Kentucky Amateur Golf Championship returns to Bowling Green

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) - A heatwave is going through Bowling Green, which makes for some perfect golf weather.

So, it’s only fitting that the 108th annual Clark’s Pump-N-Shop Kentucky Amateur Golf Championship returns to Bowling Green this week. The three-round tournament will kick off at Indian Hills County Club on Tuesday, June 14 bright and early at 8 a.m.

“It’s a very prestigious event. There has been some amazing names win this championship in the past,” said John Mullendore, who oversees golf operations at Indian Hills Country Club.

Current PGA golfer and Louisville native Justin Thomas was once one of those big names competing. Now, 156 players from the area, as young as 16 and as old as 73, will compete to join the club of “amazing” names.

This marks the first time that Indian Hills has ever hosted the prestigious championship and the first time that the tournament has been played in Bowling Green since 2013; Bowling Green County Club was the host site.

“We are determining the best amateur golfer in the state of Kentucky,” Golf House Kentucky director Brad Martin said about the event.

“I think this makes it a special one especially being the first year here. Being in Bowling Green is truly significant. It’s nice. It’s nice to see the community kind of get involved in it everyone seems to be on board,” Martin said.

Things will look different on the course though. 200 trees were taken out by last December’s EF-3 tornado, vastly changing the landscape of the 6,672-yard course.

“It’s just really changed the landscape of three to five holes on this golf course,” Mullendore said.

So, this tournament will be a homecoming for the 16 different competitors from Bowling Green who will get their swing on. One of the notable young faces on the green will be Bowling Green Purples senior Reed Richey.

While he says he’s played and practiced in the wake of the tornado, he also explains that this could be sentimental for other local fans and competitors.

“For everybody to be able to come to watch and have played this course and know what I’m getting into, it’s an advantage and I’m just really happy to be out here,” Richey said after practicing nine holes on Monday.

There will also be two area golfers from Glasgow and another from Franklin n the mix. 54 holes of stroke play will be contested with players completing one round on Tuesday and Wednesday. After the second round on Wednesday, a cut will trim the field to the top 70 players and ties ahead of Thursday’s championship.

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