by Alan Hoskins
There have been many wild finishes in the 42 years of the Wyandotte County Open golf tournament but nothing quite like what happened Sunday at Sunflower Hills.
Two-time defending champion Parker Miller looked like a runaway winner most of the day only to give up the lead to 2015 champion Stan Wiehe on the 18th hole.
But just as Wiehe started accepting congratulations, Kevin Rome charged out of the A flight with the tournament’s best round, a one-under par 71 and the 2018 championship.
“I played so bad Saturday that all I wanted to do was come out today and have fun because I knew I was playing in a good group,” said Rome, who opened with an 82 Saturday and trailed first round leader Antonio Carrillo by eight shots. Wiehe finished second at 77-77-154 followed by Parker (75-40-145) and Carrillo (74-82-146).
The picture of consistency, Rome had a bogey-free round, finishing with 17 pars and a birdie from about a foot on No. 17 that ultimately won the tournament.
“I just got up and down a lot and made all the 5-6-footers I needed to make,” said Rome, 48. “The greens confused me on Saturday so I just concentrated on making par today.”
A Piper and Kansas City Kansas Community College graduate who now works for the Board of Public Utilities, Rome has finished runnerup in the A flight on four occasions but has never won it.
“And he still hasn’t,” noted playing partner and A flight winner Tim Skorija. Rome did have the tourney’s long drive on No. 10 on Saturday.
While consistency was Rome’s strength, it was anything but for a handful of contenders. Parker Miller had a five-shot lead with seven holes to go when the bottom fell out in his bid for a third straight title – four bogeys, a double bogey and triple bogey in the final seven holes.
“I didn’t make any putts,” said Miller, a Piper grad who just a week ago had won the Dub’s Dread club championship. He 3-putted Nos. 13 and 14 and 4-putted No. 15 from above the hole but still had the lead until a disastrous triple bogey on No. 18 when a wayward tee shot hit a tree and bounced near the 10th fairway.
“I hit a tree, whiffed a shot, punched out into the rough, hit it on the green and missed the putt,” he said.
Wiehe was just three shots off the lead until he flew a 7-iron 20 feet in the rough above the hole on the treacherous 187-yard par 3 13th. Unable to stop the ball close, he had to take a triple bogey.
Ironically, “The 7-iron was the most solid shot I hit all day,” said Wiehe, who birdied the par 17th with a 18-foot putt that got him back into contention. “Some real good shots, some real bad shots,” said Wiehe, the father of a new 11-week-old daughter, Ava Nichole.
Playing in his first Wyandotte County Open, Antonio Carrillo had three birdies on the way to a 74 and one-shot lead Saturday but fell out of contention with a six-over 42 on the front nine Sunday.
“The ninth hole was my nemesis; I hit my tee shot out of bounds and 3-putted for a triple bogey,” said Carillo, 24. A Park Hill grad and a regular at Tiffany Greens, he’s employed at the Argosy Casino.
Playing in a group in front of the leaders, Brian Shatto was just a shot back of Parker when his second shot on No. 18 left him in an impossible stance in a greenside bunker.
With both feet out of the bunker but the ball well below his feet, he couldn’t get the ball out of the bunker on one shot, then flew his fourth shot to the edge of the green some 50 feet away.
“Three over par and triple bogey the last hole,” said Shatto, who finished four shots back of Rome.
In addition to Skorija, other flight winners were Rick Richardson, Russ Nigh, Justin Sheppler and David Klein.
Seber-Bradley wins record 10th WyCo women’s golf title
Pat Seber-Bradley wrote another chapter into her record-setting reign as Wyandotte County Open women’s golf champion at Sunflower Hills Sunday.
With rounds of 83 and 86, Seber-Bradley won her record 10th WyCo championship. Dethroned last year by Nichole Wiehe-Hankins, Seber-Bradley has won six of the last seven titles and eight of the last 10.
“I played really well, both days; I drove the ball well which you have to do on a course this long but my chipping and putting were the best parts of my game,” Seber-Bradley said. “Just 31 putts each day which for me is real good. I made good shots when I needed them. No birdies but just one triple bogey when I hit two trees on No., 12 and one double bogey each day.”
Seber-Bradley was unaware that her win was No. 10, three more than the seven recorded by men’s leader Steve Groom. “It’s great to be on that list,” she said.
Donna Reid, a four-time WyCo champion, finished second with a 182 total while Donna Nelson’s 188 won the Ladies B flight.
42nd Wyandotte County Open
Men
Championship – 1. Kevin Rome, 153; 2. Stan Wiehe, 154; 3. Parker Miller, 155; 4. Antonio Carrillo, 156.
A – 1. Tim Skorija, 154; 2. Chris Faddis, 155; 3. Chris Mathia, 157; 4. Jerry Reid, 158; 5. Todd Milberger, 160; 6, Mike McNellis, 162.
B – 1. Rick Richardson, 152; 2. Dale Nash, 154; 3 (tie) Charlie Maybrier, Tim O’Shea, 155; 5. Sid Turner, 158; 6. (tie) Randy O’Shea, Cody Ellett.
C – 1. Russ Nigh, 161; 2. Tony Reed, 166; 3. (tie) Ray Giesler, Jerry Lamb, 167; 5. Jeb Ummell, 168; 6. Chris Sardou, 169.
D – 1. Justin Sheppler. 165; 2. Phil Hoffman, 166; 3. Dennis McWilliams, 167; 4. (toe) Doug Winkelbauer, Les Damlo, 169; 6. (tie) Willie Lara, Len Zimmerman.
E – 1. Dave Klein, 174; 2. Patrick Boyd*, 186; 3. Steve Bock, 186; 4. Ted McDlellan, 187; 5 (tie) Jim Fox, Tim Hunt, 189.
Women
A – 1. Pat Seber-Bradley, 174; 2. Donna Reid, 182; 3. Brooklyn Lamberd, 192.
B – 1. Donna Nelson, 188; 2. Rosemary Grant, 194; 3. Cathy Reed, 199.
Proximity prizes
Saturday – Closest to the pin: Bill Hashman, No. 4; Dan Crabtree, No. 8; Rich Atkins, No. 13; Cody Ellet, No. 16. Longest putt No. 9, Matt Brewster. Long drive No. 10, Kevin Rome.
Sunday – Closest to the pin, Jim McLaughlin, No. 4; Gary Burgess, No. 8; Gary Hudgens, No. 13; Tim O’Shea, No. 16. Longest putt No. 9, Chris Sardou. Long drive No. 10, Tim Hunt.
Kansas City’s longest putt – Dan Woolworth.