GOLF
Not even COVID could stop the Chippeways Match Play golf tournament at Maysville Country Club last year.
The longest standing match play tournament in Kentucky will continue this weekend for the 86th annual edition of the unique tournament.
“With just a few match play tournaments still around, I think it’s a unique format that guys enjoy playing than other tourneys and scrambles all the time,” Maysville Country Club pro shop owner Teron Bay said.
Bay says the course is in great shape despite all the rain over the past few weeks and a field he claims that should make this one of the best tournaments yet.
“Superintendent Joe Kaczmarek has done a wonderful job. He’s done a super job getting it in shape, as good of shape as I’ve seen in my five years here,” Bay said.
Previous winners Eric Schumacher, Drew Traxel and Jackson Frame will all be there in the championship flight, winners of 10 of the last 14 Chippeways titles. Others expected to put their name in the hat come late Sunday afternoon include Dalton Schalch, Corey Richmond, Josh Weber, Evan Schumacher and Jordan Gilbert in the championship flight. The other eight in the championship flight are non-members from out of town. Per MCC policy, only members from within Mason County are allowed to play. Anyone outside of the county and not a member is eligible to play.
Bay said a total of 90 players are registered for the tournament that will start Friday and run through Sunday with the championship flight and five other flights as well.
“We had a few guys come in last year that never played in it before when it got moved to July. We were one of the first tourneys to get going and guys were looking for anything to play and those guys have come back. They liked how we ran it and are back. We really appreciate all the returning players,” Bay said. “We’ve got quite a few coming from the northern Kentucky/Cincinnati area, Lexington and some coming as far as Georgia that have come to play in it.”
The match play format has all first round matchups on Friday, the winners bracket and losers bracket playing on Saturday where if you lose on Saturday your tournament is over followed by semifinal and championship round play on Sunday morning and afternoon, respectively.
Each flight will be set up with a 16-man bracket, with some flights from the second through fifth having first round byes unless there’s some late additions to the tournament.
The Chippeways got its start in 1935 and outside of 1938 when MCC hosted the Central Kentucky Open, the tournament has been held every year since.
Some former winners include Gay Brewer Jr. in 1951 and ‘52, who later went on to win the Masters in 1967. Mark Blakefield, a St. Patrick alum and former Mr. Kentucky Golf, won the tournament in 2003-05 and currently plays on the Korn Ferry Tour.
In the current field, Eric Schumacher is a six-time winner, Jackson Frame a three-time winner and Drew Traxel has won twice. Last year’s champ Paul Huber is unable to attend due to his job that has him living in Charlotte, NC.
Cash prizes and crystal trophies will be awarded to the winner’s bracket in each flight with pro shop credits going to the winner’s in the consolation bracket. A closest to the pin challenge will be held on all Par 3’s Friday and Saturday, winners of those getting Precision Pro rangefinders. A Chippeways shootout will be held Thursday evening.
Championship matches are expected to get underway Sunday afternoon around 2-3 p.m. Tee times/brackets for each flight should be available late Wednesday, early Thursday and can be found on the Maysville Country Club’s Facebook page.
“We just want to thank everyone playing in it from around the area and we’re looking forward to a great tournament and think it will be one of the best ones yet,” Bay said.
