NEWTON – Great Bend’s fifth-seeded Cole Streck rallied to win his third match Thursday at the Kansas Golf Association Junior Match Play Championship. Streck (3 over) edged Wichita's Carson Wright (4 over) on the 20th hole. Streck earned wins with birdies at Nos. 4 and 16 and won with pars at Nos. 7 and 14.
Wichita's Tyler Strong (4 over) defeated Streck (13 over), 4 and 2 for 13th-place Thursday afternoon. Streck birdied Nos. 4 and 11, but struggled on his other holes after two challenging weeks.
Streck dropped back-to-back matches in Wednesday's first round matches. Andover’s No. 12 seeded Austin Goodrum downed Streck 3 and 2 in the first round at Sand Creek Station Golf Course.
In the second round, Streck played even-par golf to build a 3-up lead, only to lose 1-up on the par 5 20th hole to Salina’s feisty Kameron Shaw, a member of three state high school champions at Salina Sacred Heart. Streck shot 5-over-par 77 to Shaw’s 78 through 18 holes in 93-degree heat with winds gusting past 30 miles per hour.
Streck birdied Nos. 4 and 16 to build 3-up leads on Shaw after four holes and six holes. Shaw began a rally by winning Nos. 7, 8 and 11 to slice Streck's lead to 1-up. Streck had chances to clinch the match, but missed match-ending putts at No. 17 and 18.
Streck maintained his poise when Shaw would toss a club after a missed shot. Shaw’s most unsportsmanlike stunt came after a three-putt at No. 16 when he planted the pin in the hole just as Streck was about to attempt a winning birdie putt.
Wichita's Brent Reintjes edged Wellington's Blake Saffel, 1-up, for the championship.
KANSAS CITY MATCH PLAY – Streck played spectacular golf while advancing to the July 10 semifinals at Swope Park Golf Course. Andover runner-up Lucas Scheufler from Wichita Trinity played 5-under-par to down Streck, 5 and 4 in the semifinals of the Kansas City Match Play Championship. Streck played 1-over and birdied Nos. 3, 5 and 12.
Streck shot even-par 72 and won 2-up over Wichita’s Brent Reintjes in the quarterfinals. Streck birdied Nos. 1, 6, 9, 12 and 15. In the first round, Streck played 4-under-par to beat Wellington’s Deitrick Gill, 3 and 2. Streck birdied No. 3, 4, 5, 7, 10 and 15.
In qualifying, Streck shot 1-over-par 73 and birdied Nos. 1, 5 and 10.
KGA JUNIOR MATCH PLAY
NEWTON SAND CREEK STATION, par 72
FINAL ROUND—1—Brent Reintjes, Wichita (1 over) def. Blake Saffel, Wellington (even par), 1-up; 3— Carson Baker, Overland Park (1 over) def. Asher Whitaker, Wichita (6 over), 4 and 2; 5—Lucas Scheufler, Andover (1 over) def. Ian McCrary, Overland Park (6 over), 7 and 6; 7—Austin Goodrum, Andover def. Noah Holtzman, Wichita, 1-up; 9—Cody Schurle, Manhattan (80) def. Myles Tarvin, Olathe (79), 1-up; 11—Davan Smith, Dodge City def. Kameron Shaw, Salina, 3 and 2; 13—Tyler Strong, Wichita (4 over) def. Cole Streck, Great Bend (13 over), 4 and 2
SEMIFINALS—Saffel def. Whitaker, 4 and 3; Reintjes def. Baker, 3 and 2
THIRD ROUND CONSOLATION—McCrary def. Goodrum, 3 and 2; Scheufler def. Holtzman, 1-up, 14; Schurle (3 under) def. Shaw (4 over), 6 and 5; Tarvin (1 over) def. Smith (4 over), 3 and 2; Streck (3 over) def. Wright (4 over) 1-up, 20 holes; Strong (2 over) def Kasitz.(10 over), 8 and 6
SECOND ROUND—Reintjes def. McCrary, 1-up, 19 holes; Baker def. Goodrum, 1-up; Whitaker def. Scheufler, 1-up; Saffel def. Holtzman, 4 and 2
SECOND ROUND CONSOLATION—Schurle def. Wright, 5 and 3; Shaw (6 over) def. Streck (6 over), 1-up, 20 holes; Smith def. Kasitz, 1-up, 21 holes; Tarvin def. Strong, 3 and 2
FIRST ROUND—Reintjes def. Schurle, 5 and 4; McCrary def. Wright, 2 and 1; Baker def. Shaw, 4 and 2; Goodrum def. Streck, 3 and 2; Whitaker def. Smith, 1-up; Scheufler def. Kasitz, 4 and 3; Saffel def. Tarvin, 3 and 2; Holtzman def. Strong, 4 and 2
KANSAS CITY MATCH PLAY
KANSAS CITY, SWOPE PARK G.C. par 72
CHAMPIONSHIP—Blake Saffell, Wellington def. Lucas Scheufler, Andover, 3 and 2
SEMIFINALS—Saffel def. Michael Winslow, Overland Park, 2 and 1; Schuefler def. Cole Streck, Great Bend, 5 and 4
QUARTERFINALS—Saffel def. Asher Whitaker, 3 and 2; Schuefler def. Carson Baker, Overland Park, 1-up; Winslow def. Ben Slicker, Leawood, 2-up; Streck def. Brent Reintjes, Wichita, 2-up
FIRST ROUND—Saffel def. Liam Coughlin, Kansas City, 2-up; Whitaker def. Chance Rinkol, Leawood, 1-up; Scheufler def. Brooks Baldwin, Warrensburg, Mo. 5 and 4; Baker def. Dylan Comstock, Orrick, Mo. 1-up; Winslow def. Easton Reynolds, Yates Center, 6 and 5; Slicker def. Davan Smith, Dodge City, 6 and 5; Streck def. Deitrick Gill, Wellington, 3 and 2; Reintjes def. Gavin Dines, Olathe, 1-up
