Larsen advances to final at Kansas Amateur Match Play

Garden City, KS (westernkansasnews.com)-Not since Sean Thayer in 1999 has a Garden City golfer captured the Kansas Amateur Match Play Championship. 

Now, Taylor Larsen has a chance to do something 17 years in the making. 

The Garden City High School star punched his ticket into Sunday’s final round with an impressive 2-and-1 victory over Justice Valdivia from Topeka, KS and 3-and-2 win over Chris McGown from Burlington. 

It was another impressive 36 holes from the soon-to-be senior. 

In his first match, Larsen was down two holes early but rallied with birdies on four, six and nine to pull even. He then buried two more birdie puts on the back nine, including a beauty on 13 that gave him the advantage for the first time on the day. He finished the match off by parring the final two frames. 

Larsen pulled off more heroics in the semifinals vs. McGown. Once again, he trailed through the first four holes before a birdie on six gave him his first lead. He eventually went 2-up when McGown bogeyed back-to-back holes on 11 and 12. 

Larsen put the match on ice with a birdie put on the 564-yard, par-5 15th before parring 16 to end it. 

Larsen will now face off with Blake Allen from Lenexa, KS in the finals on Sunday.