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2010 KGA slate includes challenging events and centennial Amateur
   KGA Championship schedule preview

   With the centennial Kansas Amateur Championship as its centerpiece, to be contested this July at storied Prairie Dunes Country Club, the Kansas Golf Association’s 2010 Championship schedule figures to be one for the record books.
   “The 2010 KGA Championship schedule is highlighted by the 100th Kansas Amateur Match

Play Championship to be played at Prairie Dunes Country Club, July 19-25,” says KGA Executive Director Kim Richey. “The entry fee has been lowered, and the “last-chance qualifier” should bring out the best amateur Kansas golfers for this historic championship.”
   This year’s Championship docket includes competition for players of varying skill levels at ages from juniors only beginning their golf careers to the most seasoned of veterans and, as always, includes stops at many of the Sunflower State’s top facilities.
   “If you like to compete and golf is your game, then the KGA has a championship for you. And, it’s probably close enough to your home that you can sleep in your own bed!” says Richey. “Even if your handicap is higher than “scratch”, many KGA events have a net competition, so you can still play and compete for a title and a prize. Juniors, mid-amateurs and seniors all have multiple opportunities to play in professionally administered events at our state’s best venues while enjoying the camaraderie of fellow players. Bring a friend and give your skills a test!”
   Online entry for KGA Championships is underway at https://www.ghintpp.com/kga/TPPOnlineGolfer/logon.aspx or you can obtain paper entry forms at the address. Forms are also available at the KGA office, 1201 Wakarusa Dr., Suite B5, Lawrence, Kan., 66049 or by calling (785) 842-4833.

Three events set in May
   The 2010 championship schedule kicks off in early May with the Mid-Amateur Championship

at Meadowbrook Golf and Country Club in Prairie Village. Thirty-six holes of stroke play are planned for players 25 years of age and older on May 3-4. There will be gross and net divisions for players 25-34, 35-44 and 45 and older. Players must be at least 25 years old by May 3. Last year, University of Kansas men’s golf coach Kit Grove won a three-man playoff on the first hole at Basehor’s Falcon Lakes to claim his Mid-Am title. Deadline for entry to the 2010 edition is April 26.
   “We’re really excited about having the opportunity to host the Kansas Golf Association again this year and we’re honored to have the privilege,” says Charlie Johnson, PGA director of golf at Meadowbrook. “I think they’ll find it in great shape…with the ability of our (golf course superintendent) Steve Wilson, the golf course should be in great condition come May.”
   “It will be a good challenge for them. The course is a relatively short course, fairly tight. On paper, people will look at it and think it’s a fairly easy course for them and they can shoot a low number. However, when you play the course, it’s a different story. I think it will be a good challenge.”
   On May 17-18, the KGA moves to central Kansas for the 2010 Senior Four-Ball Championship at Salina Country Club. Thirty-six holes of four-ball stroke play are planned in three senior

divisions: championship (gross scoring only), net (net scoring only) and super senior (both players must be 65 or older). The championship division will be contested from a longer set of tees than the other two divisions, according to championship officials. Last year, Raytown, Mo.’s Steve Groom and Kansas City’s Andy Smith teamed to grab the Four-Ball title by three shots at Sycamore Ridge Golf Course in Spring Hill. The deadline for entry to the 2010 version is set for May 10.
The Association closes out a busy first month of tournaments with its annual Public Links

Championship May 22-23 at Manhattan’s Colbert Hills. The home of the Kansas State Wildcats will be the site for two rounds of stroke play in gross and net divisions for public golf course players 25 and younger, 26-49 and 50 and older. Wichita’s Steve Newman held off Kansas City’s Don Kuehn and Sterling High School standout/2010 KGA Junior Player of the Year Michael Gellerman to win the 2009 Public Links at Newton’s Sand Creek Station by four strokes. The deadline for entry to the 2010 Pub Links is set for May 14.

June includes Four-Ball and two Jr. events
Lawrence’s Alvamar Golf Course is the place to be as the KGA kicks off its championship slate for golf’s biggest summer month. The Kansas Four-Ball Championship is set for June 7-11 and comes to the 36-hole facility, home of the Kansas Jayhawks, for the seventh straight time

and the 10^th time in the last 11 seasons. Two-man teams face rounds of four-ball stroke play qualifying on each of Alvamar’s public and private courses. The top 32 reams in the Open division move on to match play. The top 16 teams in the Masters division (for golfers 40 and older) qualify for match play. Last year, Overland Park brothers Curtis and Kyle Yonke downed KU golfers Andrew Storm and Bobby Knowles 1 up to claim their first Four-Ball title. Baldwin City’s Mike Grosdidier and Topeka’s Gary Lucas claimed the 2009 Masters crown with a 5&4 triumph over Wichita’s Mark Steiner and Lawrence’s Michael Rack. The deadline for entry to the 2010 Four-Ball is set for May 31.
KGA junior golfers move into the spotlight later in the month as Pittsburg’s Crestwood Country Club hosts the Junior Amateur Championship on June 14-17. Fifty-four holes of stroke play are planned in five age divisions, 18, 17, 16, 15, and 14 and younger. A cut to the low 15

players and ties in each division will be made after 36 holes. A practice round is included in the entry fee and is set for June 14. Last year, Wellington’s Myles Miller overcame some difficult weather conditions at Emporia Municipal and held off Gellerman by two shots to win his first Junior Am title. The deadline for the 2010 Junior Amateur is slated for June 4.
   “We’re always excited about doing major state events, something that’s got some prestige to it. We’re kind of down here in this corner of the state and don’t get that many opportunities because of our location, but we appreciate it when we do,” says Todd Casey, PGA head professional/general manager at Crestwood. “(Crestwood) is a really solid golf course that is very playable for the younger kids. It’s not a course where they’re going to be losing a lot of golf balls all the time and it’s not going to be too long… At the same time it challenges the young kids pretty well. We don’t see many low scores being shot here. It’s a good test of golf and a really, really solid golf course.”
   Late in June, KGA juniors make a return to Manhattan’s Stagg Hill Golf Club, this time for the Junior Team Championship. The June 28-28 event includes four-ball stroke play and foursome alternate shot rounds over the public Stagg Hill layout, site of the 2008 KGA Junior Amateur Championship. Last year, Sterling’s Gellerman and Florence’s Elliott Soyez dominated at Lawrence’s Eagle Bend Golf Course, winning their Team title by three shots. The deadline for entry to the 2010 event is set for June 21.

Kansas Amateur hits century mark in July
   The pinnacle of the Kansas amateur golf season comes in July and this year it holds even more excitement as the 100^th Kansas Amateur Match-Play Championship will be contested at

legendary Prairie Dunes Golf Club in Hutchinson. Some of the state and region’s best amateur players will convene on the Perry and Press Maxwell gem July 19-25 as two rounds of stroke-play qualifying are held before the top 64 players move on to the match play bracket.
   “With the history of Prairie Dunes, and the championships that we have hosted, this should be a great venue for the 100^th Amateur,” says John Lanham, head PGA professional at Prairie Dunes. “We’ve done some remodel work the last couple years, adding some new tees, new bunkers. (Architects) Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw did some design work and took a look at some old pictures of Perry Maxwell’s work which showed some closely-mown areas around the greens. When he originally designed it we mowed the rough down to fairway height so it would add a lot of options…if it gets windy and the greens are firm it can really be a tough challenge.”
   Witness the course’s performance in the 2002 USGA Women’s Open and the 2006 Senior Open where few players managed to break par and it’s obvious Prairie Dunes will be a fitting test for competitors in the 100th Kansas Amateur.“If we get some wind this place can really defend itself,” Lantham says. “With the course playing at just over 6,700 yards you don’t have to bomb it. So, with a very good short game you can hang around in some matches if you out-chip and out-putt your opponent. The strategy into the greens is really the key to Prairie Dunes.”
   Competitors can qualify for the state’s biggest championship through one of the exempt status criteria or become eligible through one of the local qualifiers this summer, including June 11 at Salina Country Club, June 21 at Sand Creek Station in Newton, June 23 at The Golf Club of Southwind in Garden City, June 24 at Sycamore Ridge in Spring Hill, and June 30 at Eagle Bend in Lawrence. This summer players will even have a second chance to qualify at the “last-chance qualifier” at Alvamar Golf Club on July 7.
   Last year, former Washburn University standout Matt Ewald won the Amateur title at Kansas City Country Club. The Leawood golfer had just completed his NCAA Div. II eligibility and

became just the second player in 18 years to earn Kansas Amateur medalist honors and then go on to claim the title. Ewald defeated Stanford University standout Dodge Kemmer of Wichita 7&5 in the championship match.
In 1993, the last time the Amateur came to Prairie Dunes, Lawrence’s Matt Gogel defeated Overland Park’s Marty Sallaz for the second of his back-to-back titles. Leawood’s John Hess was medalist.
On July 26-27, the KGA is a family affair as father/son teams do battle in the annual Father-Son Championship at Reflection Ridge Golf Club in Wichita. Thirty-six holes of four-ball stroke play are scheduled with Open and Junior divisions with gross and net prizes awarded. One participant must be a member of a KGA member golf club and each player must have a USGA handicap. Last year at Manhattan Country Club, Adam and Kevin Bahner won the Open division title on their home course. The Junior division went to Thane and Grant Ringler of Hutchinson. Jackson Foth

Application deadline for the Father-Son is set for July 19.
The KGA rounds out hot July with a pair of KJGA events at Eagle Bend Golf Course under the Clinton Lake Dam near Lawrence. July 26-28 will see juniors play a practice round and then two stroke-play rounds to determine team and individual champions in the Junior Section Team Championship. The event will include six KJGA Section teams and any special invitees. Last year Lake Quivira’s Jackson Foth won the individual title and the South Central Section squad was team champion at Hutchinson’s Carey Park. On July 29-30 the top 16 juniors from the Section Team will square off in match-play format to determine a winner in the Junior Match Play Championship at Eagle Bend. Opening-round and quarterfinal matches are to be played June 29. The semifinals and the championship match are slated for June 30. Sixth-seeded Thane Ringler downed top-seeded Gellerman 7&6 to win last year at Cottonwood Hills Golf Club near Hutchinson.

August includes return of KGF event
One of the most important stops on the 2010 Championship schedule will be Flint Hills National Golf Club in Andover on Aug. 9 as the Kansas Golf Foundation once again holds its Team Championship. Proceeds from the event benefit the Kansas Golf Foundation and its

Junior Scholarship Program.
   “We are happy to once again host the Kansas Golf Foundation event here at Flint Hills National,” says Dave Henson, director of golf at Flint Hills, site of the 2007 USGA Senior Am, the 2008 KGA Senior Amateur Championship and the 2009 Trans-Mississippi Championship. “It’s a worthy event and we look forward to supporting amateur golf, the KGF and the KGA.”
   The two-person event will be 18 holes in the shamble format. The team entry includes golf, cart, lunch, cocktails and hors d’ouevres following the round. The field is limited to the first 36 teams with an entry deadline to be determined.
   Crestview Country Club’s north course is the site for the 2010 KGA Senior Amateur Championship on Aug. 15-17 in Wichita. After a practice round on Aug. 15, 36 holes of stroke

play will be contested the next two days in three divisions: championship (gross scoring only), net (net scoring only) and super senior (for players aged 65 and older). The championship division will be contested from a longer set of tees, according to KGA officials. Last year, Kansas City’s Kuehn edged four players by a single stroke to win the title at Leawood South Country Club. The deadline to enter this year’s event is Aug. 9.
   The Association closes out the summer months with the annual High Plains Amateur Aug. 28-29 at The Golf Club at Southwind in Garden City. Thirty-six holes of stroke play will be conducted in three divisions: open (34 years and younger), masters (ages 35-49) and seniors (50 and older). The event is open to all amateurs regardless of their association affiliation. Last year, Garden City’s Sean Thayer won the open event for a fourth time on his home course. Wichita’s Mike Holloway was the masters division champion and Kansas City’s Smith topped the senior field. The deadline for entry into the 2010 High Plains is Aug. 22.

Fall slate kicks off with Senior Team
   After events at Alvamar and Eagle Bend, the KGA makes a third stop in Lawrence to begin its “fall swing.” Lawrence Country Club will be the site of the KGA Senior Team Championship

Sept. 27-29. Fifty-four holes of team stroke play are planned for the senior competitors in three divisions: championship (gross scoring only), net (net scoring only) and super senior (for players aged 65 and older). The championship division will be contested from a longer set of tees, according to KGA officials. The format will be one shamble round, one round of modified Chapman alternate shot and the final round will be four-ball. In 2009, Andover’s Randy Vautravers and Manhattan’s Steven Kaup combined to win a Senior Team title by five shots at The Golf Club at Creekmoor in Raymore, Mo. The deadline for entry to this season’s event is Sept. 20.
Capping off the KGA Senior Series schedule is its annual Championship, held this year on Oct. 4-5 at Shawnee Country Club in Topeka. Seniors qualifying for the event during the season-long Senior Series slate will compete in 36 holes of stroke play on the private layout. Last year, Kansas City’s Smith ended Grosdidier’s two-year stint as champion with his victory at Colbert Hills. Smith defeated Grosdidier by a single shot, and Vautravers and Troy, Mich.’s

Bill McDonald were just another shot back in Manhattan.
The Association closes out its Championship season with the Mid-Am Team Championship Oct. 11-13 at Indian Hills Country Club in Mission Hills. Shamble, modified Chapman alternate shot and four-ball rounds are planned for the two-man teams. The field will be cut to the low 48 teams and ties for the final round if the field size exceeds 60 teams. Both players must be at least 25 years old by Oct. 11. Last year, former University of Kansas teammates Peter Krsnich of Prairie Village and Luke Trammell of Indianapolis won a Mid-Am Team title by four shots at Terradyne Country Club in Andover. The deadline for entry to the 2010 event is set for Oct. 4.