Kansas City Masters: Albers, Lotecki prevail
OLATHE, Kan. (Oct. 23, 2013) -- The 2013 golf season is nearing its close and the Kansas City Masters proved to be a fitting end for the men’s competition schedule. The exclusive thirty-three player field took on one of the finest clubs in the area at Wolf Creek. Early benign conditions blew away as a cold front moved through the area switching the wind from its normal southern breeze to a difficult northwest gale.
After the weather shift, the leaderboard was shaken quite a bit. Overnight leader Don Walsworth found trouble on the par 4 eighth hole and fell to two over par for the day and one over for the championship at the turn. Doug Albers countered with a steady front nine that included one birdie and one bogey to complete an even par outward half.
In an earlier group, 2011 KCGA Player of the Year, Jon Troutman, vaulted up the leaderboard after posting a front nine 34 and followed it up with a back nine 36 to finish at two under for the day and two over for the championship. Troutman’s two under 70 was the best round of the championship.
Coming up the final hole, Albers asked tournament officials how he stood and knew he needed a five to clear Troutman by a shot. Normally that is not much to ask, but the eighteenth at Wolf Creek was recently voted the hardest hole in Kansas City and played .9 strokes over par on the day. After hitting his approach hole high left, Albers could only chop his chip to the front of the green over forty feet from the hole. His first putt ended up some nine feet short, but he found the bottom of the hole with his putt (see home page photo) to secure the win.
In the senior division, it was a battle between the three players in the final group. After nine holes, round one leader and reigning KC Senior Amateur Championhip Tom Leonard led Greg Loteckie by one and playing partner Kevin Handlan by four with nine holes to play. It was Loteckie’s consistent play that proved to be the difference maker. Loteckie carded ten straight pars between eight and seventeen before a bogey on the difficult eighteenth. His bookend 73s were good enough to hold off Leonard who finished one stroke off the pace at 147.
When asked about his win, Loteckie responded by saying, “this is my first win ever! I have never won a junior event, a Stateline event, nothing.” His performance will go down as one of the best two round totals of the 2013 season.
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ABOUT THE
Kansas City Masters
36 Holes Stroke Play. Invitations based
upon the Kansas City Amateur Player
Rankings. The top 32 players plus the club
champion of the host venue receive
invitations.
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