KY FRANKFORT CC

The Kentucky Amateur Players Tour returned to Frankfort Country Club on Sunday, November 8, 2026, in Frankfort, Kentucky, for its annual fall stop and one of the season’s premier Kentucky amateur golf tournaments. A field of 56 players competed across five divisions, with the Mid-Am Net and Senior Net games running alongside them. Players are flighted into divisions based on their APT Tournament Index. By the end of the day Andrew Buse had broken par, Ben Minnich had won twice, and Jason Earnest had needed extra holes to settle Division Four.

Frankfort Country Club played to a par of 72, and its signature hole — the par-3 10th — was the one piece of ground that consistently gave something back, surrendering five birdies and 25 pars across the field and playing just over half a shot above par. The par-4 16th was the opposite story, yielding only three birdies all day and playing better than a stroke and a quarter over par.

In Division 1, Andrew Buse of Louisville shook off an opening bogey and went to work on the front nine, picking up birdies at the par-5 3rd, the par-4 7th and the par-3 8th to turn in 2-under 34. From there he simply refused to give anything back, parring all nine holes on the inward half for an even-par 36 and a 2-under 70 — the low round of the day — to win by two. RJ Foltz of Brentwood, Tennessee, chased him down the stretch, adding a birdie at the par-4 11th before closing with birdies at the par-3 17th and the par-5 18th for an inward 2-under 34 and runner-up honors at even-par 72. Josh Earnest of Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, was level with Buse through six holes after an even-par 36 on the front, and finished third with a 4-over 76.

Division 2 belonged to Tony Murr of Louisville, who built his win entirely on the back nine. Out in 39, Murr birdied the par-3 10th and then ran off eight straight pars for a 1-under 35 coming home, a 2-over 74 and a two-shot victory. Frankfort’s Matt Walters was level with Murr through six and one back through twelve, birdieing the par-5 3rd on his way to a second-place 4-over 76. Louisville’s Gus Probus and Matthew Giudice tied for third at 7-over 79, Probus making three birdies in his round, including one at the brutal 16th.

Division 3 produced the tightest finish of the day. Ben Minnich of Greenwood, Indiana, in from the Indianapolis chapter, birdied the par-5 3rd and the par-4 7th on his way to a 1-over 37 at the turn and held on for a 7-over 79, edging the field by a single stroke. Frankfort’s Paul Wingate matched him through six holes and made two front-nine birdies of his own, at the par-3 2nd and the par-4 9th, before taking second with an 8-over 80. Donald Dawson of Reynoldsburg, Ohio, turned the day around after the turn, closing with six straight pars and an inward 2-over 38 to finish third at 9-over 81. Seven players finished within seven shots of Minnich.

Division 4 needed 18 holes and then some. Jason Earnest of Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, birdied the par-4 16th — the hardest hole on the property — on his way to a 13-over 85, matching Lane Price of Watertown, Tennessee, and forcing a playoff. Earnest won it to claim the title. Bob Lawless of Pickerington, Ohio, took third with a 16-over 88, and four more players signed for 91 in a congested middle of the division.

Abigail Brooks of Lexington, Kentucky, won Division 5 the hard way. Three shots back at the turn after a 12-over 48, Brooks came home in 9-over 45, steadying herself with consecutive pars at the par-4 14th and the par-5 15th, and finished with a 21-over 93 to win by five. Devan Simpson of Clarksville, Indiana, took second with a 26-over 98, and Donald Varble of Salvisa, Kentucky, was third at 29-over 101. Lisa Moore of Huntington, West Virginia, also played the division, signing for a 100.

Minnich was not finished after Division 3. He added the Mid Am Net title to his gross win, posting a net 4-under 68 and taking the net game by five strokes to complete the double-dip — the only player on the day to win both of his contests. Jeff Clover of La Grange, Kentucky, was second at net 1-over 73, and Dan Maloney of Cincinnati, Ohio, and Rebecca Skiljan of Lexington, Kentucky, tied for third at net 5-over 77.

The Senior Net game went to the hometown player. Matt Walters of Frankfort followed his Division 2 runner-up finish with a net 2-under 70 to take the title by one, giving him a second trip to the winners circle in the same afternoon. Lane Price of Watertown, Tennessee, and Paul Wingate of Frankfort shared second at net 1-under 71, Wingate backing up his Division 3 runner-up finish with a second placing of his own. Four players finished within two shots of Walters, making it the closest contest on the board.

The day also drew players from well beyond the Bluegrass region. Minnich made the trip from the Indianapolis chapter, Dawson and Lawless from Columbus, Jim Seibert from St. Louis, Maloney from Cincinnati/Dayton and Price from Nashville, all of them in the mix in their divisions.

Next up in the Kentucky chapter — the KY/CINCY/COL Four Bridges Fall Final, an Elevated Event at Four Bridges Country Club on Sunday, November 22nd. Space is limited and registration closes November 19th.