Kris Snodgrass saved his best for last.
Competing in the Class 4 Missouri State Golf Championships for a third consecutive season, Park Hill’s top senior shot a 78 and a 76 in two rounds, finishing in a tie for 15th at 10-over par at Twin Hills Golf and Country Club in Joplin, Mo.
Snodgrass competed in only four tournaments this season due to an injury but returned to earn All-Suburban Conference Gold Division honors and then placing at Class 4 District 8 and Class 4 Sectional 4 meets the past two weeks. He went into state after being directly on the cutline last week in Sectional 4 competition.
In two previous trips to state, Snodgrass struggled and finished tied for 80th as a sophomore and tied for 86th as a junior.
Snodgrass sat in a tie for 27th after his 6-over round Monday, May 15, but he shot up the leaderboard with a strong start to his second round, Tuesday, May 16. On a tight course in windy conditions, Snodgrass made the turn at 1-over 37 before making a triple bogey at No. 11.
A birdie on No. 13 leveled Snodgrass out, coming in at 4-over and awaiting his fate. He ended up in a four-way tie for the 15th, and since the state doesn’t break ties, all four golfers received all-state honors.
Park Hill sophomore Ryan Graves, a first-time state qualifier, recovered from a bad first round to finish in a three-way tie for 86th. He shot a first-round 19-over 91 but moved up five spots on the leaderboard with a second-round 83.
Graves finished tied with Snodgrass for the final state spots in Sectional 4 last week.
Platte County senior Payton Boekhout and freshman Logan Hessemyer made their debuts in the Class 3 Missouri State Golf Championships at Sedalia Country Club in Sedalia, Mo. The duo shot matching 15-over 85s in the first round and ended up just three stokes apart after a disappointing two-day tournament.
The Suburban Conference Blue Division champion and the Pirates’ steady No. 1, Boekhout opened his first round on the back side Monday, May 15 but made just one par and one birdie on the first nine holes. He added another birdie at on a 10-foot breaker at No. 6, a short par-four hole.
Boekhout recorded six pars in his second round but no birdies and ended up with an 18-over 88, dropping into a tie for 80th.
Hessemyer won the Class 3 District 8 individual title, helping Platte County advance as a team to Sectional 4 play for the first time after the Pirates finished second in the standings. He again led the lineup in the second round of the postseason, earning a state berth in his debut season.
After his first-round 85, Hessemyer shot a 91 on Tuesday, May 16 and ended up tied for 85th in a field of 100.
Boekhout and Hessemyer helped Platte County to a second straight Suburban Conference Blue Division title before the district runner-up finish — just the second top-two showing at district’s in program history. The 2001 team placed second under the old format and went directly to state, placing fourth in Class 3A behind state champion Barrett Martens’ play.