McLaurin finishes second, Tigers third in Class 2 golf
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Senior Jordan McLaurin fell slightly short of repeating as individual champion at the Class 2 state golf tournament, but his second-place finish helped Arcadia Valley reach the medal stand for the first time in program history.
The Tigers improved upon their round-one team total of 335 by five strokes to finish at 665 on Tuesday, edging past Belle by one shot to place third in the final team standings at Deer Lake Golf Course in Springfield.
Ash Grove built a 25-stroke advantage on Monday and coasted to its third consecutive state title with a 636, paced by matching scores of 149 from J.J. Brown and Jordan Dickson. Cameron finished second overall at 660.
McLaurin matched his opening-round result with another one-over 73 for a final tally of 146, earning rare distinction as a four-time state medalist. Dixon senior Jace Long secured the individual title with an even-par 144 after sharing the crown with McLaurin last year.
Long fired a one-under 71 on Monday to hold the lead through one round, along with eventual third-place finisher, Jared King of Lawson. King also became a four-time medalist with his total of 148.
Sophomore Brock Walker fueled the late Arcadia Valley surge with an 83 to land in a five-way tie for 40th place at 170. Freshman Caleb Sutton debuted at the event with a solid 171, while Chase Bennett carded a 183 and Blake Walker scored a 185.
Central was represented by two players with Rolin Baker posting a 173. Junior Taylor Gray improved his second round by 12 strokes and made significant progress up the leaderboard with a 176.
Returning qualifier Torey Watson of West County finished with a 174.
Class 3 Tournament
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — The Farmington golf team followed a composite first round of 349 with a 338 on Tuesday at Rivercut Golf Course, finishing ninth overall at the Class 3 state tournament.
Kearney captured its first state title with a winning mark of 628, thanks in part to three top-10 individuals. Priory was runner-up with 633, and Pembroke Hill placed third with 643. Sophomore Kevin Bell of Westminster set the individual championship pace with a five-over 149.
Farmington was led by Alex Rhodes at 165, and Gene Williams at 166. Both players shot an 82 on Tuesday. John Schnurbusch improved eight strokes in round two for a 176, and Landon Barks shot a 180 for the Knights. Brendan Gallagher ended the event with a 190.
North County senior Chris Spitzmiller was tied for eighth place through round one following a 77 on Monday, but slipped out of medal contention with a 31st-best total of 162. Raiders junior John Woods scored a 195.
Potosi sophomore Zach Gibson ascended the standings by performing 12 strokes better with an 82 on the second day for a 176. Kyle Polete of Fredericktown scored 92 each day for a composite 184.
