‘The unicorn of golf’: Maize’s Kinslea Jones shoots 13-under round of 58 in Hesston

Wichita native Kinslea Jones has won three straight Kansas high school golf state titles, played in prestigious summer tournaments and earned a Division-I scholarship to the University of Kansas.

But she delivered her tour de force on Friday.

The Maize senior carded a 13-under round of 58, which included 11 birdies, an eagle and only 23 putts, in winning the Buhler Invitational at the par-71 Hesston Golf Course.

A score of 58 shattered Jones’ previous low of 64, broke the course record in Hesston and officials are confirming with the KSHSAA to see if it is a state record.

“It’s definitely not something that very many people can say that they’ve done,” Jones told The Eagle . “The course played a little bit shorter than what I’m used to playing in the summer, but still to be able to go low, that low, it’s kind of crazy. It’s a little bit overwhelming right now.”

It’s typical for high school tournaments to play a shorter distance than the summer-circuit events that feature competitive golfers from around the region. But it wasn’t like the Hesston Golf Course was playing comically short — the 18 holes tracked to be just under 4,800 yards from the red tees on Friday.

But when you can strike the ball further than 260 yards off the tee and you have a short game working like Jones did on Friday, 4,800 yards doesn’t seem long at all. Jones was one of only two golfers (Newton’s Naomi Koontz at 3-under) in the 107-player field to finish under par.

“I’ve been here for three years now, and I’ve never seen anyone shoot below a 60,” said Zach Frey, the head director at Hesston Golf Course. “Kinslea just played lights out from tee to green. It was pretty amazing to watch. I know everyone who played with her in her group was pretty astounded.”

In hindsight, it should have been apparent from the very first hole on Friday when Jones made eagle on the par-5 No. 9 that something special was brewing.

After settling for two straight pars, Jones rattled off seven straight birdies in closing out the back-nine with a score of 28. With her eagle on No. 9 already in the bank, Jones said it was at the turn when she figured breaking 60 was possible.

“Honestly, it just grew my confidence because I knew I was hitting it close, and I knew my putts were dropping,” Jones said. “I figured I could be a little more aggressive and trust that it was going to do me well and not get me into trouble.”

Maize coach Ben Harlow typically tries to spread his time evenly between the six golfers on the team during a tournament. But with Jones playing as well as she was and playing in the same group as teammate Charlotte Kerbs, Harlow said it was hard not to watch greatness unfold on Friday.

He knew that Jones was in the zone when she began the round with a sweatshirt on and was still wearing it on the back-nine, even with the temperature starting to crack 80.

“It was just an incredible, incredible day,” Harlow said. “Everybody was kind of just in awe. The pro was coming out of the pro shop to watch. Other people started following her group down the stretch.”

Jones has always been hailed for her even-keeled nature on the golf course. Harlow said opposing coaches often compliment her on her demeanor, as it’s difficult to tell if she is 5-under or 5-over during a round.

Friday was more of the same. In fact, Jones may have been even more determined when she started approaching rarefied territory. At one point, she strung together eight straight birdies and 11 birdies during a 13-hole stretch.

“I knew the whole day where I was at, and honestly, I never felt nervous the whole day,” Jones said. “Once I got to those last holes, it was more like, ‘I can’t wait to hit this shot because I have a chance for birdie.’ I was playing well, and I just wanted to keep it going.”

According to Jones, she played out of the fairway for almost the entire round and had her irons dialed in for close approach shots. But what turned the round from great to special was her putting.

She capitalized almost every time she gave herself a putt within 20 feet and even chipped one in from off the green. By the end of the round, Jones had taken just 23 putts.

“We tell our kids the goal for them is to try to 2-putt every green (for 36 total putts),” Harlow said. “So that just shows you how incredible the round Kinslea had was.

“It doesn’t happen very often, even for the great ones. It’s like the unicorn of golf to break 60. We all know how much time and effort Kinslea puts into the game, so she’s a kid who really deserves this.”