Kansas Takes Back The Border War Cup

After residing for the past 6 years in Missouri, the Border War Cup finds itself back in Kansas, as Kansas Golf Course Superintendent Association members, Josh Troutman, Director of Golf Course Maintenance at the 36 hole facility, Crestview Country Club in Wichita Kansas, and Crestview’s North Course Superintendent, Nate Ratzlaff, defeated the Ozark Turf Association team of City of Springfield Golf Facilities Supervisor, Mike Irvine, and Scott Welsh, Golf Course Superintendent at the Bill and Payne Stewart Golf Course, City of Springfield, on the sixth hole at Winfield Country Club in Winfield Kansas.

The traditional horse race started with 16 players, 4 teams from each chapter, where two teams were eliminated on each hole. With only the two teams left after the short par 4, 4th hole, they played the 5th hole to a tie and moved onto the 6th hole, a difficult par 3, which was won by the Kansas team.

Prior to that, an 18 hole tournament was played with 4 man teams, featuring 3 Kansas members and one OTA member, where they played a two man best ball, with one being a net score and one being a gross score.

Before play began on day one at Winfield Country Club, we were treated to deli sandwiches with all the fixings, a full salad bar and soup. After the horse race, dinner featured huge steaks and big bake potatoes, which offered little room on our plates for the mixed vegetables.

Day two consisted of teams playing scrambles at Quail Ridge Golf Course in Winfield. We will work with the Kansas Chapter on trying to update the results from both days, needless to say, there will probably be some 1099’s having to be sent out to the multiple winners.

We would like to thank our hosts, Steve Hollembeak, Golf Course Superintendent at Winfield C.C. who is retiring at the end of the year, and Jeremy Birdwell, Golf Course Superintendent at Quail Ridge G.C. for their hospitality and great course conditions. These courses were a lot of fun to play, and I wish they had been in the rotation with our normal Kansas site, Crestwood Country Club in Pittsburgh Kansas, which is also a great venue and host.

Thanks goes to Title Sponsors Midwest Turf and Professional Turf Products, both Gold Partners with the Ozark Turf Association. Harrell’s was a lunch sponsor.

We are already looking forward to the return match in 2023.