Len Johnsen admittedly didn’t do anything spectacular during Monday’s opening round of the Kansas Golf Assn. Mid-Amateur Championship.
He didn’t have any monster drives, didn’t sink any long-range putts, didn’t even have an eagle.
But Johnsen’s 6-under-par 68 proved to be plenty, spotting him a five-stroke lead over Wichita’s Ben York after 18 holes heading into today’s final round at Lawrence Country Club. Tom Bachelor, of Olathe, resides in third at 74.
“I didn’t really make anything long,” said Johnsen, a former Kansas University golfer and current Overland Park resident. “I hit a lot of greens, kept it in play and really did what I needed to do. I hit it pretty solid today.”
The fact that Johnsen is leading after the first round really shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, considering he’s an impressive plus-6 handicap. Unlike most golfers competing in the Mid-Am a stroke-play competition with both gross and net age-division competitions Johnsen’s net score of 74 actually was worse than his gross tally.
To put this in perspective, Stacy Kramer of Topeka shot a 77, but has the lowest net score at 66 because of his handicap of 11.
Although Johnsen played for Kansas from 1986-91, he said Monday was the first competitive round he’d ever played at LCC. He is by no means a stranger to the Lawrence links, though.
“Going to KU we came over occasionally,” Johnsen said. “We played out here not a bunch, but enough to know where you can miss it a little bit and how the greens are.”
Johnsen, whose longest putt made was from about 12 feet away, had six birdies against just two bogeys Monday. In fact, he started fast, bolting to 4-under with birdies on Nos. 3, 5, 7 and 9.
“I played real well, played real solid,” Johnsen said. “I missed one green on the front, got it up and down. I hit eight greens on the front, real solid all the way around. I hit it in there (within) 10, 12, 15 feet and got to make a few putts.”
Things took a turn for the worse after making the turn, though, as Johnsen suffered back-to-back bogeys on Nos. 10 and 11. But he settled down to earn birdies on Nos. 12 and 15 before closing with three straight pars.
Many of the golfers in the afternoon session would have killed for pars, after having to endure the already wet and windy conditions and then dealing with intermittent rain showers.
In fact, of the top eight scores Monday, just one was turned in during the later session Mitch Seals, of Wichita, fired a 75 and is in a five-way tie for fourth.
“I feel good about it, especially the way I’ve been shooting,” said Seals, who shot two rounds of 81 during last week’s Senior Amateur Championship in Wichita. “I’m striking the ball good, I just haven’t been scoring. Finally it started coming together today.”
After making a birdie on No. 2, Seals almost was sunk by a double-bogey on No. 8 before salvaging a birdie on No. 9.
Hal Taylor of Caney, which is about 10 miles west of Coffeyville is three strokes back of Kramer for net scores after shooting a 77 with a handicap of 8. Taylor, who chipped in for par from just off the green on No. 13, had a birdie on No. 12 to go with four bogeys and a double-bogey.
“It’s playing tough,” Taylor said of the course. “If you aren’t on the fairway it’s very difficult. But the greens are in great shape, the course is in great shape. The rough is just tough.”
The leaders will play in the last threesome during today’s final round, teeing off at 2:20 p.m.
Monday at LCC
Ben York, Wichita 73
Tom Bachelor, Olathe 74
Mark Lambertz, Lake Quivira 75
Gary Roles, Overland Park 75
Bobby Vickers, Leawood 75
Berwyn Sasek, Lenexa 75
Mitch Seals, Wichita 75
Matt Murray, Overland Park 76
Joe Gorene, Leawood 76
Steve Newman, Wichita 76
Dan Bock, Olathe 76
Andrew Emerson, Overland Park 76
Kurt Lorenzen, Olathe 76
Michael Cutshall, Olathe 77
Chuck Christenson, Kansas City 77
Gary Lucas, Topeka 77
Tim Kelley, Paola 77
Thomas Schmitt, Hutchinson 77
Dan Mullen, Overland Park 77
Tim Tyner, Council Grove 77
Chris Swyers, Wichita 77
Lou Rapalino, Parsons 77
Hal Taylor, Caney 77
Stacy Kramer, Topeka 77
Bob Boring, Overland Park 78
Mike Steiert, Fairway 78
Jim Clement, Olathe 78
Steve Perry, Kansas City 78
Bill Maness, Wichita 78
William Toalson, Mission Hills 78
Dave Harris, Overland Park 78
John Aykroyd, Overland Park 78
Chandler McCray, Fairway 78
Robert Gleissner, Overland Park 78
Marty Sallaz, Leawood 79
Mark Addington, Olathe 79
Benn Sledge, Overland Park 79
Robert Nelson, Lenexa 79
Kendall Chance, Wichita 79
Brad Waggoner, Osawatomie 79
Charlie Schorgl, Prairie Village 80
Mark Ferris, Louisburg 80
Jim Sauntry, Overland Park 80
Scott Day, Oklahoma City 80
Robert Hartmann, Wichita 80
Patrick Foreman, La Cygne 80
Todd Hale, Columbus 80
Ron Brewer, Leawood 81
Calvin Clough, Wichita 81
Michael Casement, Wichita 81
Bary Martin, Salina 81
Tim Foreman, Belton 81
Brent Dewitz, Olathe 81
David Pawlus, Parsons 82
Robert Bezek, Baldwin 82
Steve Groom, Raytown, Mo. 82
Randy Vautravers, Wichita 82
Shannon Brooks, Kansas City 82
Robert Merritt, Roeland Park 82
Michael Mitchell, Ozawkie 82
Scott Flickinger, Overland Park 83
David Rismiller, Prairie Village 83
David Sanders, Overland Park 83
Jeff Hamilton, Wichita 83
Trey Hayes, Coffeyville 83
Jim Hagan, Topeka 83
Mike Everett, Baldwin 83
Greg Emas, Overland Park 84
Tim Saracini, Kansas City 84
Ron Wooden, Council Grove 84
Ed Wheat, Wichita 84
Brian Cole, Topeka 84
Michael Ingram, Shawnee 84
Dave Christensen, Shawnee 84
David Conderman, Olathe 85
Trenton Brown, Arkansas City 85
Thomas Zacharias, Overland Park 85
Bill Mosimann, Topeka 85
Paul Olson, Garden City 85
Jay Edwards, Leawood 85
Bob Hackney, Wichita 86
Steven Kaup, Manhattan 86
Ron Ragland, Independence 86
Kenny Maples, Coffeyville 86
Peter Shriver, Olathe 86
Kent Reynolds, Overland Park 87
Shawn Boat, Kansas City 87
Mike Windisch, Overland Park 87
Rick Clark, Emporia 87
Randy Schuetz, Wichita 87
Dick Kendrick, Overland Park 87
Max Pinney, Shawnee 88
Joe Castaneda, Kinsley 88
Guy Cannon, Gladstone 88
Jack Song, Junction City 88
Butch Earnhart, Olathe 88
Bart Stuckey, Olathe 88
Joe Krestine, Leawood 88
Mark Terranova, Lenexa 89
Brad Woley, Wichita 89
Bill Kell, Topeka 89
Robert Abell, Wichita 89
David Thomas, Olathe 89
Dan Malaun, Overland Park 89
Kevin Morrison, Shawnee 90
Tim Sweemer, Ogden 90
Trevor Boggs, Kinsley 90
Nick Hahn, Manhattan 91
Grant Blaylcok, Halstead 91
Randy Kolman, Shawnee 91
Rea Laflin, Atchison 91
Randy Heilman, Council Grove 91
Don Darnell, Overland Park 91
Tom Pickert, Overland Park 92
Clark Watkins, Leawood 92
Ed Plopa, Wichita 92
Max Merrill, Lenexa 93
David Tai, Overland Park 94
Mark Carrillo, Parsons 94
Randy Weigel, Overland Park 96
Robert Norris, Tonganoxie 97
Steve Embry, Kansas City 97
Gary Krueger, Lee’s Summit 98
Steve Modrein, Overland Park 100
Paul Buehler, Mission 104
Jim Nowell, Overland Park 110