By Don Eskins (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The Carl Junction Bulldogs carded a 307 to claim this year’s MSU Relay Invitational Golf Tournament Championship on Thursday, April 4, at the Bill and Payne Stewart Golf Course, in Springfield.
Although Carl Junction will wear this year’s MSU Relay crown, grabbing the title wasn’t an easy task for them. The Bulldogs slipped by the runner-up Kickapoo Chiefs, who fired a 309, by just two strokes and the third place Lebanon Yellow Jackets, who came in at 312, by just five.
“Lots of kids were struggling today due to the cold and windy conditions they were playing in. You can tell just how difficult play was by today’s scores,” said Carl Junction head golf coach Ryan Jones. “Lucky for us our kids played just a little bit better than the other teams.”
“This was the third tournament of the new season for our kids, and they continue to exhibit consistency in their games,” he said. “Today we really didn’t bring our best stuff. But they did compete against the course well and that’s exactly what we needed to do on a day like this one. It took a lot of hard work to get this win, and as their coach, I couldn’t be more proud of the effort they put out to get it.”
Jack Spencer led the Bulldog effort with a one over par round of 71.
“We know we have five golfers on our team that can score so every time we enter a tournament, we all get excited about how well we might play,” said Spencer. “As for me I felt pretty comfortable with my game, despite the cold and windy weather.”
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE TOURNAMENT
“But, more than my score, I was happier about our team winning such a big, competitive, and prestigious tournament,” he said. “All of these guys are my buddies and it’s always fun to win with your friends.”
Posting Carl Junction’s second-best score was Logan Lowry with a 77.
Runner-up Kickapoo also had a lot to be happy about, especially their head coach Ron Yocum.
“Our kids played great and I’m a happy coach,” said Yocum. “Any time you can get close to carding a 300 you’ve really done something and that’s just what our kids did.”
“Today’s effort should show our kids that they can compete at a high level,” he said. “Now we just have to get better, something we try to do every day.”
En route to posting their 309, the Chiefs were led by Owen Jump with a 75. Overall, four Kickapoo linksters carded scores in the 70’s.
The Lebanon YellowJackets, behind Ethan Mustard’s 71, placed third.
MSU’s top medalist award went out to Rolla’s Jonathan Jordan. Jordan carded an even par round of 70 to top this year’s 24-team field.
Next year Jordan will be swinging his clubs for Missouri State University.
“This was a great day for Jonathan. We signed Jonathan to play for us here at MSU next fall,” said MSU head golf coach Neil Stafford. “We’ve been recruiting him for the past two years. He’s a great competitor. He’s won the Missouri Junior and match play, was the Class 4 state champion last year and he won our own MSU tournament today. We’re very much looking forward to having him on our team next fall.”
Scorecards- Top 3 Teams:
First Place, Carl Junction 307: 1. Jack Spencer 71, 2. Logan Lowry 77, 3. Tommy Walker 79, 4. Austin Baker 80, and Nixon Cook 104.
Second Place, Kickapoo 309: 1. Owen Jump 75, 2. Nick Thompson 77, 3. Lincoln Swann 78, 4. Caleb Kim 79, and 5. Drew Angus 87.
Third Place, Lebanon 312: 1. Ethan Mustard 71, 2. Jacob Clark 78, 3. Titan Haney 80, 4. Kory Hough 83, and 5. Trustin Cox 84.
MSU Relay’s Top 12 Teams:
1. Carl Junction – 307
2. Kickapoo – 309
3. Lebanon – 312
4. Rogersville – 313
5. Rolla – 314
6. Rockhurst – 315
T7- Glendale – 322
T7- Republic – 322
9. Monett – 325
10. West Plains – 326
11. Catholic – 331
12. Willow Springs – 341
Top 10 Medalists:
1. Jonathan Jordan – 70 – Rolla
2. Ethan Mustard – 71 – Lebanon
3. Jaxon Bailey – 71 – Monett
4. Jack Spencer – 71 – Carl Junction
5. Cason Bekemeier – 73 – Republic
6. Bryce Marshall – 74 – Rogersville
7. Owen Jump – 75 – Kickapoo
8. Hudson Feuerbacher – 75 – Glendale
9. Conner Dierks – 76 – Rockhurst
10. Nick Thompson – 77 – Kickapoo
Also recording 77’s were:
11. Ben Mulherin – 77 – Catholic
12. Logan Lowry – 77 – Carl Jct.
For Placement – Ties were decided by a scorecard playoff.
