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The qualifying round for the Price Cutter Charity Championship always brings out some of the area’s best golfers, but this year proved once again that you never know who you might find on the course trying to qualify for the Korn Ferry Tour event.
“For me it was just the competition,” said Alex Hall. “I just really wanted to get out here and compete. I haven’t had that in a long time and it was a good feeling.”
It’s a feeling Hall was used to for years.
He starred on the basketball court for Kickapoo and Drury, helping the Panthers win the 2013 National Championship.
However, even the best athletes can struggle on the links.
“As an athlete, you want to be good at every sport but golf is just not that way, you’ve got to put some time into it. Getting it to the green is one thing and putting is another,” Hall said.
The former Drury hooper has put in some time, but life has presented other responsibilities.
“I played a lot more until I had two kids,” Hall said with a smile. “Now I have two kids under two [years old] and they keep me pretty busy, but I try to play at least once or twice a week.”
Hall says he started golfing regularly after a couple years of professional basketball in Europe.
That’s no surprise considering his family ties to the sport.
“My uncle was a pro, actually he played on the Nike tour back then and then my grandpa was a pro down in Branson,” Hall said.
As for Monday’s round at Millwood Golf and Racquet Club, Hall shot a 3-over 38 on the front nine.
That stretch included three bogeys and two birdies.
He continued his strong play with two bogeys and one birdie on holes 10 through 15.
Then he shot an eight on the Par-4 16th hole and a double-bogey on the Par-4 18th hole to finish with a 10-over 81.
It’s not the finish Hall wanted, but Payne Stewart once said “a bad attitude is worse than a bad swing.”
That’s the mantra the former Chief and Panther embraced after his round.
“For me, it’s just go out there and have fun,” Hall said. “I threw some balls out of bounds today, but I still had a good time.”
Now, he says ready to get better, come back next year and try again.
