A PR EVI EW OF T HE 2 01 3 KAN SAS C IT Y AM AT EU R

CH AM PION SH IP AT SHO AL CR EEK GO L F C OU R SE

2012 KC Amateur and 2013 KC Match

Play Champion Steve Groom looks to con-

tinue KCGA dominance at Shoal Creek.

Kansas City Amateur

Overflows with Storylines Kansas City, MO - - Every golf tournament is like a theater production. In the case of the Kansas City Amateur it is a melodrama played over three acts. The fifty four hole event will once again be played at Shoal Creek Golf Course in North Kansas City. Here are some of the storylines we are following for 2013. Can Steve Groom continue to dominate? No other player in Kansas City has been as dominate lately as Steve Groom. The reigning Amateur and Match Play champion will try to make it two in a row versus “the kids” as he forgoes the Senior division to take the overall title. Is this the year for a collegiate breakthrough? Kansas City is known for having some of the best mid-amateur players in the United States and the mid-ams have had the best of the collegiate players at the Kansas City ama-teur in recent years. A collegiate player has not claimed the trophy since 2008 when Kansas State’s Kyle Yonke claimed the title at Blue Hills Country Club. There will be plenty of collegiate players gunning for the prize including representa-

tives from KU, Missouri, KSU, Iowa, SMU and UMKC to name a few. Who will take the Senior Division? Over the past four years, the Senior Division has not had a back to back champion. However with many recent champi-ons in the field (Andy Smith 2010 and Tom Leonard 2012) this might be the year for a senior to establish his dominance. Can Don Kuehn climb the national Super Senior ladder? In his younger years, Don Kuehn racked up nearly every title in the Kansas City area, but he now has his sites set on be-coming the best super senior in the country. The diminutive Kuehn is one of the most consistent ball strikers of any age in Kansas City and will be one of the favorites to repeat as Legends division champion come Sunday afternoon.

2013 Preview

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Holes 17 & 18 at Shoal Creek “The Kansas City Amateur doesn’t start until the last two holes on Sun-day.”

Above: A look from the tee of the 17th hole at Shoal Creek Golf Course.

The old adage “don’t count your chickens until they hatch,” certainly applies to Shoal Creek. Since it opened in 2001, the golf course has been known for its difficult finishing stretch. “No lead is safe as players approach the 17th tee,” explains Matt Williams, KCGA Execu-tive Director. “There may not be two more demanding tee balls in Kansas City than that of 17 and 18 at Shoal Creek. You can see the anxiety in the players eyes as they loft the ball towards the 17th and you usually see one or two reactions. Either the player im-mediately turns in disgust, or they squint to follow it until it stops.” It is easy to see why. At over 195 yards, the green is guard-ed by a water hazard in front and spectator mounds covered in native grass just left of the green. “In last year’s championship we played the forward tee two of the three days, but when we moved the tee to the back tee, the seven-teenth became the second most difficult hole on the golf course,” continued Williams. “It

will be interesting to see what weather con-ditions we get for the players and that will determine how often we use that back tee this year.” Even if players make it through the difficult eighteenth they are still faced with last year’s most difficult hole the par four eight-eenth. The 464 yard behemoth generally plays into the predominant southerly wind. Players must negotiate Shoal Creek on the right and two fairway bunkers off the tee. From there they are faced with a lengthy approach into an elevated green. “Last year we saw a lot of action in the fair-way bunkers on 18,” said Williams. “The 18th is one of the most sheltered areas on the golf course with trees on both sides of the hole isolating players from the rest of the golf course. Often times we will see balls reach their apex only to be tossed around by wind that no one even knew was up there.” “ Needless to say, no one will be headed home early from the KC Am until the last putt is holed.

BY THE NUMBERS

2012 Kansas City Amateur

Hole Par Yards 2013 Rank

1 4 426 4

2 4 427 15

3 3 195 3

4 4 418 6

5 3 179 12

6 4 364 16

7 5 579 14

8 4 447 5

9 5 536 18

10 4 388 11

11 3 214 8

12 4 360 10

13 5 527 17

14 4 420 2

15 4 434 7

16 4 352 13

17 3 198 9

18 4 464 1

TTL 71 6928

Ranking determined by

average strokes over par.

WATSON CHALLENGE IMPLICATIONS As the flagship event on the KCGA schedule, a Watson Challenge invitation is the aspiration of most players in the Kansas City area. The champion and runner-up in the Open division of the Kansas City Amateur as well as the cham-pion of the Senior division will receive exemptions in to the 2014 Watson Challenge at Loch Lloyd Country Club.