Competition breeds success. And similar to last season, it appears there will be plenty of competition – and success – among the Glendale High School boys’ golf team.
Glendale, led by four players shooting 75 or under, won Thursday’s MSU Relays at Bill & Payne Stewart Golf Course in Springfield by 19 strokes.
It was an impressive start for the Falcons, who placed 3rd in the Class 4 state tournament last year and return all from that group except for state champion Baron Weaver.
“It really rewards all the hard work we’ve been doing in practice and offseason. Over the winter, it’s real easy not to play at all, but I feel like we came out here hot already,” said Glendale’s Christopher Obert, who shot a 73 to finish in a four-way tie for fourth place.
Sam Holmes was the best among a deep Falcons group, carding a two-over 72 on the day. He ended his day with an Eagle.
“I hit the ball pretty good today,” Holmes said. “My timing was a little off, but I played pretty solid all-around.”
Glendale varsity newcomer Chase Gafner shot 73 along with Obert. Glendale’s No. 5, Alex Locke, posted a 75.
How good was Glendale on Tuesday? The Falcons threw out a round of 78 from Graham Sherard, the team’s No. 3 golfer.
Glendale also fielded a “B” group that scored 332, which was seventh best among the 21 schools involved in the team standings.
“We all push each other to get better, and at practice, we’ll compete against each other and play games,” Obert said. “It’s one of those things, where, always having that competitive atmosphere definitely makes us better.”
Individual medalist honors went to Aurora senior Josh Fronabarger, who shot a 1-over 71. A three-time state qualifier, Fronabarger said Stewart’s shorter layout plays favorably to his style.
“This is a course that I can kind of overpower, because I hit it long most of the time,” Fronabarger said. “If you can manage your game here, you can score really well.”
Fronabarger tied for 3rd in the Class 3 state tournament last season, two strokes shy of competing in a playoff for a state championship.
Fronabarger admittedly wasn’t in championship form on Tuesday, facing occasional trouble with putting.
“My putting was ugly,” Fronabarger said. “I had a four-putt. It was bad. I was hitting fairways and greens, but it wasn’t consistent ball-striking. It felt a little off.
“I’m not necessarily happy with how I played, but I’m happy with the outcome. I’m happy that I ended up winning. It’s pretty steady (competition) here most of the time, so it’s good to come out on top.”
Class 2 Springfield Catholic tied Class 4 Lebanon for second overall, with each tallying 312 team scores.
Senior and three-time state qualifier Nate Bailey led the Irish, shooting a 73.
“It was hard to commit to every shot when it was so windy,” Bailey said. “You’d have the wind howling in your face and you’d be forced with a tight drive or long second shot. You just kind of had to hang in there and force yourself to hit good ones.”
Catholic placed 7th in the Class 2 state tournament last season.
Bailey is one of four golfers back from that squad, along with Nick Walz, Jake Walz and John Gambon.
“We’d like to get our team back to state and hopefully get on the podium this year,” Bailey said. “Individually, I’d like to put myself in contention to get all-state and maybe even do a little better than that.”
Next week’s notable high school golf events include: the Bolivar Tournament at Silo Ridge (April 4), the Springfield Invitational at Hickory Hills (April 4), the Willow Springs Invitational (April 5) and the Joplin Tournament at Twin Hills (April 7).
MSU Relays Results
Top 10 Individual
1. Josh Fronabarger, Aurora, 71
2. Sam Holmes, Glendale, 72
3. Nate Bailey, Catholic, 73 (Bailey 3rd on scorecard tiebreaker)
T4. Jack Ehrhardt, Lebanon, 73
T4. Chase Gafner, Glendale, 73
T4. Taylor Haltom, Ava, 73
T4. Christopher Obert, Glendale, 73
8. Jackson Tetreault, Waynesville, 75
T9. Jake Walz, Catholic, 76
T9. Dylan White, West Plains, 76
T9. Logan Smith, Kickapoo, 76
Top 3 Team
1. Glendale, 293
T2. Lebanon, 312
T2. Catholic, 312
Class 4 results
Glendale (293)
Christopher Obert, 73
Sam Holmes, 72
Graham Sherard, 78
Chase Gafner, 73
Alex Locke, 75
Lebanon (312)
Jack Ehrhardt, 73
Cooper Hess, 78
Harrison Carr, 81
Tryn Titus, 80
Lawrence Bowlin, 81
Kickapoo (330)
Logan Smith, 76
Zack Good, 84
Nathan Merlino, 85
Jake Hendricks, 85
Trey Burnett, 85
Glendale B (332)
Jadon Noble, 77
Brett Davis, 88
Alex Elliot, 91
Nathan Lantz, 80
Mitch Stephens, 87
Rockhurst (337)
Aris Vinsant, 87
David Sanvig, 80
Patrick Hogan, 81
Will Brautman, 89
Jacob Bamesberger, 90
Republic (340)
Tristan Ollar, 90
Alex Holden, 87
Kendall Hamilton, 91
Mitch Coiner, 81
Austin Melton, 82
Rolla (340)
Ben Burris, 80
Joseph Lee, 88
Matt Drallmeir, 84
Logan Choi, 91
Cameron Copeland, 88
Kickapoo B (366)
Corey Peper, 94
Zac Cook, 90
Brennan Lesly, 97
Weston Overturf, 85
Jean LucLave, 98
Willard (367)
Brayden Swearengin, 84
Sage Whiting, 88
Taylor Hession, 93
Ben Zweerink, 110
Damian Engelbrecht, 102
Waynesville (392)
Jackson Tetreault, 75
Dylan Reynolds, 85
Collin Ronje, 118
Ben Pollman, 114
Zach Hoyle, 121
Parkview (416)
Mason George, 102
Jacob Kuhnert, 100
Spencer Tice, 114
Alex Carlson, 119
Josh Carlson, 100
Central (459)
Ethan Brody, 95
Jackson Brody, 114
Josh Glon, 127
Kendall Nakoto, 125
Class 3 results
Aurora (325)
Josh Fronabarger, 71
William Mueller, 77
Bailey Burden, 96
Brayden Hall, 82
Josh Weathermon, 95
West Plains (326)
Dylan White, 76
Chance Davis, 77
Peyton Ramseur, 86
Dalton Ross, 87
Parker Ramseur, 89
Hillcrest (385)
Erik Savage, 104
Collin Oestreich, 90
Brock Roggow, 106
Bryce Wagner, 102
Lance Brackett, 89
Class 2 results
Catholic (312)
Nick Walz, 79
Nate Bailey, 73
Jake Walz, 76
Nick Palmer, 84
John Gambon, 93
Lamar (347)
Nathan McArthur, 88
Dylan Maberry, 86
Kip Roland, 83
Isaiah Cleveland, 90
Jeremy Marti 119
Ava (365)
Taylor Haltom, 73
Chandler Roberts, 88
Titus Pickney, 104
Morgan Clements, 103
Chance Clevenhagen, 101
Willow Springs (385)
Ethan Graves, 92
Devin Osborn, 105
Ryan Cawvey, 93
Michael Cawvey, 95
Justin Cheatham, 105
Ash Grove (428)
Matt Keller, 98
Jacob Moreland, 112
Noah Branham, 109
Lane Coleman, 113
Kaelin Tate, 109
Diamond (477)
Bryce Sprague, 87
Joey Tyree, 124
Haylee Austin, 132
Molly Langford, 134
Mt. Vernon (N/A)
Ryan Cota, 112
Josh Jarvis, 102
Tyler Weinstadt, 111
Class 1 results
Thayer (385)
Spencer Ary, 88
Zack Smith, 93
Dagen Jones, 101
Trevor Jenkins, 103
Beau Kaffka, 104
New Covenant (417)
Dakota Prewitt, 80
Jacob Oakley, 97
Alec Horton, 120
Riley Harmon, 120
Dalton Coker, 120
Individuals
Brandon Marcak, Dora, 87
Justin Herion, Seymour, 107
Ben Kleier, Seymour, 115
