Tyler Cummins wins 2016 City Championship of Lawrence in dramatic fashion

photo by: Tom Keegan

Tyler Cummins attempts a birdie on No. 17 during the City of Lawrence Golf Championship, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2016, at Eagle Bend Golf Course. Cummins was short on the shot but made a birdie on the next hole to win the championship.

The names Tyler Cummins and William Gantz appear together often in various golf results throughout the state.

For example, they tied for second at the Mid-Am team championship at Lawrence Country Cub in May and tied for 15th at the Kansas Four-Ball Championship at Eagle Bend in June.

Sunday at Eagle Bend their names again appeared one after another, but this time not on the same line. The City Championship of Lawrence is an individual event, which meant that if one of the friends won, it would be at the expense of the other.

They stepped to the 18th tee box separated by one stroke. Gantz stood at 6-under par in the two-day tournament, Cummins, the first-day leader, was at 5-under.

The circumstances promised drama and Cummins delivered, nailing his second shot from 140 yards out to 18 inches, setting up a tap-in birdie.

“I kind of had been hitting full shots all day, like if I had hit a wedge in there, it would have spun back,” Cummins said. “I tried to play a little sawed-off 9-iron in there and it worked out. It was the best shot I hit all day.”

Gantz hit an 8-iron into the green and when it landed it looked as if it would leave him about a 15-foot birdie putt. Instead, it spun backward and didn’t stop moving until it was off the green. He chipped to about 5 feet, the distance he needed to cover to force a playoff.

It rode the left edge of the cup and lipped out. After Cummins tapped in his putt he became a two-time city champion, the first coming in 2013.

“I hit my par putt exactly where I wanted to,” Gantz said. “It just didn’t break. My chip broke.”

Gantz said he and Mark Elliott, who finished fourth, four strokes off the lead, talked about how some of the putts on the course looked like they should break and didn’t.

“I made a lot of putts today though,” Gantz said

Gantz’s 69 was the lone sub-70 round of the day.

Cummins shook a slow start to go from 2-over through eight holes to finish 2-under.

“Will played good all day,” Cummins said. “Somewhere I kind of found it coming in and held it together.”

Both golfers and several others praised the changes made to Eagle Bend in recent years under superintendent Darin Pearson. New back tee boxes have been added on a few holes and native grasses have grown tall in certain areas to give the course a different look and a more challenging layout. The well-received transition to zoysia fairways has taken root.

“It’s amazing. It’s night and day in the last four years what they’ve done to it,” Gantz said. “Greens are quicker, fairways are lush. They’re amazing. They’re like carpet. New tee boxes are great. I think they will continue to make improvements and it’s going to be a great place to play every day.”

Cummins agreed.

“The golf course is great,” he said. “The added length is needed and they could still add a little bit more in places, but the golf course is great. It’s made strides in the past four years and keeps getting better.”

In the women’s division, Jettie Bezek took the title by following her opening-round 76 with an 83. Bud Stagg followed his 71 with a 72 to win the senior men’s division and Jimmy Hill won the Super Senior men’s title with a second-day 79, overtaking first-day leader Mike Hertling.

2016 City of Lawrence Championship results

Sunday

At Eagle Bend

Women

Jettie Bezek 76-83–159

Janelle Martin 89-90–179

Maryse Schlenk 103-112–215

Men

Championship Flight

Tyler Cummins 68-70–138

William Gantz 70-69–139

Mark Elliott 69-73–142

Josh Williams 71-74–145

Donny Maney 72-74–146

Bradley Lane 71-77–148

Greg Sharp 75-76–151

Grant Shorty 76-76–152

Collin Herron 75-79–154

Michael Rack 75-79–154

Narito Mendez 78-78–156

Nate Keller 87-80–167

Cody Nelson 85-90–175

Regular Flight

A Flight

Chuck Junge 78-70–148

Casey McLenon 77-79–156

Scott Wartman 76-82–158

Wade Walckner 82-79–161

Chris Maples 85-78–163

Chris Shimanek 85-82–167

B Flight

Bronson Star 95-107–202

Michael Farve 101-101–202

Cody Thompson 98-106–204

Mike Martin 82-WD

Trenton Sheppard 86-WD

Mark Chapman 89-WD

Senior Championship Flight

Bud Stagg 71-72–143

Robert Bezek 72-75–147

Dennis Gisel 73-75–148

John Emerson 76-76–152

Van Reichert 75-78–153

Cal Froberg 78-79–157

Kim Sattler 80-79–159

Tom Albers 84-86–170

David Zyzak 85-91–176

Senior Regular Flight

A Flight

Galen Smith 71-78–149

Ross Cummins 74-78–152

Deagan White 74-78–152

Mike Beaton 77-84–161

B Flight

David Greenaymre 85-85–170

Prakash Shenoy 84-93–177

Robert Hahn 91-90–181

Bob McTernan 89-94–183

Super Senior Championship Flight

Jim Hill 82-79–161

Mike Hertling 79-91–170

Jim Lynch 86-91–177