Davis Cooper, a Blue Valley North grad shown playing in Friday’s round, took top honors Saturday at the annual Watson Challenge golf tournament at Indian Hills Country Club in Mission Hills.
University of Kansas golfer Davis Cooper stayed hot on Saturday at Indian Hills Country Club par 70, shooting a final round 68 to win the 2022 edition of the annual Watson Challenge tournament at Mission Hills.
Going 2 under in the last 18 gave Cooper a three-day total of 197, 13 under overall. Runner-up Michael Letzig, who also shot 68 on Saturday, finished 5-under 205.
Third place went to Wade Binfield of Overland Park at 4-under 206, fourth to Charlie Hillier at 3-under 207 and fifth to Zach VanDolah, who led the event over 18 holes, 2-under 208.
Cooper, who won a Kenneth Smith Award honoring top high school golfer in the KC metro while at Blue Valley North, will be a junior with the Jayhawks this fall.
Hillier, originally from New Zealand, was a teammate of KU. He recently graduated and played on the PGA Latinoamerica Tour. Many of the men (and one woman) Cooper beat this week are golf professionals. Cooper retains his amateur status.
Tom Watson, legendary Kansas City namesake and founder of the Watson Challenge, improved on his first-round 74 and second-round 71 with a 70 on Saturday, finishing tied for 15th at age 5.
A member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, Watson, 72, has won the three-day, 54-hole Watson Challenge five times.
The tournament field for 2022 was made up of 50 men and, for the first time, a woman: Overland Park native Gianna Augustine, the first woman to play in the Watson Challenge, finished with a 79 on Saturday and s is ranked 49th.
Former KU golfer Andy Spencer had the lowest round on Saturday, a 3-under 67. A veteran of the Korn Ferry and PGA Latinoamerica tours, he finished tied for eighth, 1-over for the tournament.
Founded in 2007, the Watson Challenge benefits Greater Kansas City’s first tee. It typically features the top professionals and amateurs living in the great Kansas City golf community.
Final round scores
(-13)
Davis Cooper 65-64-68—197
(-5)
Michael Letzig 67-70-68—205
(-4)
Wade Binfield 71-67-68—206
(-3)
Charlie Hillier 67-68-72—207
(-2)
Zach VanDolah 64-73-71—208
(Same)
Robert Russell 70-71-69—210
Bret Burgmeier 71-70-69—210
(+1)
Sam Parrot 74-68-69—211
Andy Spencer 72-72-67—211
Joe Bultman 71-71-69—211
Justin Wingerter 66-74-71—211
(+3)
Jackson Foth 75-68-70—213
Austin Jarchow 74-70-69—213
(+4)
Chris Mabry 74-70-70—214
(+5)
Alex Springer 74-73-68—215
Tom Watson 74-71-70—215
Nicklaus Mason 73-71-71—215
Liam Coughlin 72-72-71—215
Sean Dougherty 68-76-71—215
(+6)
Jeremy Cher 73-71-72—216
(+7)
Wes Buntenbach74-69-74—217
Michael Winslow 71-69-77—217
(+8)
Drew Carlson 75-71-72—218
Ryan Argotsinger 74-70-74—218
(+9)
Devers Clay 70-76-73—219
(+10)
Luck Rinkol 75-73-72—220
Zachary Dittmer 75-72-73—220
Kevin Ward 74-74-72—220
(+12)
Will Harding 72-76-74-222
Robert Wilkin 71-76-75—222
Jeff Sedorcek 71-77-74—222
(+13)
Ryne Fisher 79-73-71—223
Connor Knabe 73-76-74—223
Chase Lucas 72-77-74—223
(+14)
Austin Hardison 74-75-75—224
(+15)
Jeff Shepard 76-77-72—225
Steve Groom 75-73-77—225
(+17)
Dave Cunningham 79-75-73—227
Andrew Hatten 77-78-73—227
(+18)
Tyler Dunn 78-76-74—228
Andy Rumbaugh 78-73-77—228
Sean Cleary 74-80-74—228
Calvin Dillon 72-73-83—228
(+20)
Ed Brown 80-79-71—230
Kyle Caps 74-82-74—230
(+21)
Mike Ricket 78-77-76—231
(+22)
Ryan Eckroat 77-75-80—232
(+25)
Brad Volker 80-77-78—235
(+26)
Gianna Augustine 76-81-79—236
(+28)
Otto Zinn 79-79-80—238
(+41)
Michel Maki 79-83-89—251
