2019: Ken's inaugural outing at the Ryder Cup was very successful. The Ken/Ken partnership was a bit of a one-sided affair, but he prevailed over the Cobra Kai captain. His second partnership with the Lombardo captain was a decisive win over Gordo and Mel, even with Mel's 5 foot wedges throughout the match. The one on one matchup was a shellacking over an undermanned Bandit. Ken will be getting an upgraded opponent in the 2021 Ryder Cup.
2020: Ken unfortunately had Zach on his team for COVID cup. Fortunately, Zach was able to play the entire round as it was the Friday afternoon matchup. Saturday was a different story. Ken partnered with Gordo and started the morning a bit rough. By the turn, they were in full force and took the back nine decisively. The afternoon match was the match of the weekend, where Ken and Brad took on the Bandit and Sarge. The matched ended up AS living up to the hype.
2021: Ken was paired with another senior, Jeff to take on Rick and Ty. The scramble round was a success, and the duo was able to hold on for the victory 2&1. The morning round unfortunately he was paired with the lesser of the two Eckles, Kyle. That match against Clo and Gordo did not go well at all. The walking zombie, Kyle was no help for Ken as he was trying to fend off two good golfers. Losing 4 of the first 5 holes put them in a hole they could not dig out of. Clo and Gordo never looked back, taking the match 7&6, turning out to be the worst matchup of the week on the scrambles. Ken was then faced against Brad in the 1v1 match. Ken won the first hole then went on to lose the next 4. He battled his way back and was 2 down at the turn. On the back, it was a bit of a back and forth but Ken was able to battle back to all square going in to 17. Both Brad and Ken bogeyed the final two holes, ending the match in AS. Ken is looking to set his sites on Clo next year in the 1 on 1, while Brad will go battle the lesser Staten.
2022: Ken had a favorable opening pairing with Eric against the two Cobra Kai seniors, Mel and Ken. Ken and Eric were able to dominate the opening round. Ken was then paired with Jason in the Saturday morning round against the Cobra Kai captain and Brad. This match didn't stay close as Ken was stuggling to hit the ball in the air and of course Jason was no help. As much fun as the two had, they lost in poor fashion to Brandon and Brad. Ken then had the marquee matchup in the afternoon against the Cobra Kai ace, Clo. Ken started out down 2 as Clo was able to save par on 1. Ken fought back winning the next 4 out of 5 holes. Ken found himself up 1 at the turn. Ken then won the next 3 holes, being up 4 through 12, feeling the victory within grasp! At this point, Clo had nothing to lose, he proceeded to find the cart girl and take a couple shots of rum on the 14th tee, completely turning the tide. He ended up rallying to win the next 5 holes and sealing the victory over Ken, and ultimately the Cobra Kai MVP award. Ken should have a much easier opponent in the Bandit in 2023.
2023: Ken continues to be the steady winning machine for Team Lombardo. He was paired with the more handsome Barnak, Scott on Friday afternoon. They took down the Cobra Kai ace, Clo with Zach winning the match 1Up. Saturday morning, Ken and Searge were paired against Bryan and Steve (clearly a throwaway play from the Cobra Kai captain). It was a slaughter, with Ken and Searge winning the match on hole 12. Ken was then matched up against the Bandit on Saturday afternoon. Ken was just too much for the little twerp. Ken won 4 of the first 8 holes, with Bandit winning 9. Ken took the 3 shot lead at the turn and never looked back. He won 4 of the first 6 holes on the back nine and won the match 5&3. Ken will likely be getting a better opponent in 2024 as the Bandit doesn't seem to be at the echelon of that of Ken or Searge on Lombardo.
Player Bio
Ken is the father of Statenstache, regrettably. He is a WAY better golfer than his son, however, tends to bend to peer pressure from the Cobra Kai captain and his posse's shenanigans. Ken is one of the Lombardo ace's and will need to continue to be one of the top players if Lombardo wants a chance at winning.
Ryder Cup Highlight
Ken's debut on the Ryder Cup was 3 resounding wins, one of which was with a partner who sub-consciously drove the golf cart in to a tree while Ken was on the green attempting to win his match 1 v. 2. His partner, meanwhile, was spinning out the tires, not going anywhere (due to the tree). Ken won the hole, rushed over to save his partner from sliding down a hill, and carried out the round to a big win.
Fun Fact
Ken has a golf club buying addiction on eBay. His garage is full of 52 sets of golf clubs, always hoping the next set will give him an additional stroke on the golf course.