Hanna Continues Hot Summer with Kenneth Smith Award
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas men’s golf incoming freshman Chase Hanna has been thriving on and off the golf course over the past year- and kicked that progress into overdrive this summer.
On June 26, Hanna was recognized for his work as the winner of the Kenneth Smith award.
The Kenneth L. and Eva S. Smith Foundation annually awards a Kansas City-area high school golfer for outstanding accomplishment on the golf course and achievements in academics and community service.
During his senior season at Shawnee Mission East High School, Hanna won first place outright at five of 10 events, including a tie for first at another, only to lose a playoff scorecard round. Among those was a first-place finish at the regional tournament to qualify to compete in the state tournament. He went on to finish eighth at state. Two second-place finishes also highlighted his season. His strong spring helped Shawnee Mission East finish first as a team at the state regional qualifying tournament, where it ultimately took second place at the Kansas state tournament.
Hanna boasted a 3.99 GPA while enrolled in advanced placement and honors courses. He also was part of the Chip it for Children benefit for Children’s Mercy Cancer Center, as well as being a member of the student-led volunteer organization, SHARE, at SME where he helped organize food drives and several other volunteer-based projects.
Hanna has managed to stay both busy and successful during the summer by competing in top-level golf tournaments, setting event and course records. Earlier this month, Hanna won the Kansas Junior Amateur Championship in dominating fashion, winning by eight strokes with a score of 66-68-76—210 on the par-72 Quail Ridge Golf Course in Winfield, Kan., solidifying him as the best junior golfer in the state. The eight-stroke victory was the largest margin of victory in the event’s 54 years.
A week later in Indianapolis, Hanna continued his hot streak, competing against 156 of the top national and international junior golfers at the 96th Western Junior at Meridian Hills Country Club. Hanna shot a course record 63 (-8) par-71 in the first round of the event and went on to finish the tournament tied for 23rd.
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