Kansas City has wild comeback to win at Summit League tournament
The Kansas City Roos’ men’s golf team posing with the Summit League trophy.
May 2, 2023
The Kansas City Roos men’s golf team won the Summit League championship and will head to the 2023 NCAA regionals.
After three rounds from April 30 to May 2 in Lincoln, Nebraska, the Roos reeled off a victory on a historic performance from sophomore, Summit League MVP and All-Tournament Team golfer Joshuaa Robards. This is the first time Kansas City won the title since 2013, even though they won the Western Athletic Conference in 2019.
Robards was not phased by his opponents heading into the last day of play.
“I felt comfortable,” Robards said. “I had some support from my assistant coach, and we were pretty confident with the line.”
Heading into the final round, the Roos trailed Denver by seven strokes, while tying with Oral Roberts. Not only did Kansas City have to come back from a deficit, but they also combated heavy winds.
These conditions did not stop them from performing at a high level, with an impressive 285 strokes to pull away with the title.
Robards did not win alone. Freshman Lucas Dutarte, junior Daniel Gutsgesell, freshman Mesa Falleur and graduate student Maxence Catherine all played a significant role in cutting the Roos’ deficit late in the tournament.
As the 18th hole ended, head coach J.W. VanDenBorn walked around the green, taking in the win. After facing a temporary shutdown due to budgetary constraints during the COVID-19 pandemic, he thought about how grateful he was for his players to have faith in him and his staff.
“I just think about the commitment these guys have had to our program for the last two years,” VanDenBorn said. “It’s been a long difficult road and for us to be in the position and it pays off, it’s unbelievable.”
The Australian golfer, who also is the first player to win an individual conference title since 2018, embraced his teammates after the match and mentioned what it means to win it all.
“It’s absolutely unreal,” Robards said. “To not only have that but have all the boys around me was awesome.”
Kansas City will now have to wait and see where they will be seeded on May 3 at noon on the Golf Channel. The selections will be announced on NCAA.com as well shortly after it airs on television.
