Trans-Miss Four-Ball: Kuehne and Marsh shoot 19 under to win by 1
Mid-Am champs Kevin Marsh (left) and Tripp Kuehne
Trip Kuehne's name once again topped a major amateur leaderboard today, as he and his partner
Kevin Marsh captured the Trans-Miss Golf Association Four-Ball at Paiute Golf Resort in Las Vegas. The pair posted 19-under 197 to take home a one-shot victory over three teams that posted 18 under.
Kuehne (Southlake, Texas) found the perfect Las Vegas partner in Marsh, a fellow U.S. Mid-Amateur champion who shot under par every day this week on his own ball. They played like a couple of four-ball veterans -- when one player faltered the other stepped in and covered par. At the start of the second and final rounds, it was Marsh, who covered Kuehne with pars when he struggled through the opening holes. That sparked Kuehne to find his best stuff later in the round -- he shot under par on the back nine all three days and made four birdies to help him and Marsh to a closing 67 today.
After famously retiring from competition in 2008, Kuehne returned somewhat quietly to the game this year, dipping his toe in the water at traditional mid-amateur events like The Coleman Invitational at Seminole, where he finished 13th in May.
Longtime fans of the game will remember him as the only member of a golfing family not to turn pro. His brother Hank (the 1998 U.S. Amateur champion) and his sister Kelli both played professional golf, but Trip famously decided against it after losing to Tiger Woods' epic comeback in the final match of the 1994 U.S. Amateur at TPC Sawgrass. (To this day he says he does not watch the replay of the match.)
"I want people to realize that you don't have to turn professional," said Kuehne at the time. "If you're an All-American. There are other things out there. You can get a good-paying job, you can enjoy the game of golf and play because you love the game of golf."
With an MBA in finance, Kuehne focused on business. But not before
winning the 2007 U.S. Mid-Am (and being invited to the following year's Masters) and representing The USA on three Walker Cup teams. He "retired" from competition shortly after playing The 2008 Masters, but turning 50 in June of this year has renewed his interest. The possibility of playing in the U.S. Senior Open, and potentially the Champions Tour are pretty strong lures.
Marsh -- the
2005 U.S. Mid-Amateur champ -- has played quite a bit more competitive golf than Kuehne over the past 15 years and has some nice hardware like a
2012 California State Amateur trophy to show for it. But a return trip to Augusta National after his initial Masters in 2006 has eluded him despite close calls of making the semi-finals at both the 2013 and 2014 U.S. Mid Ams.
Related: Amateur Golf Podcast: Scott Harvey, Kevin Marsh and the East-West Cup
Don Dean and Mike Lohner of Texas took home the Senior title at 20-under; Lester Devitt (Concord, Mass.) and Charles Yandell (Cashiers, NC) won the Super-Senior title at 11 under.
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ABOUT THE
Trans-Miss Four-Ball
One of four annual championships hosted each
year
by
the historic Trans-Mississippi Golf Association. Each
player must be a member of a Trans-Mississippi
member
club, but not necessarily the same club. Players who
do
not belong to a Trans-Miss member club can speak
to
their club's manager or board of directors to
encourage
them to join (dues are very reasonable and support
the
Trans-Miss Turf Scholarship Fund). Alternatively,
entrants may make a contribution in lieu of club
membership to the Turf Scholarship Fund.
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