Category: Sports

Munson goes wire-to-wire for third WyCo golf championship

J.R. Munson, right, is presented his third Wyandotte County Open championship trophy by Sunflower Hills master golf professional Jeff Johnson. (Sunflower Hills photo by Chuck Ettinger)
J.R. Munson, right, is presented his third Wyandotte County Open championship trophy by Sunflower Hills master golf professional Jeff Johnson. (Sunflower Hills photo by Chuck Ettinger)

by Alan Hoskins

J.R. Munson’s third Wyandotte County Open championship proved a little easier than the first two.

“It was the first time I could sleep with the lead,” said Munson, who opened up a five-shot lead with a 2-under par 70 after the opening 18 holes en route to a four-shot win in the 38th WyCo Open at Sunflower Hills Sunday.

Comfortably in the lead, the 28-year-old Munson played it close to the vest the rest of the way, finishing with a 2-over par 74 for an even par144 total that was four shots in front of the 2013 champion, Kyle Ritchie. Reece Nigh and Eric Pahls deadlocked for third at 151 with Jerry Reid fifth at 152.

Munson took command on the final nine Saturday with a string of four birdies in five holes. Precision iron play left him birdie putts of six feet or less on Nos. 10, 11 and 12 and he added a 12-footer on No. 14 on the way to the 2-under 70.

“I played very well Saturday,” he said. “It could have been a lot lower but the greens were slow and I couldn’t get a good read on them.”

With the five-shot lead, Munson took no chances of giving it away on Sunday. “I told myself to play it smart. Keep it simple and don’t do anything stupid. Just play for par.”

After a slow Sunday start with bogeys at Nos. 3 and 4, Munson righted himself with a string of four birdies in six holes – No. 6, 7, 9 and 11 – and cruised in despite an ailing back. “My back went out on me on No. 12,” he said. “I’ve been fighting a pinched nerve and bulging disk since February.”

In the end, it was Munson’s crisp iron play that was the difference.

“I hit 14 greens in regulation both days and was able to put the ball in play with good angles,” said Munson, who credited playing Nike’s new RZN black golf ball being a factor. “It was a big difference because the greens were so soft.”

A freshman at Kansas City Kansas Community College when he won his first WyCo title in 2005, he won his second in 2009 after giving professional golf a shot in 2006. A Kansas City, Kan., native, he works in security at Farmers Insurance in Johnson County.

Other flight winners were Brian Perdieu, who also had Kansas City’s longest putt, A; Easton Nigh, B; Bob McNellis, C; Dave Klein, D; and Len Zimmerman, E.

2014 WyCo Open flight winners

CHAMPIONSHIP – 1. J.R. Munson, 144; 2. Kyle Ritchie, 148; 3. (tie) Reece Nigh, Eric Pahls, 151; 5. Jerry Reid, 152′; 6. Brad Ansley, 154; 7. (tie) Tim Skorija, Parker Miller, Stan Wiehe, 156.

A – 1, Brian Perdieu*, 152; 2. Bob Chatterton, 102; 3. Kevin Rome, 109; 4. Tim Nick, 162; 5. (tie) Jake Laing, Keith Capps, 164.

B – 1. Easton Nigh, 155; 2. Mike McNellis*, 157; 3. Todd Milberger, 157; 4. Rick Richardson, 158; 5. (tie) Troy Templeton, Stuart Hunt, 160; 7. Daron Maier, 162.

C – 1. Bob McNellis, 161; 2. Bill Campbell, 162; Dan Maskil, 164; 4. Jeff Hanchar, 167; 5. (tie) Norton Jizbalm, Bill Hashman, 168; 7. Ian Tomasic, 172.

D – 1. Dave Klein, 168; 2. Ron Medley*, 173; 3. (tie) Mike Super, Jay Sutera; 5. Doug Winkelbauer, 175; 6. Kyle Norris, 176; 7. (tie) Tim Hinkle, Chad Cowher, 177.

E – 1. Len Zimmerman, 170; 2. Chris Bean, 180; 3. Bill Pratt, 4. Rob Robson, 186; 5. Greg Schmidt, 191; 6. (tie) Phil Hoffman, Roger Miller, 195.
* – Won scorecard playoff.

Proximity winners

Kansas City’s longest putt – Brian Perdieu.

SATURDAY – Closest to hole: Pat Seber-Bradley, No. 4; Roger Miller, No. 8; Stuart Hunt, No. 13; Kevin Rome, No. 16. Longest putt: Chuck Vallejo, No. 9. Long drive, Troy Templeton, No. 10.

SUNDAY – Closest to hole: Jon Swinney, No. 4; Tristan Abs, No. 8; Danny Maskil, No. 13; Tony Reed, No. 16. Longest putt: Rick Kempf, No. 9; Long drive: Troy Templeton, No. 10.

T-Bones current skid extends to seven

Amarillo, Texas – Amarillo erased an early deficit and cruised to a 9-4 victory Tuesday night en route to handing Kansas City its seventh consecutive loss.

This is Kansas City’s longest losing streak since dropping a club-record eight games during May 27-June 3, 2011.

Things looked good for the T-Bones early in the game Tuesday, when Matt Padgett doubled in T.J. Mittelstaedt off of Amarillo starting pitcher Matt Larkins (6-5), giving Kansas City a 1-0 lead in the first inning.

The T-Bones added another run in the fourth inning when Bryan Sabatella drove in Ray Sadler with two outs. Sabatella ended the night with two hits, giving him five consecutive multi-hit games. He has 12 hits during the past five games.

Amarillo, down 2-0, then scored in the game’s final four innings, with five runs charged to Kansas City starting pitcher Kyle DeVore (3-6) over 5 2/3 innings. The big inning came when the Sox scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth, including a two-run hit from Andres Rodriguez.

The T-Bones struck out 13 times, and walked just three times.

The T-Bones (36-44) look to even the series in Amarillo (29-50) Wednesday night at 7:05.

Box score: http://www.pointstreak.com/baseball/boxscoretext.html?gameid=178128
– Story from T-Bones

Sporting KC names former national player to academy staff

Former U.S. Men’s National Team player Desmond Armstrong has been named Sporting Kansas City’s Academy Affiliate technical director, the organization announced.

“My belief is that MLS youth academies are the future in youth soccer development’s success in America,” Armstrong said. “To be a part of the Sporting Club in this capacity and to continue my work in youth development for players and coaches is exhilarating. Our aim at Sporting is to be the leader in the industry and to work unto excellence.”

“Adding Desmond brings a wealth of experience in regards to his playing ability, both in the World Cup and Olympics,” said Sporting KC Academy Director of Coaching Jon Parry. “Anytime you can add someone with that type of playing experience, it adds value to the organization and the way in which we develop players. This is something he feels he can convey to our affiliates and give them an even greater connection to the Academy.”

Armstrong joins the Sporting Club Network with a wealth of experience at the highest levels. His debut for the U.S. Men’s National team came in 1987 and, a year later, he would travel to Seoul, South Korea, to represent his country in the 1988 Summer Olympics. Armstrong’s strong performances earned him a spot on the 1990 World Cup team, where he played alongside Sporting Kansas City manager Peter Vermes. In 2012, Armstrong was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame along with Sporting Legend and former U.S. Men’s National Team goalkeeper Tony Meola.

As Academy Affiliate technical director, Armstrong will perform a wide array of roles for the eleven Academy Affiliate clubs. In addition to conducting Coaches Education and Chalk Talks, Armstrong will visit each Academy Affiliate to run training sessions and identify potential players for the Sporting Kansas City Academy.

“I will be delivering the coaching philosophy of the first team, which is implemented throughout the Sporting Kansas City youth academy teams, directly to the Academy Affiliate clubs,” Armstrong said. “This will be accomplished through my time on site with the first team, academy teams, and the technical staffs in addition to me traveling to our affiliate clubs.”

Armstrong’s first stop will be a visit to Sporting St. Croix Academy in Minneapolis, Minn., later this month.

“St. Croix is very excited to have Desmond come to Minnesota and give us insight on what Sporting Kansas City does to be so successful,” said Sporting St. Croix Director of Coaching Nathan Klonecki. “We’re getting a soccer person who has been part of the youth game for a long time. He’ll bring great insight into how to improve as a club.”

The Sporting Club Network features 50 affiliates, including 11 Academy Affiliates, with more than 50,000 members in six states across the Midwest.
– Story from Sporting KC