13 Jul 2009 at 22:30 | Published by: JJM | Views: 8845 | News search

A player in trouble at Ball Fore adventure golf course.  (Photo by competitiveminigolf.com 2008)

The reigning PPA champion (2008) Kevin Lacey is now also the reigning national champion of USPMGA, as he won US Open 2009 at Ball Fore adventure golf course in Worth, Illinois, USA.

Lacey is the second player in American minigolf history to hold the national champion title of both two federations, PPA and USPMGA. Brad Lebo did the same trick in 2006, winning both titles in the same year. Political unity between the two American minigolf federations may still look like a distant dream, but the top players have no problem combining these two leagues in their competition calendars.

Kevin Lacey played average score 33.75 at the difficult Ball Fore adventure golf course. Randy Reeves was second with average 34.63, 7 points behind Lacey. 2006 US Open winner Brad Lebo was third with average 35.00, 3 points behind Reeves.

The rest of the top 10 of this USPMGA event was occupied by current and former PPA top players, and two experienced European players from Czech Republic: Olivia Prokopová (7th) and Milan Sykora (10th).

The tournament included also a pairs competition: Kevin Lacey & Nate Nichols were best with team average 34.44, Brad Lebo & Randy Reeves were second with team average 34.81, and Rainey Statum & Charlie Greenwalt were third with team average 35.25.

Andy Richter, the co-host of Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien, played three rounds at the minigolf course together with the competition players, achieving round scores 43, 39 and 46. Material recorded during his visit will be seen in Tonight Show some weeks from now.

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