Zach Kirby, Dodge City golf team on hot streak headed to NJCAA tournament in Newton

The first time Dodge City Community College men’s golf coach Chris Robinson met Zach Kirby, he caught an inkling of what the future might hold.

Robinson, the golf pro at Mariah Hills Golf Course in Dodge City since 2009, just didn’t realize it was going to be for the future for both of them.

“I remember playing with (Kirby) when he was just 13 years old, and he was swinging out of his shoes and hitting the ball like 200 yards,” said Robinson, who is in his fourth season as Dodge City’s coach and still the pro at Mariah Hills. “But ever since he was a little kid, he’s chipped and putted really well, and growing up in Dodge City he had to develop his short game with the wind blowing 30 mph some days, and he became great at it. You could tell he had potential to become a player.

“As he’s gotten a little older, stronger and bigger, he’s continued to develop, and watching him have the success he’s had has been something else. I know it’s been his dream to get to the level he’s at now.”

Kirby has developed into one of the best junior-college golfers in the country under Robinson’s tutelage and the seventh-ranked Conquistadors have become one of the nation’s best teams headed into the start of the NJCAA Division I tournament on Tuesday at Sand Creek Station in Newton.

Dodge City has finished no lower than third in its last six tournaments and has been on a tear in its last three – first at the No. 2 Jayhawk Conference tournament, second at the Region VI championship and second at the NJCAA District III tournament on April 28.

And it’s been Kirby leading the way, with back-to-back first-place finishes at Region VI and District III and four tournament wins this season.

Kirby, a second-team All-American as a freshman, has a 72.1 average this season and signed with Kansas in November, picking the Jayhawks over Kansas State, Oral Roberts, UMKC and Cincinnati.

Coming out of Dodge City High, his only offers were from NCAA Division II schools Newman and Washburn.

“I’m a die-hard KU fan my whole life, so it felt good to sign with them, but personally I think I deserved it because I feel like I’ve paid my dues,” Kirby said. “I went to two years of junior college. I stayed patient and kept working. Things don’t come people’s way if you play poorly.

“I took a risk by going to junior college, maybe, but it’s not as big a risk as some people might think because I knew I had some ability and I knew I was going to work hard and keep improving. And there was the comfort level with Chris, having known him for so long.”

That comfort level has translated to a shot at a national title – the Conquistadors tee off in a group with No. 8 Midland (Texas) and No. 9 Pima (Ariz.) on Tuesday.

“We feel capable of winning a national championship,” Robinson said. “And that’s because of how we’ve been playing as a team. And a big part of that is how Zach has been playing.”

The tournament runs through Friday, with 18 holes scheduled per day.

“The thing about Zach is that 100 percent, he deserves everything that’s come to him,” said Dodge City sophomore Ben Maskus, who has signed with Nebraska-Omaha. “He’s by far the hardest worker, the first guy at the golf course and the last one to leave. Being around him makes you more competitive, makes everyone around him a better player.

“Coach said in our last meeting that it’s OK to be nervous or anxious right now, but to think about how far we’ve come, to play for each other.”

This story was originally published May 11, 2015 at 9:47 AM with the headline "Zach Kirby, Dodge City golf team on hot streak headed to NJCAA tournament in Newton."