K2K11 – Nebraska

The 11th annual Kahola to Kapalua Tournament of Champions was hosted by The Prairie Club in Valentine, Nebraska on June 28 – July 1, 2018.

This trip will likely go down as the most dramatic final round, and finish, in K2K history. First though, the setting. The Prairie Club is set in the breathtaking sand hills of Nebraska. It’s rare in life that anything highly spoken of lives up to the hype, and no trip had been so anticipated. However, we quickly realized upon entering the property that we’d died and gone to golfer’s heaven. We argued all weekend about which course was superior…the Dunes (seen directly below) which is as close to playing in Scotland as you can get in the US (complete with a bagpiper on 18!) or the Pines, winding along the beautiful snake river valley. Two completely different tracks, both completely awesome. The lodge was perfect, the steaks are amazing and the horse course (best played barefoot) along with a few adult beverages is the perfect way to end an unforgettable day. The Prairie Club is a must for any buddies golf trip worth it’s salt.

The Dunes

The Golf. When our group decided to switch to a quota system a few years ago, these were the types of final rounds that were envisioned. Ben Thompson played consistent, quality golf all weekend and had positioned himself with a commanding 6 point lead going into the final round. Terry Blunt got off to a good start and was even through 7 holes but stumbled through 8 & 9 with bogey, double to finish at 39. Ben shook off a double bogey first hole to also finish at 39, and both players scored an equal 16 points meaning Ben still had a 6 point lead going into the final 9 holes.

That’s when things got crazy.

5 birdies between the 2 players on the first 4 holes on the back. An epic battle that was getting tighter as the players approached the last par 3. Terry 3 putted for bogey while Ben made par, which seemed to seal the deal. Heading to the 17th tee, Andy even stated “Terry, you have to finish birdie – birdie to have a shot”. After both players striped drives down the middle, Ben hit his approach on the green but a bit long. Terry hit a wedge to 3 feet and tapped in the putt for a birdie while Ben made par…the lead was down to 2 points…butt puckering time.

Both players again hit perfect drives on 18 and Chris Graham captured the final moments on video:

Congrats to Ben Thompson for playing by far the best golf of his K2K career, a great performance capped by a 76 on the final round at a world class course. In the end though, it was Terry Blunt who captured his 6th K2K Cup with a -1 par 72, the first under par round in K2K history.