Tanner Owen did enough to come back and sneak out a medal.
Playing in the Class 4 Missouri State Golf Championships for a fourth straight year, the Park Hill South senior shot a second round 76 on Tuesday, May 17 at Silo Ridge Golf and Country Club in Bolivar, Mo. The 4-over round moved him from a tie for 32nd to a tie for 15th — the exact cut to earn medalist honors.
Owen becomes just the second in program history to finish as all-state in two seasons, joining Chris Reinert (2008-2009).
After a first round 82, Owen needed to make a move up the leaderboard. He ended up part of a six-way tie for the final medal spot — one of only two golfers to post an 82 or lower in the first round and still make all-state.
Owen ended up winning five tournaments in his career, including the 2015 Class 4 District 8 title and this year’s Class 4 Sectional 4 championship. He plans to continue his golf career next year at Nebraska.
Park Hill’s Kris Snodgrass finished up his second straight state tournament with another disappointing performance. He shot a 92-89—181 and finished in a tie for 86th in the 92 player field.
Last season, Snodgrass tied for 80th at state. He’s been the Trojans’ lone state qualifier each of the past two years.
Platte County’s Matt Madill ended up only playing one round in the Class 3 state tournament.
Officials canceled the second day of play at Rivercut Golf Course in Springfield, Mo. due to inclement weather. Madill played through tough conditions in the first round Monday, May 16, part of the final threesome to tee off.
After a late start, the group slogged through a 6½ hour round while playing behind waterlogged foursomes in front of them. Madill made just five pars — a season-low for an 18-hole round — and finished with an 20-over 92 (tied for 70th and well back of the all-state cut).
Madill made his second appearance at state after just missing the cut as a junior. As a sophomore, he tied for 85th.
Signed to continue his career at Culver-Stockton, Madill led Platte County all year from the No. 1 spot and won medalist honors at each of the Pirates’ regular matches. He also posted his first career victory in the Suburban Conference Blue Division Championships, leading Platte County to the team title as well.
“There are big things ahead for this program, and I was blessed to be a part of it for four years,” Madill said. “I couldn’t have done any of this without my coaches, fans, and most importantly my teammates.”
Madill’s final round ended up being a sloppy mess with standing waters on some of the greens. With the early groups able to finish mostly out of the elements, the golfers with later tee times were forced to play through the most difficult conditions.
“Worst conditions I’ve played in,” Madill said. “I hit the ball decent, just the ball wasn’t traveling well and stuff that usually didn’t play as a hazard was a hazard.”