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Tom Watson Loses For Only Second Time In His Annual KC-Area Challenge

In case you missed it, there is a new winner for the first time in four years in the annual Watson Challenge golf tournament.

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Former Kansas State golfer and Wolf Creek professional Joe Ida held off a late rush from Kansas City-area amateur Ryan Zech, from Kearney, Mo. to win the 6th annual Watson Challenge.

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Ida finished with a total score of six-under-par 204 over the par 70 Indian Hills Country Club course, to beat Zech by a single stroke. Zech actually had a chance to tie with a birdie putt on the 18th hold, but he missed an eight-footer that would have sent the tournament to a playoff.

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Nursing an injured wrist, Kansas City golf legend Tom Watson, the host of the three-day charity tournament, finished eight shots back of Ida in a tie for fourth at 212.

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Watson, who had won the tournament the last four years, kidded this year’s field at the press conference announcing this year’s Challenge. “Can’t you beat this old guy,” he implored? You should be able to beat this old guy like a drum."

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What’s that saying? Be careful what you ask for.