Short Shots

Kansas Golf Hall of Fame to induct two Kansans in Class of 2010
The Kansas Golf Foundation has selected two Kansans for induction into the Kansas Golf Hall of Fame, Class of 2010. Bill Knox of Salina and Topeka’s Ron Whitten will join 34 men and

women previously honored for their accomplishments and contributions to the game of golf.
   For more than 30 years, Knox has been involved in golf in Kansas as a tireless volunteer for organizations in the state. He is a past president of the Kansas Golf Association and remains an emeritus director, and is a past president of the Kansas Golf Foundation, currently serving as an advisory director to the Foundation.
   Knox spearheaded an effort to provide accessible, affordable golf facilities for young people in Saline County, leading to the establishment of The First Tee of Salina. He served as its president for five years and continues to serve on the board of directors.
   “None of this would have happened without Bill,” says Steve Hardesty, Salina Municipal Golf Course head golf professional and director of The First Tee of Salina. “He was the one person in Salina who could make the dream a reality”.
   Knox was also instrumental in establishing the Saline County Golf Association, the governing body for all men’s city tournaments. An authority on the Rules of Golf, Knox has served as a Rules official at all levels. He officiates at Kansas Golf Association events, Big XII Championships and at all levels of competition for the United States Golf Association, including the U.S. Open.
   “I have consulted Bill on many occasions when making a difficult ruling,” says Randy Syring, head golf professional at Salina Country Club.
   Knox will enter the Hall of Fame in the category of Contributor to the Game.
   Whitten also enters the Hall of Fame as a Contributor to the Game. He has devoted his professional career to studying, critiquing and writing about golf course architecture. A journalism major who worked on a golf course maintenance crew in college, Whitten dreamed of becoming a golf course architect, but decided to attend law school instead.
   His intense interest in golf course design remained. After a stint as a city prosecutor in Topeka and as a writer for the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, in 1984 Whitten went to work for Golf Digest. Whitten has written more than 800 articles about golf course architecture and is co-author of the first (and still only) history of golf course design, The Golf Course.
   At Golf Digest, Whitten helped shape the concept of national golf course rankings. He was responsible for the present scoring system used by the magazine for rating golf courses and for coordinating the panelist evaluations. Whitten has handled all of Golf Digest’s features relating to architecture, including the biennial survey of “America’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses,” the annual “Best New Courses” survey, previews of major championships, plus Golf World’s annual “Architect of the Year” feature.
   In 1996, Whitten was honored with the prestigious Donald Ross Award from the American Society of Golf Course Architects, given in recognition of his contributions to the public understanding of golf course design. Winners of the award include Pete Dye and Gene Sarazen.
   Whitten has also been involved in designing golf courses, notably Erin Hills in Hartford, Wisc., which he co-designed with Michael Hurdzan and Dana Fry. Erin Hills was voted “Best New Course” in 2007 by Golf Magazine and has been selected by the USGA to host the 2011 U.S. Amateur Championship.

Kansas Junior Golf Scholarships awarded for 2010
   The Kansas Golf Foundation has awarded Kansas Junior Golf Scholarships to five high school seniors for the 2010-2011 academic year. This year’s class joins 14 Junior Golf Scholars from

past years whose grants are being renewed.
   The 2010 Kansas Junior Golf Scholars (hometown in parentheses) and the colleges they will be attending next year are: Kenzi Knobbe (Sharon Springs) – Kansas State University; Melissa Kupfersmith (Valley Center) – Kansas State University; Leslie Queen (Lawrence) – University of Kansas; Aspen Ulrich (Sylvan Grove) – McPherson College; and Adam Zuzelski (Syracuse) – Dodge City Community College.
   Any Kansas high school student who has participated in organized junior golf may apply for the KJGS, although golf skill is not considered in making the selections. The scholarship is awarded based on academic performance, community service and leadership, financial need, and the student’s essay about how he or she has benefited from the game of golf. Scholars must attend a Kansas college or university. Since its inception in 2005, the Kansas Golf Foundation has awarded scholarships to 30 junior golfers.
   “The Kansas Junior Golf Scholarship is unique because it is an academic scholarship awarded exclusively to young men and women who have played junior golf in Kansas, and who are going to college here,” says Phil Miller, executive director of the Kansas Golf Foundation. “Other programs are set up to encourage kids to play junior golf. We take those junior golfers and help them go to college in Kansas.”
   The Kansas Golf Foundation, formed in 1991, has as its mission to “Promote the Future and Preserve the History of Golf in Kansas.” The Foundation awards need-based college scholarships for junior golfers and operates the Kansas Golf Hall of Fame. More information about the Foundation is available at www.kansasgolf.org/foundation.

KGA golfer plays in NCAA Div. II regionals
   Former KJGA and current KGA participant Clarke Fry played at the NCAA Div. II regional in Duncan, Okla., as an individual representative of Kansas City’s Rockhurst University. Fry shot a

seven-over-par 79 in the final round at the NCAA Division II Midwest/South Central Regional. He finished in a tie for 54th with a three-round total of 17-over-par-233 at The Territory Golf Club. Manhattan’s Fry finished with six birdies, 28 pars, 17 bogeys and three double bogeys.
   The sophomore had been named April Golfer of the Month in Great Lakes Valley Conference. He ranked third in the conference with a 72.8 stroke average per round and finished fourth at the GLVC Tournament with a three-over-par 216 in Columbus, Ind.
   Fry finished tied for 45th with a three-round total of 10-over-par 223 at the NCAA Midwest/South Central Regional in Allendale, Mich., last year.

KGA golfers play U.S. Open qualifiers
   Several golfers with KGA ties participated in U.S. Open local qualifying last month. Drew Lethem, 2006 Kansas Amateur champion, tied for the top spot in the local qualifier at Overland Park’s Nicklaus Club at LionsGate on May 18. Lethem shot 69 to tie University of Missouri-Kansas City golfer Alex Hogben and Rhein Gibson, a professional out of Edmond, Okla.

Fairway’s Tyler Shelton, 2005 Kansas Amateur runner-up, took one of the five available spots with his 70, joining Lincoln, Neb.’s A. J. Elgert.
   At the Wichita Country Club qualifier on May 12, Nationwide Tour player Andrew Dahl was the winner with a 69. The other two qualifiers from the event with 70's were 2008 Kansas Amateur champion Cameron Bishop of Tulsa, Okla., and former High Plains Amateur champion and 2002 Kansas Amateur runner-up Jonathan May of Wichita. Also shooting 70 was Dustin Garza, Wichita State’s Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year.
   U.S. Open sectional qualifying is scheduled at 13 sites across the country on June 7. The 2010 Championship is to be contested June 17-20 at Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, Calif.

Kansas Amateur, Boys Junior Amateur entry deadlines this week
   The 100th Kansas Amateur will be held at historic Prairie Dunes Country Club in Hutchinson

on July 19-25. Non-exempt players must qualify through one of the five regional qualifiers held across the state in the month of June. Those sites are: Salina Country Club-June 11, Sand Creek Station Golf Course-June 21, Golf Club at Southwind-June 23, Sycamore Ridge Golf Course-June 24, Eagle Bend Golf Course-June 30. Players that do not qualify on the first attempt or miss the initial entry deadline can attempt to qualify again at the second chance qualifier on July 7th at Alvamar Golf Course.
The 51st Kansas Boys Junior Amateur Championship will be held at Crestwood Country Club in Pittsburg on June 14-17. The championship is open to Kansas boys age 18 and under or recently graduated from high school. The format is 54-holes stroke play. June 14th is a complimentary practice round.
The deadline for entry for both of these championships is Friday, June 4th at 4:00 p.m. To enter online, go to the KGA website, www.kansasgolf.org and follow the online entry links.