The 116th Missouri Amateur Championship at Payne’s Valley saw stiff competition, exciting matches, beautiful scenery, and Frontenac, Missouri native and Villanova Golf standout Peter Weaver as the last man standing.
In the 36-hole Championship Final, Weaver went 34 holes with opponent Michael Winslow out of Overland Park and held a steady lead for the majority of the match, winning it 4 & 2.
Weaver joins an impressive list of former Missouri Amateur Champions, including golf legend Payne Stewart, whom the course is named after.
The event began on Tuesday, June 20 with the first of two qualifying stroke play rounds. On Wednesday, June 21, after the second round of stroke play, the field was cut to the lowest 64 scorers. These players moved on to the match play rounds. Weaver ended the qualifying round tied for fourth place with a score of six under, 138.
Thursday, June 22 saw the round of 64. Weaver took on Shawn Vanderwal and won 4 & 2.
Friday, June 23 was a busy day, with the round of 32 held in the morning followed by the round of 16 in the afternoon. Weaver took on Alex Downing and won 3 & 2 in the round of 32, and defeated Brian Bennett 5 & 4 in the round of 16.
Two rounds were also held on Saturday, June 24, with the Quarterfinal in the morning and the Semifinal in the afternoon. In the Quarterfinal round, Weaver beat Kanon Kendrick 4 up, and he had another close match in the afternoon Semifinal round, beating Zach Vandolah 2 & 1.
After five long days of exciting play, our two finalists squared off for the title. Weaver started the 36-hole match at a steady pace, sitting no less than tied with Winslow at any point during the match. He capitalized on a birdie by Winslow on hole eight to put himself at a comfortable score of 3 up at the first turn. Weaver had complete control on the back nine, going as far as 5 up over Winslow on hole 14. He finished the first round of 18 at 3 up over Winslow.
The playing field evened out after Winslow earned a birdie on hole 10, followed by a bogey from Weaver. However, Weaver took the lead again on hole 12 and held it until his final competition with Winslow for the day.
Weaver only needed to make par on the match’s 34th hole to secure the title and trophy, but instead he drained his birdie putt from 20 feet out to win the match and the Missouri Amateur Championship.
Congratulations to both Weaver and Winslow on a great match, and to all of the qualifiers for an amazing tournament.
We want to thank the owners, employees and members of Payne’s Valley Golf Course for your hospitality during the 116th Missouri Amateur Championship. We heard enumerate compliments about the course, its condition, its friendly staff and its welcoming atmosphere. Thank you for a great event!
To view full scores from the whole week, click here: www.golfgenius.com/pages/3969545
To read more in-depth coverage of each day’s rounds, click here: www.mogolf.org/2023/06/first-round-of-stroke-play-concludes-at-2023-missouri-amateur-championship/
