Pembroke Hill, Barstow win Missouri high school golf state championships

A day after the Pembroke Hill golf team stumbled to one of its worst rounds of the season, junior William Esrey stepped onto the Silo Ridge Golf and Country Club course Tuesday in Bolivar, Mo., and felt the absence of pressure.

While the course had served as the scene for a disappointing showing by the team Monday, the Raiders had escaped with a narrow first-day lead in the Missouri Class 3 state tournament.

"I think we felt at ease knowing that we could play that poorly and still be in the lead," Esrey said. "So in a weird way, we played with a lot of confidence (Tuesday)."

And it showed.

Pembroke Hill won its second consecutive Missouri Class 3 state championship Tuesday with a two-day total of 617, 10 strokes better than second-place Mary Institute and Country Day School.

The Raiders were 13 strokes better in the second round Tuesday than they were in the first round Monday, an effort Esrey led. He finished in fifth place for the tournament, three shots behind MICDS golfer Michael O'Keefe and Boonville's Brett Windsor, who tied for medalist honors.

Esrey carded a 2-over 74 on Tuesday, though he was 3-under par through 12 holes.

His teammates were pretty good, too.

Senior Preston Fleenor fired a 73, which was the second best round of the day. He took 13th for the two-day tournament.

Charlie Hamilton and Nicholas Klock tied for 17th place, and Jack Mitchell was 39th.

"Jack went out early and shot 79, and that just made it easier for those other guys to relax," Pembroke Hill coach Evan Scobie said. "That's the beauty of what we had — a lot of guys who could shoot low."

Barstow wins Class 2

On the second and final round of last spring's Missouri Class 2 state golf tournament, Barstow coach Joe Taylor noticed a common theme among his five golfers — nerves.

One year later, the nerves never came.

The championship did.

Barstow won a second straight Missouri Class 2 title Tuesday at Rivercut Golf Course in Springfield, Mo., besting second-place Blair Oaks by 11 shots.

Blair Oaks owned the top of the leaderboard — with Tanner Elder first and Kory Franks second.

But Barstow walked away with the team trophy after a two-day team total of 620.

"The biggest difference with this team from last year is they were just way more confident," Taylor said. "They just knew they were the best team. They went out and played golf, and they never panicked. They had a couple of bad holes on the back nine and just immediately righted the ship."

Nobody better exemplified that than senior Alec Adkins, who overcame a double-bogey on No. 17 to post 4-over par for the two-day tournament, good for fourth place.

Also for the Knights, Tripp Walsworth took 13th; Paul-Louis Robert was 15th; Cody Adkins finished 29th; and Richard Bray was 40th.

That wrapped up a particularly impressive postseason stretch for Alec Adkins, who previously won the district and sectional championships.

"It's my senior year, so I was just trying to slow down, enjoy everything and recognize that this was my last go of it in high school," Adkins said. "I'm very happy with how it ended. It's been a great run the last four years."

Lawson's T.J. Pennington finished in 21st place in Class 2.

Maguire second in Class 4

On the opening day of golf tryouts this spring, Lee's Summit West junior Kerry Maguire posted a 71. It was that moment, he says, when made a goal to become the first all-state golfer in school history.

Maguire reached that objective Tuesday, when he finished in a four-way tie for second place at the Missouri Class 4 state tournament at Sedalia Country Club.

Maguire was 4-over par for the two-day tournament — three shots back of Glendale's Baron Weaver, who earned medalist honors.

Park Hill South junior Tanner Owen was sixth.

Asked to compare the two-day tournament to the rest of his rounds this season, Maguire responded, "By far my best. I thought I played really well. I think I played smart on where I needed to hit the ball."

Maguire highlighted the round with back-to-back chip-ins on Nos. 7 and 8 — a pair of shots that jumpstarted his 1-over 71 on Tuesday.

As a result, Maguire supplied the best local individual finish.

Rockhurst had owned the best local team finish. The Hawklets took second place, with its team total of 607 concluding 18 shots behind state-champion Rock Bridge. Peter Dierks was 14th, and Carter Tumminia was 16th for the Hawklets.

While Rockhurst failed to capture its 14th state title in program history, it has finished in the top-three in the team standings all but once since 2002.

Blue Springs South's Kyle Barbee took 21st place.

Lee's Summit North placed eighth, with sophomore Michael Worth taking 24th place

This story was originally published May 19, 2015 at 8:20 PM with the headline "Pembroke Hill, Barstow win Missouri high school golf state championships."