Early golfers go low in first round of the Kansas Amateur
Rarely is the par 71 course at Wichita Country Club as vulnerable as it was Tuesday for the morning wave of golfers in the 105th Kansas Amateur.
The newly-converted Bermuda grass in the rough makes the punishment light for missing the fairway. And the greens, at least early in the week, are receptive. Throw in overcast temperatures and a light breeze and Tuesday morning was the perfect time to score.
“The key is being accurate with your wedges and making putts,” Wichita native and Southeast graduate Jack Courington said after carding a 1-under 70. “You’re going to have a wedge or a short iron in your hand at least half of the holes, so being accurate with your wedge is going to be crucial so you can roll in some putts.”
Courington was one of 17 to shoot below par on Tuesday, as all but two of those golfers teed off in the morning. Rain and lightning interrupted the afternoon session, causing a two-hour delay that kept 15 from finishing their opening rounds.
Players will compete in 36 holes of stroke play, finishing Wednesday, with the top 64 scores advancing to match play to finish out the week. While seeding matters somewhat, many in the field will accept whatever score advances them.
For Courington, that meant being content with a round where he felt he left too many strokes on the course. He was 1-over through his first 10 holes, but then holed out a tricky, downhill chip from just off the green on No. 2 (his 11th hole) to spark a string of four birdies to close out his round.
“It was a pretty ho-hum round, but ultimately what you really want to do is get to match play,” Courington said. “I figured the birdies would come eventually, so I wasn’t too beat-up after the turn. I just stayed patient.”
At the top of the leaderboard is Sam Stevens, who buried his history of beginning slow in this tournament by firing a bogey-free 6-under 65 to best the field by two strokes.
He doesn’t believe it was a coincidence that it came at Wichita Country Club, the course the Kapaun Mount Carmel graduate grew up playing every day in the summer. Although he is no longer a member since moving to Stillwater to play for Oklahoma State, Steven felt at home on Tuesday.
“I’ve played more rounds here than anywhere else, so I definitely felt pretty comfortable out there,” Stevens said. “You don’t even feel like you’re in a tournament, really, it’s like you’re just playing another round on your home course.”
But playing on your home course also brings with it a different kind of pressure for Wichita-bred golfers. Max Lazzo, another Kapaun graduate, said he felt that before he teed off Tuesday morning.
Instead of succumbing to it, Lazzo used it as a positive. He opened his round with three straight birdies and then after a dip in play, rallied with three more birdies to close out a 4-under 67. He is one of six golfers that are two shots behind Stevens.
“There is a bit of pressure playing on your home course because you feel like you have to play good,” Lazzo said. “But you have to use those nerves to your advantage and focus a little bit harder and grind a little bit harder on each and every shot.”
105th Kansas Amateur Championship
at Wichita Country Club, par 71
Sam Stevens, Wichita, 65.
Travis Mays, Overland Park, 67; Chase Hanna, Leawood, 67; Grant Vollertsen, Garden City, 67; Matt Green, Lenexa, 67; Craig Howell, Bel Aire, 67; Max Lazzo, Wichita, 67.
Jeff Bell, Wichita, 69; Preston Fleenor, Mission Hills, 69; Henry Simpson, Mission Hills, 69; Alex Springer, Olathe, 69; Conrad Roberts, Lawrence, 69.
Jack Courington, Wichita, 70; Charlie Rinehart, Kansas City, 70; Ronnie McHenry, Topeka, 70; Derek Harrison, Wellington, 70; Blake Allen, Lenexa, 70.
Steve Groom, Raytown, Mo., 71; Alex Higgs, Overland Park, 71; Andrew King, Junction City, 71; Chase Lucas, Mission Hills, 71; Kade Brown, Oberlin, 71; Jack Rickabaugh, Garnett, 71; Caleb Haight, Wichita, 71; Cameron Wiltse, Overland Park, 71; Ryan Argotsinger, Lee’s Summit, Mo., 71; Andrew Beckler, Topeka, 71; Bryan Norton, Mission Hills, 71; Pete Krsnich, Wichita, 71; Turner Wintz, Hutchinson, 71; Trevor Tannahill, Overland Park, 71.
Jonathan May, Wichita, 72; Taylor Larsen, Garden City, 72; Gage Ihrig, Goodland, 72; Trent Evans, Edmond, Okla., 72; Andy Spencer, Prairie Village, 72; Sean Robertson, Salina, 72; Seth Bryan, Winfield, 72; Ben Maskus, Shawnee, 72; Grant Grego, Lee’s Summit, Mo., 72.
Andrew Manley, Salina, 73; Don Kuehn, Kansas City, 73; Colby Yates, Tonganoxie, 73; Andrew Fain, Overland Park, 73; Tyler Cummins, Lawrence, 73; Spencer Christian, Wichita, 73; Cole Dillon, Manhattan, 73; Zac Burton, Manhattan, 73.
Griffin Mott, Stilwell, 74; Eric Pahls, Kansas City, 74; Bradley Lane, Lawrence, 74; Sean Thayer, Garden City, 74; Tracy Chamberlin, Wichita, 74; Sam Wempe, Meriden, 74; Kit Grove, Lawrence, 74; Robby Hughey, Overland Park, 74; Shayne Allan, Johannesburg, South Africa, 74; Sion Audrain, Garden City, 74; Tyler Chapman, Wichita, 74; Zach Sokolosky, Wichita, 74; Trevor Torgerson, Buhler, 74; Tyler Chapman, Wichita, 74; Mark Jolliffe, Wichita, 74.
Tavin Dugan, Holton, 75; TJ Vilkanskas, Manhattan, 75; Brian Peck, Wellington, 75; Matthew Wells, Wichita, 75; Shawn Audrain, Garden City, 75; Whit Kilgroe, Eastborough, 75; Ben Fernandez, Southlake, Texas, 75; Worth Blackman, Mission Hills, 75; Benjamin Fair, Manhattan, 75; Luke Gannon, Bel Aire, 75; Max Stucky-Halley, Topeka, 75; Grady Millikan, Wichita, 75.
Daniel Gaspar, Garden City, 76; Justin Churchill, Olathe, 76; Jared Burns, Wichita, 76; Alec Heinen, Edmond, Okla., 76; Connor Knabe, Leawood, 76; Corey Novascone, Wichita, 76; Keith King, Ottawa, 76; Skyler Tebo, Ellis, 76; Treg Fawl, McPherson, 76; Matt Percy, Iola, 76; Nick Long, Pittsburg, 76; Drew Sandburg, Tonganoxie, 76; Christian Ghilardi, Lenexa, 76; Chris McGown, Burlington, 76; Ben Hadden, Shawnee, 76.
Kelly Brown, Oberlin, 77; Jordan Roberts, Manhattan, 77; Gary Lucas, Topeka, 77; Jordan Hecker, Russell, 77; William Honnold, Mission Hills, 77; Cory Jensen, Hanover, 77; Kaden Macha, Iola, 77; Peyton Austin, Derby, 77; Ian Trebilcock, Wichita, 77; Matthew Quandt, Shawnee, 77; Brent Mertz, Overland Park, 77; Zachary Spencer, Olathe, 77; Ryan Kellenbarger, Wichita, 77.
Carlos Prieto, Garden City, 78; Juan Ollarzabal, Garden City, 78; Austin Shanks, Wichita, 78; John Bailey, Nashville, Tenn., 78; Montana Fasching, Kansas City, 78; Joe Gorenc, Pittsburg, 78; Collin Herron, Lawrence, 78; Brett Miller, Butler, Mo., 78.
Richard Hairgrove, Lenexa, 79; Kaelan Hackenburg, Wichita, 79; Dominic Lara, El Dorado, 79; Landon Fox, Winfield, 79; Garret Allen, Lenexa, 79; John Alefs, Wichita, 79; Trevor Bauer, Wichita, 79; Tanner Roney, Salina, 79; Narito Mendez, Lawrence, 79.
Ed Walsworth, Fairway, 80; Jace Larson, Dodge City, 80; Derek Lehman, Hutchinson, 80; Trevor Johanson, Maize, 80.
Michael Kerns, Wichita, 81; Colton Massey, Larned, 81; Bob Bezek, Ottawa, 81; Mike Caster, Wichita, 81; Hunter Dedloff, Lawrence, 81; Randy Vautravers, Andover, 81; Darren Copp, Wichita, 81; Doug Kaup, Phillipsburg, 82; Pierce Moling, Kearney, Mo., 82; Pierce Moling, Kearney, Mo., 82; Justice Valdivia, Topeka, 82; Logan Durst, Garden City, 82; Lukas McCalla, Topeka, 83; Dan Simons Jr., Lawrence, 84; Cooper Steiner, Wichita, 84; Parker Austin, Derby, 85; Austin Krewson, Welch, Okla., 87.
Unable to finish round
Carter Towey, Wichita; Brent Millikan, Overland Park; Christian Bickley, Overland Park; Adam Bahner, Edmond, Okla.; Tristan Abts, Eudora; Hunter Earnhart, Ottawa; Lane Pauls, Newton; Chris Paperi, Overland Park; Adam McNeil, Wichita; Benjamin Hargrave, Salina; Eric Larson, Leawood; Chase Coble, Emporia; Ritch Nigh, Kansas City; Jeff Schauner, Wichita; Trent Brown, Andover.
This story was originally published July 21, 2015 at 10:58 PM with the headline "Early golfers go low in first round of the Kansas Amateur."