Here’s how day one of the Watson Challenge golf tournament played out in Parkville

Ironically, golf was one of the last things on Michael Letzig’s mind during his opening round in The Watson Challenge on Thursday.

A golfer with a resume featuring appearances on the PGA Tour, the 41-year-old Parkville resident hasn’t competed professionally in three years and doesn’t get out to play as much as he used to. He relaxes more when he’s on the course now, like he did Thursday with his wife caddying for him, their conversations mostly away from the game.

This strategy helped Letzig establish a two-shot lead after 18 holes, 4-under 68, in the 13th edition of The Watson Challenge at The National Golf Club of Kansas City.

The event, started in 2007 and back from a one-year hiatus wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic, is an annual tournament to determine the best golfer in the Kansas City area.

“It was a good couple’s therapy day,” Letzig said of his round. “We just kind of had a lot of good memories about when we were on tour and how our lives are different now. It just kind of kept my mind off of what I was doing in between shots.”

The course — designed by this tournament’s namesake, Kansas City native and eight-time major winner Tom Watson — demands length and precision off the tee, with an average par-4 length of 412 yards and par-5 of 541. Recent rain that slowed the ball’s roll Thursday, along with a thick rough, added even more difficulty. And that showed on most players’ scorecards, with just six of 49 entrants breaking par in Round 1.

But aggression paid off early for Letzig. He drove the green in two shots on the par-5 fifth hole to set himself up for a two-putt birdie. And he kept up the pace from there, saying later that he thought he was “consistent” throughout the round.

“My second shot (on No. 5), I probably should’ve laid up, but I always go for it in the mornings when I’m playing with my buddies here,” Letzig said. “It felt like the right time to take a chance and get some momentum going, and I pulled it off.”

A trio of golfers were tied for second after shooting 2-under 70s for their first round: Ryan Argotsinger of Lee’s Summit, Andy Spencer of Prairie Village and Robert Russell of Overland Park. Argotsinger, who is paired with Letzig and Russell in a 10 a.m. tee time Friday, was at 2-under for most of the round until a disastrous double-bogey on 15 forced him back on track.

On the 556-yard, par-5 No. 15, Argotsinger clipped a tree and ended up in the rough. Two-under at the time, he carded a seven for the hole and dropped to even par for the round. But the former Southern Miss golfer recovered well from the mistake, making birdie on the next two holes to get back where he was originally.

“I struck it well, I putted it good ... I just had a few bad shots; otherwise it would’ve been a really good round,” Argotsinger said. “Nothing much you can do when you get breaks like that (on the 15th). But to bounce back on the next two holes, that felt good.”

Spencer, a two-time winner of The Watson Challenge in 2017 and 2018, said that his round was drama-free but left room for improvement. The former Kansas golfer went 1-under on the par 5s (a mark, he said, that he didn’t play “as well as he wanted”), but overall he seemed pleased.

“I struck it pretty well,” Spencer said. “I don’t know off the top of my head how many greens I hit, but it felt like I hit quite a few. (I) didn’t really put too much stress on myself ... which was nice, especially for the first round of the tournament. You can certainly lose it on the first round and shoot yourself out of it, but I feel like I put myself in a great spot ahead of the weekend.”

Watson, 71, has won this event six times and played once again Thursday, almost shooting better than his age with a 3-over 75 to tie for 15th. He’ll be teeing off for his second round at 9:10 a.m. Friday.

Spencer expressed appreciation for Watson’s event and the KC golf legend’s contributions to the sport in Kansas City.

And with Spencer gunning for the lead, it’s just like old times.

“I love this event,” Spencer said. “I was pretty bummed when we got canceled last year, so it’s good to be back. I love seeing all the dudes from around Kansas City. Tom does so much for Kansas City golf ... it’s really fun to compete with him and the other guys all across town.”

This story was originally published June 3, 2021 at 4:10 PM.