It might not have been the desired birdie, but it was enough.
Jake Istnick’s three-foot par putt on the ninth hole at Alvamar Golf Course Thursday gave him a two-day total of 146, just making the cut for the today’s final round at the Kansas Open.
“When I heard 146 (was the projected cut) I was sort of pleased,” Istnick said, “but I really wanted to birdie this last hole and I hit 50 feet from the pin.”
Luckily for Istnick, who graduated from KU in May, his uphill birdie putt was just a yard short of the hole.
“Yeah, thank God,” Istnick said. “I didn’t want a six-footer for 146.”
Istnick shot a 76 after opening with a 70 on Wednesday. He said making the cut was on his mind while making the birdie putt.
“I’m still young out here. The veterans learn how to not think that way,” said Istnick, who just turned pro last month. “It’s something I’m learning more and more about how to block out final scores and cut lines and the amount of the check and how much a certain putt is worth on the last couple holes.
“It’s hard, but I’m learning how to do it and it’s helping my game.”
Not all pros blocked the cut out of their minds though.
Randy Towner, the head pro at Alvamar Country Club, let his mind get in the way of his playing early in the day.
“I hit it out-of-bounds on the second hole,” Towner said, “and when you know the cut’s going to be even par or one over and all of the sudden you’re two over par, you’re kind of scrambling to get back in.”
The double-bogey on number two was an auspicious start for Towner, who finished the round with two double-bogeys, five bogeys and a birdie.
“Where yesterday I played nice and consistent,” Towner said, “today I was just off a little bit and when you get to where you know you’ve missed the cut then it’s kind of hard to keep your concentration.”
Towner shot an 80 Thursday, for a two-round total of 152 after playing even-par golf Wednesday.
Andy Stewart, a senior Kansas University golfer, also missed the cut after Thursday’s round, shooting a 77 for a two-day total of 149.
“I played terribly,” he said. “I just didn’t make any putts all day.”
Ironically, Stewart’s bad day on the greens was best illustrated by a par.
“I had it about two and a half feet out for birdie on 13 and missed it,” he said. “I only made one birdie all day and that was a two-putt on two. You can’t get it done without making any birdies.”
Jason deBuhr, who teamed with Stewart to win the Kansas Golf Assn. Four-Ball Championship in June at the course, made a more positive turnaround than his former partner.
DeBuhr shot a 73 Thursday, 11 strokes better than Wednesday’s 84.
“Yesterday, 84 wasn’t reflective of how I played,” deBuhr said. “I had a big score on a hole and today I eliminated that big score and any other really big mistakes. I just played really solid today.”
The two KU golfers didn’t only differ in their two-day turnarounds, but in their opinion of the course compared to the Four-Ball Championship.
“The greens are putting faster and the course is playing longer because of the rain we had,” deBuhr said, “but overall it’s pretty similar.”
Stewart didn’t feel quite the same.
“The course is definitely harder,” he said, “but it’s a completely different game when you’re playing with two guys and you can make those mistakes and get away with them.”
