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The Wichita Amateur Players Tour headed south to Quail Ridge Golf Course on Saturday, October 24, 2026 in Winfield, Kansas for The Quail Ridge Open, one of the most competitive Wichita amateur golf tournaments of the fall. A field of 40 players competed across five divisions, with two net games running alongside, and the day produced dramatic finishes at both ends of the leaderboard — two of the chapter’s divisions needed extra holes to settle.
Designed by Jerry Slack and opened in 1992, Quail Ridge is a municipal course owned by the City of Winfield and frequently ranks among the top public courses in Kansas, well regarded for its manicured Zoysia fairways, smooth bentgrass greens and scenic layout tracking through the Walnut Valley. It was in great condition and ready to give the Wichita APT a challenging day: the fairways felt like carpet and the greens had good speed with a lot of tricky breaks in them. The par-4 15th was the stingiest hole on the property, surrendering no birdies all day and playing nearly a shot and a third over par.
It was a beautiful day in Winfield, and the weather could not have been better for late October — a high of 80 degrees with winds up to 14 mph, enough breeze to keep the exposed holes honest without ever taking the clubs out of players’ hands. A great day for fall golf.
Division 1 came down to the wire between Kipp Jones of Rose Hill, Kansas and Zach Eck of Wichita, a matchup with a great friendly rivalry to it, and the two could not be separated at even-par 72. Eck had the better of it early, two clear after six holes and still a shot ahead through twelve after turning in 2-under 34 with birdies at the 2nd and the par-5 9th. Jones answered with the round of the day’s final stretch, playing his last seven holes in 4-under — the charge sparked when he holed out from about 150 yards for an eagle at the tough par-4 11th, the middle leg of a three-hole run of 10-11-12 that went birdie-eagle-birdie. He came home in 4-under 32, played the last six in even par, and then won it on the first playoff hole. Matt Thorman, visiting from the Kansas City chapter, finished 3rd.
Division 2 also went to extra holes, and Keith Tilghman won it with a birdie. The OKC chapter owner raced out in 2-under 34 with birdies at the 1st, the par-3 5th and the par-5 9th, and although he came home in 9-over 45, his 7-over 79 was matched by Paul Stanton of the Kansas City chapter, who was five back at the turn and had trimmed it to one with three to play after a birdie at the par-3 16th. Tilghman took the playoff for the win. Dylan Eck of Goddard and Gavin Wisecarver of Winfield shared 3rd at 9-over 81, Eck with an eagle at the par-5 9th and Wisecarver with four birdies and a 2-over 38 coming home. Four players finished within two of the lead.
Division 3 belonged to Tracy Hanback of Abilene, who was tied with Aaron Scholz and Michael Foster after six holes before pulling clear for a three-shot win at 9-over 81. Braydon Lund of Wichita took 2nd at 12-over 84, birdieing the par-5 10th on his way to a 5-over 41 inward nine. Scholz, of the Kansas City chapter, and Foster, in from Tulsa, tied for 3rd at 13-over 85 to round out the money positions.
Gary Schuessler of Wichita controlled Division 4 from the front, never trailing and stretching the lead to five strokes by the 12th on the way to an 11-over 83 with ten pars on the card. John Ney of Great Bend took 2nd at 16-over 88, and Rod Hartshorn of Wichita was 3rd at 18-over 90 with birdies at the 8th and 17th.
Division 5 turned on the middle holes. Robert Tyndall of Oklahoma City trailed by two after six, led by three through twelve and held on for a two-shot win at 23-over 95. Max Flowers of Mustang, Oklahoma, Michael Sproul Jr of Wichita and Tanner Hurt of Wichita all signed for 25-over 97 to share 2nd, with four players finishing within two shots of one another.
Lund doubled up in the Mid-Am Net, posting net even-par 72 to win by two. Aaron Scholz was runner-up at net 2-over 74 after leading by three through six, and Kelly Sellers of Solomon took 3rd at net 4-over 76. The par-5 9th was the friendliest hole on the card all day, giving up two eagles and eight birdies — Sellers and Dylan Eck made the threes.
Schuessler made it two trophies on the day in the Senior Net, where his net 4-under 68 was the low net number of the event and good for a two-stroke win. Hanback added a second podium of his own at net 2-under 70, while Tilghman and Stanton tied for 3rd at net even-par 72.
The Closest-to-the-Pin winners each took home a $50 Quail Ridge pro shop credit and a box of name-brand golf balls of their choice. Tilghman stuck the par-3 5th to 6’11”, Tristen Dagenais put his tee shot 9’5″ from the hole on the course’s hardest handicap and $2,500 Hole-in-One Club hole, and Brandon Hale of the Kansas City chapter hit it to 35’6″ on the par-3 13th — a hole that gave up no birdies all day. The tightest shot of the day belonged to Stanton, who went pin seeking and stuck it to 1’5″.
Next up in the Wichita chapter — The Gobbler at Turkey Creek on Saturday, November 7th. Space is limited and registration closes November 4th. The Salt City Open follows on Saturday, November 14th, with registration closing November 11th. Thank you to the entire Quail Ridge Golf Course team for the hospitality and the course setup.
By the Players, For the Players.
