SPRINGFIELD | The teams at the Missouri Class 3 boys state golf tournament knew there would be one team that everyone else would be chasing during today’s final round.
What no one really expected is that the team being chased would be Kearney.
Behind three sub-80 rounds, the Bulldogs jumped out to a first-day lead at Rivercut Golf Course with an overall score of 311.
Eric Holm led Kearney with a 4-over 76. He is 4 strokes behind in the race for the individual title.
“This is really better than we could have even asked for,” said Kearney’s Robert Neumann, who shot a 77. “Now we just have to come out again in the second round and do this again.”
Ryan Zech also shot a 77 for Kearney.
Defending Class 3 champion Priory was expected to be the team to beat. The St. Louis-area school returned four of the top 16 golfers from last year’s state tournament.
Even Kearney coach Mike Fallein figured Priory was the odds-on favorite. Now that the Bulldogs have moved into the lead, his job is trying to keep them focused for the second round.
“They have eyes,” Fallein said. “They will look at the scores and know where they are at overall. What they also know though is that golf is a marathon, they have to come back and do this again.”
The Bulldogs will have to fight off Priory, along with Pembroke Hill. Priory is second at 317, while the Raiders shot a 319 in their opening round.
“We have several guys who can go low for a round,” Pembroke Hill golfer Charlie Mundy said. “We are still in this and can make a push.”
In the race for the individual title, Excelsior Springs’ Drew Decker jumped out to a 2-stroke lead with a 72.
“I was not expecting (the 72) at all,” Decker said. “At districts I didn’t play very good. I didn’t really have anything to lose here. I just came out and played my best.”
Decker was 1 over heading into the 18th hole but finished his round with a 20-foot putt for birdie.
Decker’s low score vaulted the Tigers into fourth place in the team race.
Class 2
Lawson’s Jared King and Richmond’s Blaine Broderick are both in the top five in the Class 2 tournament at Springfield’s Deer Lake Golf Course.
King is third with an even-par 72, 1 shot behind the co-leaders. Broderick is in a tie for fourth after shooting a 73.
The tournament is at the same course where King won a state title as a freshman.
“I think he’s confident here,” Lawson coach Brad Smith said. “(Today) ought to be a real competitive last round.”
The highlight of the day for Broderick came on the seventh hole, where he had an eagle.
“I knew he was capable of doing it,” Richmond coach Brock Dover said. “The first nine holes he hit everything pretty solid and then just carried it on through.”
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