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.