Short Shots

KGF events upcoming
The Kansas Golf Foundation has some important events planned this year, starting with its second annual Tee Time Auction this month. The auction begins March 29 and runs until April

12. It gives golfers the opportunity to bid on rounds of golf at courses that they don’t normally get to play. The KGF has 12 tee times to some of the best courses in Kansas and some top regional destinations. For further information, the Tee Time Auction has its own website at http://auctions.readysetauction.com/kansasgolffoundation/home.
The Foundation’s annual Golf Marathon is set for April 26 at Leawood South Country Club. Golfers will play as many holes as possible that day. They can solicit donations on a holes-played basis or on a flat rate. Anyone interested in the marathon can simply go to the new website: www.marathon.kansasgolf.org. It will have all the information on how to get involved. You can also contact The Foundation at foundation@kansasgolf.org or (785) 482-4833 Ext. 205.

KGA training session planned April 17

   This announcement is a sure sign that winter is about to leave us! The KGA will be conducting its annual championship volunteer training session on April 17 at Alvamar Country Club in Lawrence. The meeting will start at 9 a.m. and adjourn around 3 p.m. Lunch will be provided. Bring appropriate outdoor attire as participants will spend about two hours outside on the golf course after lunch.
   “This session is always a good way to start the championship and competitive golf season,” says KGA Executive Director Kim Richey. “Our veteran volunteers have some good stories to tell and our new volunteers discover that we are a fun group and certainly dedicated to the game. So I would encourage everyone to join us for the day of review, education and camaraderie.”
   The schedule includes discussion of topics like “Anything New for 2010?”, “What's the Ruling?” -- the group will be given a series of real scenarios to discuss, analyze and determine the ruling as a group, and an “On Course Review” – weather permitting.
   Note the meeting on your calendar and respond to the KGA office that you will be attending at (785) 842-4833 or by e-mail at kga@kansasgolf.org.

Sand Creek Station’s Tuohey earns Kemper honor

   Newton’ Sand Creek Station Golf Club is one of the best-run facilities in the Midwest. You need only to look at the honors the club has received lately to recognize that: a No. 1 ranking in customer loyalty from the National Golf Foundation and No. 1 for customer service in Golf World magazine’s Reader’s Choice Awards.
   And now, Kemper Sports Management has also recognized Sand Creek General Manger Chris Tuohey and his staff for their fine work when the company gave Tuohey the James R. Seeley General Manager of the Year Award at its annual awards ceremony last month at Kemper-owned Royal Melbourne Country Club in Chicago.
   “This isn’t a one-man award…I look good because I’ve got a great crew here, I really do, and that shows with our customer service reputation and all the awards we’ve received,” said Tuohey, who has been with Sand Creek four years now after working as director of golf at Bayou Oaks in New Orleans. “I think Sand Creek Station has really become a success story in the region and on a company level. I know the golf course has become a feel-good (story) especially in some tough economic times. One of our vice presidents said we’ve really bucked the trend. We’ve grown in rounds and revenue, and it’s just core values of providing a great experience, consistency with staff levels and good course conditions.”
   Sand Creek Station has become a popular site for KGA Championships including the 2009 Public Links Championship. The course is set to host the KGA Senior Series for an event on

July 13.
   The Seeley award is given annually to one general manager among the 84 properties Kemper manages in the United States and Puerto Rico. According to Tuohey, it recognizes community involvement, leadership and the employee’s ability to work well with others.
   “That’s pretty much the general criteria that you have to meet. It’s one of the highest awards any Kemper employee can receive annually,” says Tuohey, 38. “Really, I was speechless…I was honored. It was the greatest night for me in my career.”
   Tuohey and wife, Helen, have three children: son, Joseph who is 12; and daughters, Kaylan, 7 and Katie, 5. The family lives in Newton.

Former Wildcat Watkins second to veteran Pate at Nationwide event

Former Kansas State golfer Aaron Watkins lost in a playoff earlier this month at the PGA Nationwide Tour - Pacific Rubiales Bogota Open in Bogota, Colombia.
Watkins had rounds of 71-67-67-68 for an 11-under 273. He claimed $64,800 for the runner-up finish and has made $73,773 in the first four events on the Nationwide Tour this Aaron Watkins

year. He was sixth on the on the Nationwide Tour money list after the Bogota event.
   It wasn't the script he would have written, but the result was just as sweet for 48-year-old Steve Pate, who defeated Watkins in the playoff and became the oldest tournament winner in Nationwide Tour history.
   Pate made par on the second playoff hole and earned the victory when Watkins, who had lagged his 96-foot birdie putt to within 3 feet, missed the comeback attempt for par. The win is Pate's first since the 1998 CVS Charity Classic, the last of his six PGA Tour wins.
   "It sure is nice to win anything. I haven't done that in a long time," said Pate of his victory drought that spanned 245 starts (173 PGA Tour, 72 Nationwide Tour) and lasted 11 years, 7 months and 11 days. "Three-footers out here are not tap-ins. I feel bad for Aaron but everybody's missed a bunch of them this week."
   Pate and Watkins finished regulation play at the Bogota Country Club deadlocked at 11-under 273. Watkins posted a 3-under 68 on the final day while Pate, the third-round leader, shot an uneven round of even 71 to force the second playoff of the season.
   Pate began the day with a two-stroke advantage over Tag Ridings but quickly relinquished the lead with consecutive bogeys on the first two holes, his first since Thursday's opening round. A birdie on No. 3 was followed by back-to-back bogeys on Nos. 5 and 6, dropping Pate to 8 under and opening the door for a host of challengers.
   Pate settled down and started making pars by hitting fairways and aiming for the center of the green, a strategy that worked well for the first 54 holes. A driver, 4-iron combination on the 585-yard, par-5 13th hole left him with a 35-footer for eagle, which he canned to get back to within one of Watkins, who was one group in front of him and had birdied the same Aaron Watkins

hole to get to minus-11.
   Watkins missed an 8-foot birdie putt on the par-5 18th and then waited to see if Pate, who had birdied No. 17 to tie, could birdie the final hole for the win.Pate got a read on his 25-foot from playing partner Ridings, but his putt just slid over the edge of the cup.
   "I thought I made that one, I really did," said Pate of his birdie try.
   The two went back to the 585-yard, 18th hole for the playoff. The hole is a slight dogleg right with water in front of the green, forcing the shorter hitters like Watkins and Pate to lay up with their second shots.Pate missed a 10-foot birdie on the first extra hole and Watkins two-putted from 40 feet to send the pair back to the tee.
   Watkins came up well short on his third shot, the ball stopping on the front fringe, nearly 100 feet from the pin. Pate knocked his third 10 feet past the cup but his birdie attempt never had a chance.
   "I hit a good putt on the first hole but misread that one," Pate said. "The second one, well I just hit it fat."
   Pate and an overflow crowd were ready for a third extra hole when Watkins missed his par attempt.
   "I'm not sure what happened on that one," said Watkins. "I don't know if I pushed it or what. I've had a great week here and happy with my finish."

-- some information for this story was provided by PGATOUR.com

Troon Golf to manage Leawood’s Ironhorse

Troon Golf, a leader in upscale golf course management, development and marketing has been selected to manage Leawood’s Ironhorse Golf Club.
Ironhorse Golf Club’s par 72, championship layout was originally designed by Michael Hurdzan. The course gained immediate acclaim after opening in 1995 when Golf Digest ranked the facility the No. 1 “Best Public Golf Course” in the state of Kansas. Additional Golf Digest

accolades quickly followed when the course was named one of the “Best New Courses” in 1996 and the “Best New Affordable Golf Course” in the United States. As the course matured, it continued to receive honors from local and national publications.
"We are extremely pleased to be selected by the city of Leawood to manage Ironhorse Golf Club,” said John Easterbrook, executive vice president of operations, Troon Golf. “We are confident that our expertise in golf course management, agronomy and sales & marketing will play a vital role in the club’s future success.”
Ironhorse Golf Club, which hosts the KGA Senior Series on May 26, recently reopened after a major renovation was completed. Major course improvements include a redesign of green complexes as well as enhancements to the entire drainage system.

Headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., Troon Golf is the world’s largest golf management company, overseeing operations at properties located in 31 states and 26 countries. Additionally, 39 Troon Golf facilities enjoy a Top 100 ranking by national or international publications. Troon Golf properties include Branson Creek Golf Club, Branson, Mo.; Oneida Golf and Country Club, Green Bay, Wis.; Troon North Golf Club, Scottsdale, Ariz.; The Clubs at St. James Plantation, Southport, N.C.; Classic Club, Palm Desert, Calif.; and The Grove, London, England.

Wichita Country Club hosting Women’s Mid-Am

The 24th annual USGA Women's Mid-Amateur Championship will be held at Wichita Country

Club the week of Sept. 25-30. This championship is open to female golfers who are age 25 or older with a Handicap Index of 9.4 or lower. To enter or for more information on USGA championships go to www.usga.org/Championships.aspx?id=7796.
Contact Wichita Country Club for information on volunteering at the 2010 Women’s Mid-Amateur at www.wichitacountryclub.org or (316) 634-2882.