This year’s Kansas City Junior Championship was held at Brookridge Golf and Fitness May 30-31st. 89 of the top junior talent took their shot at the KC Junior title and a chance to play in either the Watson Challenge or the Prairie Invitational.
In the girl’s division, 29 girls vied for the top spot. Over the course of the two-day competition, Megan Propeck distinguished herself atop the leaderboard. With a first round score of 69, (-2), Propeck etched her n
ame over the field by 7 strokes over Julia Misemer. In her first round, Propeck carded two bogeys and four birdies.
Despite a big lead, Propeck had a few mistakes in her second round with a handful of bogeys on the day. She battled back with two birdies to card 75, (+4). Her great play secured her the 2018 KC Junior Girl’s Champion title by an amazing 9 strokes. Molly Saporito secured second place shooting a 79, 74 (153). Julia Misemer rounded out the top three with a 76, 81 (157).
As a result of her win, Megan Propeck also secured an invitation to the Prairie Invitational at the end of July. We look forward to seeing Megan bring more great golf to the Prairie Invitational field.
In the boy’s division, 60 players battled for medalist and an invitation to play in the Watson Challenge June 8-10th. Competition was tight throughout the two-day competition. Some notable names in the field included Michael Winslow, recent State Champion, Garrett Clark, defending champion Ryan Bender, and many more. After round one, Justin Wingerter earned the leader spot after shooting a bogey-free round of 69, (-2), by two strokes over Daniel Gutgesell.
On the final day of competition, the leading group included Justin Wingerter, 69, Daniel Gutgesell, 71, and Calvin Dillon, 72, but the last few groups all had a shot at the victory being within two or three strokes of the lead. Wingerter’s biggest competition came from Joe Bultman, who started the second round 4 strokes behind. With a birdie and an eagle on the Par-5, 11th, Bultman found himself in contention heading to the final few holes.
Wingerter’s final round featured a few hiccups on the front nine that saw him fall back to +1 for the tournament at one point. Unaware of other player’s standings, Wingerter had to battle through his mistakes to make up some ground. Bultman finished his round with a 69, (-2), and a 142 overall score for the tournament. Heading into the 16th hole, Wingerter was down by one stroke. With an incredible bogey save on the 15th, Wingerter went on to birdie 16, 17, and 18 to beat out Bultman by one stroke.
It was an incredible two days of golf and an even better finish. Wingerter and Bultman both secured their Champion and Runner-Up titles as well as invitations to the Watson Challenge next week. We wish both of them the best of luck and hope their great play continues into the Watson.
For a full field of results, click here.
Visit our Facebook page for in-depth interviews with both Megan Propeck and Justin Wingerter.
By Taylor Albritton, KCGA Intern