOC Day and to donate, please see here.

To search for a participating course near you, see here.

Grab your clubs and book your tee times for this Friday, June 29th!

In it’s third year, the 2018 KC Fourball Championship saw almost double it’s field size since last year. 30 teams paired up at Shoal Creek Golf Course not only to win the KC Fourball title, but to qualify for the Heart of America Fourball Championship later this summer.

Matt and Andy Kelley were the leaders in the clubhouse after Round 1 with an incredible score of 64 (-7). Andy Kelley had six birdies on the day and an eagle 2 on the Par-4, 1st. Matt Kelley provided a couple clutch pars for the duo to combine for the low round of the day by two strokes over Cummings/Gillund and defending champs Jeff Bell and Elliot Soyez.

Soyez/Bell combined for seven birdies on the day, but one hiccup on the Par-3, 11th left them with some work to do heading into Round 2.

A surprise group of Gregory Diederich and Charlie Rinehart, who shot a first round of 67 (-4), found themselves sneaking up the leaderboard after carding a Round 2 score of 64 (131). With seven birdies and no bogeys, Diederich/Rinehart became the leaders in the clubhouse while Kelley/Kelley and Soyez/Bell finished up in the last group of the day.

For Matt and Andy Kelley, Round 2 went even better than the first. Matt Kelley provided three birdies for the team before an hour lightning delay brought the last half of the field inside. Andy Kelley appreciated the delay as afterwards birdied five holes in a row, #12-16. Their Round 2 bettered Round 1 by one stroke, entering the clubhouse with a 63 (-8) and a total score of 127.

Defending champions Soyez/Bell again had seven birdies on their round, but a few bogeys totaled to a round of 66 (-5) to knock them into third place with a total score of 132 for the tournament.

Matt and Andy Kelley played great golf both days to win the 2018 KC Fourball Championship title by four strokes over Diederich/Rinehart. With 14 combined birdies and an eagle, the Kelley’s earned the Champions title as well as a qualifying spot in the Heart of America Championship at the National Golf Course  of Kansas City on August 8 and 9th.

The Top 8 teams from the KC Fourball earned a qualifying spot as well as a first and second alternate. These teams include:

1. Andy and Matt Kelley
2. Gregory and Diederich and Charlie Rinehart
3. Jeff Bell and Elliot Soyez
4. Jeff Mason and Sam Parrott
5. Frank Booth and Don Kuehn
6. Don and Tripp Walsworth
7. Jay Gregory and Rob Petersen
8. Ritch Nigh and Brian Taylor

First Alternate: Travis Mays/Tyler Hirlinger

Second Alternate: Adam Cummings/Austin Gillund

For a field of results, see here.

We thank everyone for coming out and playing in the 2018 KC Fourball Championship. We hope the turnout continues to increase next year and even get some more college and high school golfers involved. Thank you to Shoal Creek for holding the tournament and for lending us their great golf course.

By Taylor Albritton, KCGA Intern

Milburn Country Club Ranked in Top 10

Best Remodels of 2017 released by Golf Digest

Overland Park, Kansas: Milburn Country Club has been ranked in the Top 10 of Best Remodeled Courses in 2017 by Golf Digest. The Renovation Category is defined as remodeling that maintains the original architecture but has made modifications in terms of course upgrades (technology, aesthetics).

“A nice feel to an old country club…A hidden gem in Kansas City and a sneaky good Old School experience” raved panelists. Ron Whitten, Contributor at Golf Digest, adds “Milburn is not one of those flashy courses that panelists gush over on the first glimpse. It’s the sort of solid design that gets more appreciation the more one plays it.”

“Not only is this an incredible honor for the Club, but it is also for our membership who have patiently seen these projects through from conception to reality”, said James Nanson, GM/COO. Golf Digest panelists played and assessed new and remodeled golf courses throughout the year. Over 1,000 panelists participated and evaluated clubs in the United States and Canada. Categories that were evaluated consisted of Shot Values, Design Variety, Resistance to Scoring, Conditioning, Ambience, Aesthetics and Memorability.  Milburn Country Club was the only club in Kansas and Missouri recognized in the Renovation Category.

About Milburn Country Club

Located in Overland Park, Kansas, and founded in 1917, Milburn is home to one of the oldest, top-ranked championship golf courses in the Kansas City area. The country club is exclusive to members yet provides a warm and welcoming environment.  In the spring of 2013, Milburn unveiled a new 30,000-square-foot clubhouse. Additional features at Milburn include five tennis courts, swim facility, exceptional dining and superior service that come together to give members the finest golf and country club experience around.

For more information please contact the club at (913) 432-0490 or visit us online at www.milburn.org.

Despite less than optimal conditions, battling through a day of on and off again rain, over 90 juniors competed at Minor Park in our Kansas City Junior Tour summer series.

Players battled through the wind chill and rain to fight for their division championship title. In our Boys 16+ division, Michael Bessenbacher claimed his first victory this summer with a round of 73 (+3). With a few bogeys and two birdies, Bessenbacher was able to grind it out through the rain to beat out Michael Garcia by one stroke for first place. Rees Conder, Luke Elbrader, and Daniel Duffin all tied for third place with rounds of 76 (+6).

In our Boys 13-15 age division, Patrick Neal claimed the division title for the second week in a row with an incredible 72 (+2). Neal had a consistent round despite conditions and his lone birdie on the day helped propel him to the top of the leaderboard. Nate Saporito came in second place with a round of 75 and Ian McCrary rounded out the top three with a 78 (+8).

For the 16+ Girls division, Victoria Klausner ran away with her division with an amazing 73 (+2). Klausner excitement was evident after shooting such a great round. She also earned her first win of the summer series with four birdies on the day. Hope and Hanna Robinett tied for second place with rounds of 81.

In the Girls 13-15 division, Caroline Giocondo beat out Lia Johnson by two strokes to card an 82 for her division title. Her best hole of the day came with a birdie on the Par-5, 6th. Libby Green rounded out the top three with an 88.

In our Prep division, Chance Rinkol won his division for the second week in a row with a nine hole score of 38 (+3). His consistency showed with his seven pars on the day fighting through the rain. Jacob Fratzel came in second with a nine hole score of 40.

Once again, thank you to everyone who participated and we enjoyed having everyone out at Minor Park today for another great KC Junior event. We hope to see everyone again June 28 at Drumm Farm.

For full field results click here.

For pictures and video from today’s event, see our KCGA Instagram and KCGA Facebook page.

For Player of the Year standings, click here.

By Taylor Albritton, KCGA Intern