BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. — Tanner Owen will have plenty of experience to draw on when he makes his third trip to the Class 4 Missouri State Golf Championships next week.
A Park Hill South junior and University of Nebraska commit, he will look to build off of a 32nd-place showing from last year after finishing fifth in Class 4 Sectional 4 play Monday, May 11 at Adams Pointe Golf Club. Owen is making his third straight trip to state in search of his first all-state season.
“To my standards, I haven’t really performed even close to my potential at state yet,” Owen said. “Coming off of a better season and two wins the past two weeks and a top-five today. I definitely have a lot more confidence going. I think the swing is better. Overall, I’m more accurate so I’m excited.”
Owen carded no score worse than a bogey to finish with a six-over 78 at sectionals. He will be the only Park Hill South to play two scheduled rounds Monday, May 18 and Tuesday, May 19 at Sedalia Country Club in Sedalia, Mo. The Panthers qualified four individuals out of districts, allowing them to compete as a team at sectionals.
Park Hill South finished eighth in the Sectional 4 team standings with a 362, well back of champion Rockhurst (309) and out of the hunt for one of two automatic berths.
“It was very windy; conditions were tough. Scores reflect that. Scores are a lot higher than our kids have been shooting all year,” Park Hill South coach Tracy Mangels said.
Park Hill South’s Jacob Carpenter tied for 39th with a 22-over 94 to card the second best score for the Panthers. Noah Pennell and Dillon Murray each finished one stroke behind that in a tie for 41st with Park Hill’s Jordan Lashbrook, a two-time sectional qualifier attempting to make it to state for the first time.
Park Hill will send one golfer on to the state competition next week after sophomore Kris Snodgrass tallied an 11-over 83 to finish on the cut line and advance. He totaled five pars and a birdie — the par-3 fourth, part of a 39 on the front side.
“He had a stretch of holes four or five in a row where he one-putted,” Park Hill coach Zach Dorrel said. “That was huge for his confidence. I think it will provide him some good learning tools for next year. If he gets a little bit stronger and continues to have a great short game, he’ll turn into a pretty good golfer.”
Class 3 Sectional 4
Platte County senior Adam Muehlebach earned his first trip to the Missouri State Golf Championships, but the Pirates faltered to fifth in the standings, unable to grab an unlikely team berth Monday, May 11 at Hoot’s Hollow at Country Creek Golf Club in Harrisonville, Mo.
Muehlebach shot an 8-over 80 to tie for 12th and grab one of the individual spots. However, junior Matt Madill and seniors Chase Beamer and Nick Bartelli were unsuccessful in booking their second straight state trips.
Madill missed the cutline by one stroke with an 11-over 83, coming in alone at 27th. Beamer shot 15-over and Bartelli 18-over.
“These were not quite the results that we were hoping for today,” Platte County coach Trevor Short said. “We knew going into the round that we had a chance to take all four players on to the state tournament. Things did not go the way that we had planned. We didn’t play terrible golf , but it just wasn’t good enough to advance everyone.”
Platte County finished fourth at Class 3 District 8 but qualified four for sectionals, allowing them to compete as a team in the next round. The individuals totaled a 340 on Monday, finishing behind Pembroke Hill (301), Warrensburg (315), Nevada (318) and Pleasant Hill (327).
The Class 3 Missouri State Golf Championships’ two rounds are scheduled for Monday, May 18 and Tuesday, May 19 at Silo Ridge Golf Club in Bolivar, Mo.