Wichita Open has most-ever Ambassadors in its History!

 

 

Phoenix Home Care & Hospice and Commerce Bank are Wichita Open Ambassadors.

With their addition, the Wichita Open has the most ambassadors since the inception of the Wichita Open Ambassador program in 2013.

“Commerce Bank is excited to expand our relationship with the Wichita Open by becoming an Ambassador!  The Wichita Open is a great event for our community, and we look forward to a stronger partnership with the tournament in 2022”, said Monte Cook, President and CEO of Commerce Bank’s Kansas Region.

With $34.5 billion in assets (9/30/32021), Commerce Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ: CBSH) is a registered bank holding company offering a full line of banking services, including payment solutions, investment management and securities brokerage. Commerce Bank, a subsidiary of Commerce Bancshares, Inc., leverages more than 150 years of proven strength and experience to help individuals and businesses solve financial challenges. Commerce Bank currently operates full-service banking facilities across the Midwest including Wichita, KS.

“Both of our new ambassadors believe in the mission of KU Wichita Pediatrics and have a strong history of commitment to the Wichita community,” said Roy Turner, Tournament Director.  “We are honored that they have chosen to step into the role of Ambassadors.

“Phoenix Home Care & Hospice is ecstatic to be an Ambassador for the Wichita Open joining what we truly believe is  a group of exceptional businesses,” said Alex Melugin, Executive Vice President of Phoenix Home Care & Hospice. “We are excited for the opportunity to support such a phenomenal event that has a true impact on the Wichita community.”

Phoenix Home Care & Hospice came to be as a result of our commitment to improve the quality of life of the people we serve. Rooted in the Christ-like values of patience, honesty and compassion, Phoenix focuses on providing exceptional patient care and treating each patient with the dignity they deserve. Offering home health, hospice, private duty care, outpatient physical therapy and comprehensive disease management/palliative care Phoenix offers the full continuum of care. No matter where you are on your healthcare journey, Phoenix is dedicated to providing the care you need at the time you need it.

WICHITA, KS. – Harry Hall gave his dad quite the early birthday present Sunday. Hall’s father will celebrate his birthday Monday, but the two can bask in the radiance of his son’s first Korn Ferry Tour victory on Father’s Day. Making his 22nd career start, Hall held off late charges by several players and won the Wichita Open Benefitting KU Wichita Pediatrics by a stroke with a 20-under 260.

“I just can’t wait to speak to my family,” said Hall, who hasn’t seen his parents in 18 months. “This is awesome. I’m actually supposed to be going home after Maine next week to try to qualify for the Open (Championship). I’m going to go home and can’t wait to share the moment with them. I wish they were here. To be honest, mom and dad have never actually watched me play a professional event in America. Dad has only watched me play once in America for the last six years. I can’t wait for them to come over the first chance they get.”

The 23-year-old Englishman’s final-round 3-under 67 was enough to finish one shot ahead of Curtis Thompson, who left a birdie putt roughly three feet short at the par-4 18th. At the time Thompson’s putt to reach 20-under came up short, he was two shots behind Hall.

Hall, a Korn Ferry Tour rookie, opened the day with four consecutive birdies to reach 21-under par, but brought a litany of players back into contention with bogeys at Nos. 6 and 10. Birdies at the par-5 14th and par-4 16th put Hall back in the driver’s seat, though by that time 2016 Wichita Open champion Ollie Schniederjans moved within a stroke of his lead.

As Hall bogeyed the par-3 17th and lost the outright lead, Schniederjans sliced his drive out of bounds on the 18th and made double bogey. While Hall focused on the next shot, his caddie kept an eye on the chaos which transpired on the leaderboards.

“Ben (his caddie) did a great job… so I knew where I was all day,” said Hall, whose previous career-high finish on Tour was a T2 at the 2020 Memorial Health Championship presented by LRS. “That was big, because I remember when I came second last year, I was leading coming down the last hole and I had no idea where I was. That would’ve influenced how I approached the green. This time, I knew, and I hit the shots I needed to.”

Hall piped his drive down the 18th fairway, knocked his approach to 40 feet and two-putted for the win. It was Hall’s first victory of any kind since October 2018, when he won the Little Rock Invitational as a senior at University of Nevada-Las Vegas.

“I’ve actually never been a winner, to be honest,” said Hall, a two-time medalist and 2019 Mountain West Conference Player of the Year at UNLV. “I’ve always been a consistent top-10er, even throughout college. To get a win is fantastic, especially at this level. It’s pretty hard to do.”

Hall, who wore a black and gold outfit in honor of his home county, Cornwall, England, began the 2020-21 season with conditional status. And Hall’s first start was not until the Korn Ferry Tour returned from the COVID-19 pandemic hiatus at the Korn Ferry Challenge at TPC Sawgrass in mid-June. He earned a spot in the field via a 4-for-3 playoff at the event’s Monday qualifier.

Roughly a year after that Monday qualifier kickstarted Hall’s professional career, Sunday’s victory takes him from 83rd to 36th in the 2020-21 Korn Ferry Tour points standings. Instead of battling for a spot in the Korn Ferry Tour Finals down the closing stretch of the regular season, Hall can now contend for a PGA TOUR card.

Hall isn’t getting that far ahead, though.

“My goal is to survive tonight and tee it up Thursday, and hit that next tee shot.”

Southwestern Electrical is a Wichita Open Ambassador. 

With their addition, the Wichita Open has the most ambassadors since the inception of the Wichita Open Ambassador program in 2013.

“Southwestern Electrical has supported our event since our arrival at Crestview in 2001,” said Roy Turner, Tournament Director.  We are honored that they have chosen to step into the role of Ambassador.  “Their addition is a milestone in our Ambassador program”.

“Southwestern Electrical Company is thrilled to support our local market as an Ambassador for the Wichita Open. We have been headquartered right here in Wichita, KS since 1908.   So it only makes sense to partner up with the Wichita Open to support local charities,” said Aaron Drake, President of Southwestern Electrical Co., Inc. “We are excited to see the positive impact that the Wichita Open brings to our community and are proud to be part of the team!  We have grown into the largest Electrical Contractor in the Wichita area and are the oldest licensed Electrical Contractor in the state of Kansas still in operation. This has been accomplished by the hard work of our employees and their commitment to quality and safety.”

Southwestern Electrical offers a wide variety of commercial and industrial design, installation and services including Electrical, voice, data, fiber optic, security cameras, access controls, audio visual, building automation and wireless network infrastructure installations. In addition, is committed to improving and advancing with the industry to offer its customers state of the art support with the latest technologies available.

The Wichita Open Ambassador program encourages and provides a way for its members to get involved by:

• Raising Charitable Donations for Local and National Organizations
• Improving the Overall Quality and Success of the Event
• Stabilizing the Tournament’s Future

The Wichita Open Benefitting KU Wichita Pediatrics will be returning to Crestview Country Club the week of June 14 – 20^th.

The Wichita Open Benefitting KU Wichita Pediatrics is a 72-hole competition featuring 156 players from around the world. Debuting in 1990, the tournament is one of four original tour stops that remain on the current schedule. The event has been played at Crestview Country Club since 2000. The event was the Korn Ferry Tour’s Tournament of the Year in 2019.

WICHITA, Kan. – The Wichita Open announced today its event will be returning to Crestview Country Club the week of June 14 – 20^th.

“We are fully ready to host the Tournament of the Year,” said Roy Turner, Tournament Director. “Sold out hospitality, a new charitable partner, a new major sponsor and a record number of ambassadors. It’s the best show in town.”

The tournament also announced a three-year partnership with KU Wichita Pediatrics to serve as the event’s charitable partner. The tournament will formally be renamed the Wichita Open benefitting KU Wichita Pediatrics.

“We are thrilled to announce KU Wichita Pediatrics as the benefiting partner for the Wichita Open,” said Korn Ferry Tour President Alex Baldwin. “The Korn Ferry Tour has an incredible 30-year history in Wichita, and with the support of KU Wichita Pediatrics, we’ll continue to help children in Kansas and make a lasting impact in the local community.”

The Department of Pediatrics at the University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita (KUSM-W), known as KU Wichita Pediatrics, is the region’s largest group of academic pediatric specialists and supports the state’s only training program for pediatricians. KU Wichita Pediatrics provides unique clinical services, teaching, child advocacy, medical leadership, and research, all focused on helping Kansas children achieve health and wellness.

“This is a natural partnership for us because we are both focused on supporting children”, describes Brian Pate, Chair of KU Wichita Pediatrics and Professor of Pediatrics at KUSM-W. “Aligning the region’s premier pediatric team and sporting event supports KU Wichita Pediatrics’ mission to be “Together For Kansas Children. Forever.”

Additionally, Turner announced that Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas joins Cox Communications and Hatchett Automotive as a major sponsor.

Two Wichita business leaders, Cornejo Corporation and Ashley HomeStore, have also become Wichita Open Ambassadors.

The Wichita Open Benefitting KU Wichita Pediatrics is a 72-hole competition featuring 156 players from around the world. Debuting in 1990, the tournament is one of four original tour stops that remain on the current schedule. The event has been played at Crestview Country Club since 2000. The event was named the Korn Ferry Tour’s Tournament of the Year in 2019.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Korn Ferry Tour’s 2020 and 2021 seasons combined as a one-time, wraparound season due to prior event cancellations. The newly created 2020-21 schedule will conclude with 25 PGA TOUR cards awarded at the 2021 Pinnacle Bank Championship presented by Aetna, with an additional 25 cards awarded at the conclusion of the 2021 Korn Ferry Tour Finals.

For more information about the Wichita Open benefitting KU Wichita Pediatrics, please visit www.Wichitaopen.com.

WICHITA, Kansas – Jared Wolfe survived a windy final round at Crestview Country Club to earn his second Korn Ferry Tour title of the season at the Wichita Open Supporting Wichita’s Youth. The 32-year-old carded a final-round 71 to finish the week at 16-under 264. Taylor Pendrith finished solo-second at 15-under 265.

“It’s huge,” Wolfe said of his win. “I feel like I’ve been playing great all year. These last six or seven events, I’ve been playing good and just had a couple of bad holes here and there. To pull through today was pretty cool.”

Wolfe, who began the final round with a three-stroke lead, stumbled out of the gate with a bogey on the par-4 first dropping his lead to one. Despite the setback, he settled into the round carding five consecutive pars on Nos. 2-6 maintaining the lead. As he played the par-4 seventh, the weather began to turn as rain and heavy winds delayed play for an hour and 18 minutes.

“That was incredible,” he said of the weather. “Whatever hit with that wind and everything came out of nowhere. I tried to just stay calm and relax.”

Battling difficult conditions as players returned to the course, Wolfe remained steady keeping his lead after pars on Nos. 7-13.

Pendrith, who played in the final group with Wolfe, made the turn two strokes off the lead. On the par-3 12th, he converted his second birdie of the round to reach 15-under and pull within one.

Entering the final stretch with a one-stroke advantage, Wolfe drained a 10-foot eagle putt on the par-5 14th to give himself a three-stroke lead with four holes to play.

Immediately after the eagle, Wolfe dropped a shot with his second bogey of the day on the par-4 15th. As Wolfe moved back to 17-under, Pendrith tallied his third birdie of the day on No. 15 to cut the lead to one. Both Wolfe and Pendrith dropped a shot on the par-4 16th, giving Wolfe a one-stroke lead with two holes to play.

After both players made par on No. 17, Wolfe teed off on the 72nd hole with a one-stroke advantage. After his approach shot came up short of the green, Pendrith stuck his second shot to within 15-feet leaving himself a chance for birdie. Despite his best effort, Pendrith’s putt slid past the hole leaving him a short par putt. With the tournament on the line, Wolfe converted his up-and-down and secured his second win of the season.

“Taylor (Pendrith) was playing some great golf,” Wolfe said. “Him and I were going back-and-forth which made it a lot of fun. I’ve known Taylor for a while, and he’s been so close all year too. It was just a fun day.”

With the win, Wolfe moved to fourth on the season-long Korn Ferry Tour points list and is one win away from the three-win “Battlefield Promotion” to the PGA TOUR. The feat has only been accomplished 11 times in the Tour’s history, most recently by Wesley Bryan in 2016. The Murray State University product joined Davis Riley as the only players to win twice on Tour this season.

“I’m going to go home and celebrate with my daughter and my wife,” Wolfe said. “My parents are in town too so; I get to hang out with them for a day. Then, it’s off to Savannah and we’ll try to go get (win) number three.”

Pendrith’s runner-up was good for his fourth second-place finish of the season. With the result, he moved to second on the Korn Ferry Tour points list but is still in search of his first Korn Ferry Tour victory.

Next week, the Korn Ferry Tour travels to Savannah, Georgia, for the Savannah Golf Championship.