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The Amateur Players Tour of Kansas City was blessed with fantastic August weather for our Troon Championship at Ironhorse GC.
In Division 1, newcomer Nick May came out of the gates strong, firing off a -4 through 9 holes with Mike Finnegan right on his tail at -3. The back 9 at Ironhorse proved to be a challenge, with each player carding a handful of bogeys. A ill timed triple on 15 for Nick leveled the playing field with Mike now taking the lead. Coming into the last stretch of holes it was a horserace till the end. Mike hung onto the lead, carding a 73 for the win!
Division 2 was stacked the entire day with multiple lead changes. Through 9 holes Jimmy Smelcer, Kevin Stief, John Lusker, Ryan Grun and Cliff Austin were only three strokes apart with Jimmy leading the field at even par. With each player going through a roller coaster of a back 9, Jimmy finished first at the clubhouse carding a 79. The final stretch of holes is not easy, and Kevin Stief fell prey to the difficult 16th hole, carding a double while Ryan made an impressive birdie. Cliff and newcomer Brad McCrary kept their heads down and played consistent golf, tying the lead with a few holes to go. An unfortunate triple on the last hole by Cliff gave Jimmy the win, his first on tour!
Division 3 was a battle till the very end! Through 9 holes we had three players tied at +6, Jim Reeves, Aaron Scholz and Dale Hotop. Ironhorse requires players to place the ball accurately off the tee and the tight back 9 had everyone’s number. With no clear leader it was all about who would finish the strongest. Derek Baron was first to the clubhouse, setting the stage with an 89. After a rough start on the back nine, Dale recovered nicely finishing +2 on the last 5 holes while Aaron struggled through the middle section of holes but carding a birdie on the last hole. Dale’s strong play on the final holes netted him his first win on APT, congrats Dale!
Division 4 looked to be a contest between two players, Bret Bullock and Rob Vincent with each player at +5 and +6 respectively. Bret made the turn and kept his head on his shoulders while Rob struggled, carding a triple on 13. With a handful of holes to go, Bret just needed to maintain his lead. Rob needed a few good holes but was unable to catch Bret. Congratulations Bret on your second win in a row!
Division 5 had a smaller field for this tournament but that didn’t stop some solid competition. Casey Wise came out of the gates with an impressive +7 through 9 holes, leading the field by at least 5 strokes. But the tides changed on the back nine with Ken Mora coming out of nowhere with some strong golf, catching Casey by hole 13. With 4 holes to go either player was in position to take the win. After a rough stretch Casey got his head back on his shoulders finishing strong to take the win, his 2nd this year!
