Max Lazzo hopes to continue match-play hot streak at Kansas Amateur

Max Lazzo wants to win the Kansas Amateur this week, but that is not his primary goal heading into the golf tournament.

Instead, the 23-year old Kapaun Mount Carmel alumnus is aiming for something simpler.

“All I really want to do is qualify for match play,” Lazzo said. “This will be my fifth Kansas Amateur and I have never done that. I am really looking forward to the challenge of getting into the top 64 and making the bracket. Once you do that, with match play, it is anybody’s game. It’s a hump I have to get over, but once I do I think I am a good enough competitor that I can give anyone a good run.”

Lazzo is right to feel confident. He won the Wichita match-play championship two weeks with a dominating effort in which he won all four of his matches without losing a hole.

A former Washburn golfer and current Wichita State student, he thinks his style of play is best suited for match play.

“In match play, it is just you versus vs. the other guy,” Lazzo said. “You can play a little more aggressively. Depending on where he hit his shot or if you are ahead in the match, you can play more conservatively and force him to make a birdie. A big number, like a triple bogey, is only going to cost you one hole.

“Everyone is a little more comfortable. You know you can play aggressive. You hit a bad shot, you hit a bad shot. It only costs you one hole. In stroke play, if you make a triple you might be stressing. Now you know you have to make a couple birdies to make the cut. In match play, if you make a triple, just forget it and go to next hole and try to win it. I like playing that way.”

Another thing about the Kansas Amateur that suits Lazzo: Wichita Country Club.

It serves as Lazzo’s home course, and he has been playing there with his family for years. He has countless experience on the course, and is ready to put that to good use.

“There’s a comfort level that comes with playing it every day,” Lazzo said. “It’s to the point where you don’t really even need to think about it. You know what you are going to hit on a certain tee shot and where you need to hit it into the greens. It’s almost instinct. No hole is going to surprise you when you have played it thousands of times.”

Lazzo’s tournament schedule has been reduced since he transferred from Washburn after three years, but he approaches them with as much, if not more, enthusiasm.

The biggest one on his calendar is the Kansas Amateur. He would love to qualify for match play and then see what happens.

“I am definitely really excited for this one,” Lazzo said. “It is the biggest tournament of the summer for any amateur. The fact that it is at Wichita Country Club is huge. I am just really excited about it.”

This story was originally published July 18, 2015 at 7:17 PM with the headline "Max Lazzo hopes to continue match-play hot streak at Kansas Amateur."