18-year-old Blake Allen dominated the Kansas Amateur Match Play final
Blake Allen after Kansas Boys Junior Amateur victory
(KGA Photo)
GARDEN CITY, KS (July 24, 2016) -- 18-year old Blake Allen capped off his junior golf career with the 106th Kansas Amateur Match Play Championship title at The Golf Club at Southwind in Garden City. Allen, of Lenexa, defeated 17-year old Garden City resident and Southwind member Taylor Larsen by an 8&7 margin in the 36-hole final match.
Allen, who claimed the 2016 Kansas Boys Junior Amateur Championship earlier this year, joins an elite crowd of players to win the Kansas Amateur and Kansas Boys Junior Amateur titles in the same year. Other players to achieve that accomplishment were Chase Hanna in 2013 and Johnny Stevens in 1960. Allen will join the Washburn University golf team this fall as a freshman.
Allen raced out to a 4 up lead on the opening 18-holes before Larsen fought back and got within 2 down by the end of the first round. As the players began the second 18 it seemed as if Larsen might have some momentum but Allen left little to doubt winning the first four holes of the round to take a commanding 6 up advantage.
Allen then closed out the match with a chip in birdie on the 29th hole.
View results for Kansas Amateur
ABOUT THE Kansas Amateur
36 holes of individual stroke play qualifying to
determine low 64 players advancing to single
elimination match play bracket. Any player that is
not
exempt from regional qualifying must go through
one
of the five regional qualifying sites or the second
chance qualifier to advance to the championship.
Open
to any male amateur golfer with an active
USGA/GHIN
Handicap Index through a KGA member club.
View Complete Tournament Information