Three local junior golfers competed in the Kansas Junior Tour Championship at Buffalo Dunes Golf Course in Garden City.
Manhattan High freshman Maddie Myers, sophomore Cooper Graham and Anthony Middle School eighth-grader Charlie Haney all made the trip to southwest Kansas to square off against some of the top junior golfers around the state.
Myers finished tied for friends among girls of all three age groups with a 3-over 147 (69-79).
She shot the lowest round among any girl in round one, carding six birdies to three bogeys.
In the second round, Myers wasn’t as on target, especially in the front nine, finishing with five bogeys and a double bogey with two birdies. On the back nine, she birdied Hole 11 while double bogeying Hole 15.
Haney and Graham both competed in the boys’ 13-15 division, with Haney taking fifth with a 10-over 154 (78-76) and Graham finished tied for 13th with a 19-over 163 (81-82).
Haney saw highs and lows in his opening round, finishing with two birdies, four bogeys and two double bogeys. He had four bogeys on the second day and shot par on the other 14 holes.
Similarly, Graham had an up-and-down first round, ending the day with three birdies, seven bogeys and two double bogeys. In the second round, he shot five bogeys and two double bogeys.
KSU women’s golf names new assistant coach
Kansas State’s newly hired head women’s golf coach Stew Burke announced the hire of his first assistant, Rinko Mitsunaga, on Thursday.
Mitsunaga follows Burke from his previous coaching stop at Tulane. The Georgia native helped the Green Wave earn a postseason appearance and an American Athletic Conference championship last season.
“I am delighted to have Coach Rinko join the K-State Family,” Burke said in a written statement. “There was a lot of interest in this position nationally, and I believe that we found the right fit and a rising star in our industry. Not only is she a great recruiter, technician and one of the hardest workers in Division I women’s golf, but I believe she will be a big asset as she fully understands the family values of K-State Athletics and what we are looking to achieve moving forward.
“I couldn’t be more excited to have her join our coaching staff, and I know that the young ladies that she will coach and mentor in the future are getting an exceptional role model and assistant coach.”
Prior to Mitsunaga’s time at Tulane, she served as the Player Services Coordinator for the LPGA Symetra Tour. In that position, she processed tournament fields, entries and player registrations in addition to collecting caddie forms, member commitments and withdrawals. She also created player memos each tournament week.
Mitsunaga was a standout student-athlete at Georgia, helping the Bulldogs to 11 team victories. During her collegiate career, she put together seven top-10 finishes and 23 top-20 placings from 2015 to 2019.
As an amateur golfer, Mitsunaga played in the U.S. Women’s Open in both 2012 and 2016 in addition to winning the 2019 Georgia Women’s Amateur Championship, 2015 USGA U.S. Women’s Four-Ball Championship and the 2015 Georgia Women’s Match Play Championship.
“I am beyond excited for the opportunity to join the K-State Family and assist Coach Burke in returning the program to NCAA Regionals and beyond,” Mitsunaga said. “From the moment this opportunity came up, I knew that this was where I wanted to continue my development as a coach and compete on the national stage. I believe that under Stew’s guidance, not only will I continue to develop as a coach, but the program will become a national contender.”
VanNatta aces
Phil VanNatta of Manhattan hit a hole-in-one on Hole 17 (par 3) on July 26 at Stagg Hill Golf Club. The shot traveled 136 yards with the use of an 8-iron.
Don Sweeting, Dwight Lund, Ethan Spence and Tanner Christenson were witnesses.
