Wichita State golfer wins Kansas Amateur title to add to Kansas City family history

Winning and golf have long been a regular combination in the Winslow family from Overland Park.

Being the youngest of three siblings, Michael Winslow watched in awe as his brother, Joseph, and sister, Baile, both won Kansas high school state championships at St. Thomas Aquinas and earned Division I scholarships to play golf in college.

Joseph has since followed in the footsteps of their father, Tony, who was a professional golfer in his day.

That’s a lot to live up to, which is what made Sunday afternoon so special to the Winslow family.

With his father as his caddy, Michael, the youngest, carved out his own piece of family lore by winning the Kansas Amateur Match Play Championship on Sunday. He became the 14th golfer in state history to win both the Kansas Amateur and Kansas Junior Amateur, which he won in 2018.

“There’s only so many opportunities you get to have your dad caddy for you in your life,” said Michael, a senior on the Wichita State men’s golf team. “So win, this was really, really special. We were both pretty emotional after I won. I give credit to him for all of my golf knowledge. He has been the backbone of my career, for sure.”

Adding to the emotion of winning was the agony of defeat Winslow suffered last summer when he lost in the finals of both the Kansas and Missouri Amateur.

On Sunday, Winslow pulled away in the second round of the 36-hole final against Olathe’s Will King, a junior on the Kansas men’s golf team, to win 2 up at Topeka Country Club. He is the second straight Shocker to win the prestigious tournament following last year’s victory by Wichita native Zach Sokolosky, a former teammate.

“This is a testament to Mike’s faith in his game and to hard work,” WSU men’s golf head coach Judd Easterling said. “He’s been through so many challenges. I think (Sunday) he just said, ‘Enough is enough, I’m not going to lose today.’”

The experience of playing in two 36-hole finals last summer came in handy for Winslow when he made the turn in Sunday’s morning round down two holes.

In a situation where panic would have previously crept in, Winslow kept his cool.

“I learned from those past experiences and used it to my advantage in this match,” Winslow said. “There are going to be times where things aren’t going to go your way. Last year, I let it affect me. This year, I was just kind of like, ‘Eh, I’ll get the next hole.’”

Winslow said he felt the momentum swing when he managed to claw back to even following the morning round. After a lunch break, he set the tone for the afternoon round with a birdie on No. 1 to take the lead.

King battled back to take his own one-hole advantage, but the match swung for good when Winslow won three straight holes at the end of the second front-nine. The Shocker made birdie on both No. 7 and No. 8, then a bogey from King on No. 9 flipped the score and gave Winslow a two-hole advantage.

A birdie on No. 12 opened up a three-hole lead, while King clawed back one with a birdie of his own on No. 13, a bogey on the next hole gave Winslow his three-hole advantage right back with just four holes to play. King rallied for a birdie in a must-win No. 16, but failed to extend the match on No. 17.

“I’m not going to lie, I did succumb to some nerves there at the end,” Winslow said. “But my dad really helped me out. He said, ‘Think about all of the great things in your life and the people you love. Now take a deep breath.’ That was awesome.”

By winning the Kansas Am, Winslow qualified for the U.S. Amateur Championship, which begins on August 12 at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minn.

Coming from such a distinguished golfing family, he felt a real sense of accomplishment on Sunday. His trophy collection now includes a Kansas high school individual state title, a Kansas Junior Amateur title and a Kansas Amateur title.

“It still really hasn’t hit me yet,” Winslow said. “It will probably hit me sometime (Monday). This is just so awesome.”