Dylan Goodwin in play during the 2018 KC Open Pro Final. Photo by Gwyneth Bowen. (Click to Zoom)

COMEBACKS ARE THE THEME FOR THE KNOCKOUT ROUND

PLAYER REPORT -- Dylan Goodwin

The 2018 Kansas City Open Pro Division offered a day designed for the croquet hardcore. Matt Griffith and I squared off in the final yesterday at about 5:30 p.m. at Kactus Creek Croquet Club in Parkville, Missouri, after playing five straight games. In total, we played eight hours of croquet with about 15 minutes for a quick lunch after round two.

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As the action started, I flubbed the first attack of the day trying to take red over to corner one from H3. I turfed it and had to bail and was stuck red dead on partner and for H2 for the majority of the game. Griffith got control and built up an early lead. Later, he set up a break for blue in C4, but wired my yellow ball in the process. That gave me an easy two-yard roquet on the line to steal the break. I hit too softly and the yellow ball rolled off a full foot as it slowed.

Griffith took that break and full control the game from there. He even took both balls through H9 together with a peel to only give up one clearing. I did clear red and that opened things up. I got in and took yellow around to H14. After a little more interaction, I failed a set up for red, but Griffith turfed his roquet attempt with blue and red got to run a three-ball with blue and yellow. That went into last turns and went well until I over-rolled at H12 -- two hoops short of getting a proper leave set! With a one-point lead, Red had to shoot off court while yellow and blue sat close together near H12 (yellow thee-ball dead).

Griffith put black out from C1 to try to leave blue a rush to H13. However, it ended up on the opposite side. After I took yellow off court, Griffith tried to rush black to peel position at H12, but left it too angled for an attempt. He took off to H13 for the tie, but came up with an angled attempt, that got in the jaws but not through. That gave me a 24-23 win and my first 9WS Pro title since the 2015 MCA Championship. 

Pro Runner-up Matt Griffith during the qualification round. Photo by Gwyneth Bowen. (Click to Zoom)Interestingly, we both had to make comebacks in the semifinals to get to the final. I played Billy Bob Breeden in my final and he went on super-productive two-ball break to get around through the doubles, but didn't get a proper leave set. That left me some options and I was able to get a ball around and ultimately survive 23-16. Greg Clouse had a pretty good lead against Griffith in that semifinal, but my game finished in time to see Griffith take red around as first last ball. After strong leave, Griffith collected enough hoops to snatch the lead (maybe his first of the game) and leave Clouse with only a half-court boundary shot to get in. Clouse couldn't get the miracle roquet and Griffith advanced 26-23.

The format for the day was unique as the event netted just six entries for the Pro Division. With that scenario, the event was moved up one day to Saturday, which allowed 9WS leader Greg Clouse to play in the event and consolidated the event to one-day as Gold only had four players. The only hitch for the Pro Divsion was that switchup meant we would have the most feared number of players in tournament management -- seven. After the experimental King of the Mountain (KOM) format was veto'd on Friday, a four-round Swiss was crafted, with four of the top seven advancing to a playoff.

The challenge with seven though is that there would be a random bye each round. That meant four players would lose ground in the overall points race. The concession made there was that bye players were awarded a point in the Swiss standings (equal to a game win) giving those players a fighting chance to make the playoff.

The projection was that two wins should get you into the playoff round and thankfully that proved to be true as there was really no question about the four that advanced and the seeding also lined out logically based on win-loss records.

SWISS QUALIFICATION ROUND