Day 1 of the Kanza Cup in Lawrence, Kansas kicked off yesterday, May 19th, 2021. Teams East and West, divided by U.S. highway 75, were eager to begin their matches while barely being allowed to by mother nature. Each team consists of the top 8 players from the 2020 Central Links Golf Kansas Mid-Amateur Player of the Year list, along with the players who were invited to play in the 2020 Kanza Cup to avenge the loss of the same event just a year ago due to weather conditions. Team East hosted the Kanza Players Cup at the Jayhawk Club.
To start off the event, the Four-Ball matches began at 8 o’clock. The matches were tied after Four-Ball play ended. Following the Four-Ball play were the Alternate Shot matches that were scheduled to begin at approximately 2 o’clock. Before the teams were able to complete their Alternate Shot matches, mother nature forced them off the course as rain began to fall at the Jayhawk club. Team East player, Conrad Roberts, gave insight as to what it was like playing in such conditions, “the ball comes off a lot straighter because the water takes off a lot of spin, so it is actually easier to play in these conditions because you cannot hook or slice the ball as easily.”
Day 2, on May 20th, consisted of only singles matches in the morning. Due to the rainfall overnight, three holes of the Jayhawk club were deemed unplayable making day two consist of only 15 holes instead of the regulation 18. With the sun hidden behind the impending rain clouds the following morning, players teed off. Ultimately the West team came out on top, for the first time in five years, with the scores being 12.50 to 9.50 in total. The West team captain, Andrew King said, “it’s been five years, […] so that was the biggest motivation for us. It is also nice to go on the road, to an East held event, and get a win.”