By Don Eskins (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Area prep golfers represented themselves well at the tournament with seven linksters earning medalist honors.
Miller’s Presten Richardson, Galena’s Adam Richardson and Lincoln’s Bo Kroenke all finished in the top five.
Richardson gained tournament runner up honors carding a 153 over the course of the two day 36-hole tournament, just one stroke behind Gallatin top medalist winner Jeff Simmons who recorded a 152. Cunnygham, who finished third was just two back of Simmons with a 154 while Lincoln’s Kroenke fired a 155 to tie for fourth place.
“A two under par on the front side got me going today but I didn’t play that well on the backside,” said Richardson. “I got a little angry after getting three bogeys, one of which was a triple, but I finished with an eagle on eighteen. I’m not so angry now.”
“Last year I finished eleventh so finishing second this year, as a sophomore, is really encouraging. That’s a lot of improvement,” he said. “It tells me that I’ve been doing something right. I’m going to focus hard on continuing to get better over the summer.”
For senior Cunnyingham 2018 will be one to remember.
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“I was only two strokes behind the tournament winner. I’m happy with that especially since I was eight over on a stretch of three holes over the past two days,” said the Galena Bear. “Going out in the top three, in my last trip to the state tournament, makes me feel good.”
Lincoln’s Bo Kroenke felt like his effort at the ‘Big Dance’ was one to build on.
“I hit some good and not so good shots today. But my putter saved me a few times- it was about as good as it’s been all year,” Kroenke said. “But I’m just a sophomore so I have two more opportunities to get back to state and win. I’m looking forward to that.”
In the team competition, it wasn’t a state championship but for the Thomas Jefferson Independent High School Cavaliers it sure felt that way.
The Cavaliers, behind Owen D’Amour’s team leading 167, carded a 724 to grab fourth place in this year’s MSHSAA Class 1 State Championship held at Rivercut golf course in Springfield on Monday and Tuesday.
Thomas Jefferson will be taking home a trophy in 2018 and that fulfills a dream the Cavaliers have been pursuing for the past four years.
“Bringing a trophy back to Thomas Jefferson has been a goal we’ve been pushing for the past four years,” said Cavalier senior Dustin Turnbow. “Personally placing fourth, and finally getting to take a trophy back home, means a lot to me. We’ve really put in a lot of time and effort since my freshman year to do this. We’re all very proud of ourselves for finally being able to accomplish our goal.”
Senior teammate Andrew Lown shared Turnbow’s sentiments.
“I knew this was going to be the year for us to do it,” Lown said. “I knew because we have a great team and a great coach. Because of them I felt confident that we could do it.”
Joining D’Amour on the Jefferson scorecard were Aaron Wells 180, Luke Kirk 180, Lown 197 and Turnbow 225.
“We brought two sophomores up last year for the state tournament. One of them finished 18th and the other 32nd,” said Cavalier head coach Chris Leiter. “They returned home confident that they had what it took to get back. They wound up inspiring the whole team to get back here this year and take home a trophy. They all believed in themselves, worked hard and they did it.”
