Five birdies in final dozen holes lead to Gutgsell’s first State Mid-Am title.

GOSHEN, KY (October 12, 2022) – “Gutsy” is an easy word to label on Austin Gutgsell given it and his last name both start with the same three letters, but his final round performance in the Clark’s Pump-N-Shop Kentucky Mid-Am was just that – gutsy. Entering the second and final day at Big Spring Country Club – Harmony Landing Course, Gutgsell responded to pressure and adversity thrown at him throughout the day to win the championship for the first time in his career.

For the second straight day, holes 1-6 provided a tough start for the Louisiana native who played college golf for the LSU Tigers. Gutgsell played those holes in +2 on Wednesday which dropped him out of the lead. Matt Epperson, the winner of this event in 2019, took the lead simultaneously as he played that same six-hole stretch in -3. As the day progressed, the tournament slowly evolved into a two-horse race between those two competitors.

With Gutgsell playing in the final group and Epperson in the group ahead, they found themselves sharing the lead at -4 while Gutgsell stood on the 15^th tee and Epperson set to take on the 16^th. Epperson was dealt a bogey on the par-three, giving Gutgsell the solo lead as he took on the final three holes. After narrow birdie misses from Epperson on both the 17^th and 18^th greens, Gutgsell sank a birdie putt on the 17^th from fifteen feet away to bump his lead from one stroke to two strokes heading into the final hole. Needing bogey to win, Gutgsell ensured it never came close to getting to that point as a perfect tee shot and a perfect approach shot set up a ten-foot birdie putt to close, which he holed, securing Gutgsell with a three-stroke margin of victory and a winning total of 136 (-6).

“Welcome to my world of golf,” said Gutgsell after the tournament, as it relates to his slow starts preceding big finishes. “Normally I’m a slow starter and then I turn it on when my back is against the wall. I’d like to start faster more often, but at least when you finish well, dinner tastes better. But this was a great tournament where it seemed like the players who were supposed to play well did play well. I knew I was going to have to push the pedal to the metal to hang on to my lead today and that it wouldn’t be a cakewalk. I have a bunch of friends who have won this tournament and ever since I moved (to Kentucky) six years ago, I’ve wanted to win a meaningful Kentucky championship to have some bragging right of my own, and I do now.”

Gutgsell was also the low man on the net leaderboard for the Open Division, but that title is shifted to the second-place player following his gross victory. As a result, Adam Warren takes the honor after a total score of 140 (-2). That won by one stroke over Glenn Vicary.

Marshall Butler turned in the only under-par score on Wednesday from the Senior Division which led to him being its gross champion. A score of 70 (-1) in the final round led to a three-stroke victory over P.J. McDougal. Donald Kohler took the net trophy by two shots over Scott King.

Greg Engle prevailed in the Super Senior Division, capping off a phenomenal autumn for the Lexington product. He shot 70 (-1) on Wednesday which helped him win by five strokes over David Combs. Charles Verrette claimed the net title by three shots.

NOTES & STATS

• 2021 champion Drake Stepter had the round of the day on Wednesday with 67 (-4). He finished the tournament at T4, five off Gutgsell’s score.
• Three eagles were notched by players in the Open Division on Wednesday. Third-place finisher Chad Howard and Denver Haddix earned ones on the par-five 12th. Matt Reynolds also made eagle on the par-five 17^th.
• For the second straight day, the par-five 9^th was the easiest hole on the golf course. Its stroke-to-par average in the final round was -0.29.
• The par-four 15^th was the hardest hole to close the championship at +0.92. It and the par-three 2^nd were the only holes that did not feature any birdies on Wednesday from Open Division competitors.
• The front nine was the side to score on during Wednesday’s play. Holes 1-9 averaged +1.38 strokes compared to +3.18 on the back nine.
• The final round scoring average was 75.56 (+4.56), slightly tougher than Tuesday’s average of 74.97 (+3.97).

Click here to view the final results

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The Kentucky Golf Association extends its thanks to Andy Pole, PGA Head Golf Professional and the entire staff at Big Spring Country Club – Harmony Landing Course for their assistance in hosting this tournament. The KGA also lends its appreciation towards each player who participated in the event.

This event marked the final major championship of the KGA’s season and now just two events remain on its 2022 schedule. Lexington Country Club will host the Two-Person Scramble on Monday, October 17 which will be the final regular KGA event of the year. The following day on Tuesday, October 18 is when the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Qualifier will be held at Big Spring Country Club to close the KGA’s season.

About the Kentucky Golf Association:
The Kentucky Golf Association (KGA) is one of the three organizations encompassed under Golf House Kentucky, in addition to the Kentucky Golf Foundation (KGF) and Kentucky PGA Section (KPGA). The Kentucky Golf Association represents the amateur body of Kentucky’s golfers working in assistance with the United States Golf Association (USGA). The KGA provides a wide range of services, including handicapping, USGA course and slope ratings, and tournament management software to its Member Clubs. The KGA also operates the state’s premier amateur tournaments along with USGA National Championship qualifiers. Alongside the KGF and KPGA, the KGA strives to promote the benefits and enjoyment of golf while continuing to grow the sport across the Commonwealth.

Media Contact:
Ethan Fisher, PGA | Golf House Kentucky | efisher@kygolf.org | (502) 792-9703