TOPEKA — Myles Alonzo came off the Topeka Country Club course very nonchalant on Monday. He smiled and shared a few laughs with his family. His easy-going personality is infectious, but it offsets his ruthlessness on the links.
Alonzo, who graduated from Topeka West in May, claimed the Topeka Golf Association’s City Stroke Play Championship title.
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He won the three-day tournament with a score of 205. The tournament field played Lake Shawnee on Saturday and Cypress Ridge on Sunday for the esteemed championship. Alonzo won by nine strokes over Luke Leonetti and 52 other players in the field.
“I felt pretty good. I knew that if I just kept everything the same and just chilled out making sure everything that I was supposed to do was right, I knew I would be just fine,” Alonzo said. “I was pretty consistent, I had a few bogeys out there, but I had a few lucky shots.”
Leonetti is a 2022 Washburn Rural grad and a current member of the University of Missouri-Kansas City golf team. Alonzo and Leonetti entered Monday’s tournament tied, but it was the Topeka West alum that came out on top thanks to consistency around the greens and some stellar drives.
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Alonzo’s big highlight came on the par-5 12th hole. He had a perfect center-cut drive that set him up for a big second shot that ended hole high on the collar of the green. Alonzo’s third shot was a perfect pitch that rolled directly into the cup. He gave a fist pump and a high five to his caddy, a big moment for Alonzo enroute to his title.
“It was downhill a little bit and if I hit the chip it was going to roll like a putt,” he explained.
Pace of play in the championship came to a crawl towards the back nine. The final round lasted over five hours in the hot conditions. Mental strength along with physical toughness became extremely important. It was a factor in his victory according to Alonzo.
“It felt like I was back in high school,” Alonzo laughed. “It was a struggle. I knew some of the guys weren’t used to it. They are used to ready golf and I just came out of high school. I am used to playing a five hour round.”
Alonzo shared that he will be starting his college golf journey this fall at Fort Hays State.
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Two aces drop in Monday’s competition
While Alonzo was plotting his way around the golf course, two players came home with aces. Jeremiah Nelson drained a hole-in-one on the 6th hole of Topeka Country Club.
Aaron Rethman also nailed an ace on the 11th hole of the course. Rethman shared that he hit a 7-iron from 175 yards away.
“First decent iron shot that I hit all day,” Rethman laughed.
This was Rethman’s third hole-in-one in his life.
Liam Keating covers high school sports for The Topeka Capital-Journal. Send stats or information to him at Lkeating@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Topeka West alum Myles Alonzo wins TGA City Stroke Play Championship
