By Don Eskins (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The Logan-Rogersville Wildcats posted a 298 to claim the Reeds Spring Invitational golf tournament on Thursday, March 21. The tournament was held at the Pointe Royale Golf Course in Branson.
The Lebanon Yellow Jackets, with a 307, placed second while the Monett Cubs, with a 325, finished third.
Ben Roche paced the Wildcats en route to their win. The Logan-Rogersville junior carded nine-hole scores of 34-37 for a one over par 71.
“I’ve not been feeling well but I think I played decently today,” said Roche. “But, had I not been sick, I feel like I could have played better.”
Roche wasn’t the only Wildcat to post rounds in the 70’s though. Bryce Marshall with a 37 on the front side and a 36 on the back recorded a 73 while Tyler Davis logged a 35-39 for a 74.
Closing out Logan-Rogersville’s card were Stewart McDonald with an 80 and Ryder Randles with an 86. Tournament scores reflect only the top four individual cards from each school.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE TOURNAMENT
The Reeds Spring Invitational was the first match of the new prep season for Logan-Rogersville.
“On the bus our kids said they were going to break 300 at Pointe Royale today. I just laughed at them and told them a 310 to 315 would be a great score for them in their first tournament of 2024,” said Wildcat head coach John Schaefer. “But they did it and I couldn’t be more proud of them. We came close to getting four of our kids back to the club house with scores in the 70’s. Stewart McDonald, with an 80, just missed.”
“Our kids have worked hard on their game since last year. They’re trying to score more so they’ve spent a lot of time on their short game. Chipping and putting has now become more important to them than driving,” he said. “That’s the result of all the time they’re putting in on the course and maturity. But, because of all that hard work, they’re off to a great start this year.”
Monett’s Jaxon Bailey, who finished second at state last year, walked off the course as the tournament’s top medalist. The Cub junior posted an even par 35 on the front side and a 34 on the back for a one under par round of 69.
“Last week I finished fifth overall so getting my first individual win of the new year under my belt, here at Pointe Royale, feels really good. I feel like I got off the tee well today, and my approaches were good, but I did struggle some with my putter today,” said Bailey. “But I’m happy with the score I posted. This was a tough course. It’s a short course but it’s tight and has a lot of water and OB’s to deal with.”
Twenty schools competed at the tournament.
“This was the biggest number of schools we’ve ever had. We had a lot of good golfers here today with several scores in the 70’s,” said Reeds Spring tournament director John Giebler. “Pointe Royale did a great job of putting this together for us. Donovan Solis the head pro here, along with all the other coaches who participated made this year’s event a very successful one for all the kids.”
Top Three Reed’s Spring Individual Scorecards:
1. Rogersville- 1. Ben Roche 34-37-71, 2. Bryce Marshall 37-36-73, 3. Tyler Davis 35-39-74, 4. Stewart McDonnell 38-42-80, and 5. Ryder Randles 40-46-86.
2. Lebanon- 1. Ethan Mustard 38-36-74, 2. Jacob Clark 37-38-75, 3. Titan Haney 38-39-77, 4. Kory Hough 38-43-83 and 5. Trustin Cox 41-48-89.
3. Monett- 1. Jaxon Bailey 35-34-69, 2. August Black 40-38-78, 3. David Southard 43-42-85, 4. Grason Mahl 46-47-93 and 5. Aiden Smith 48-48-96.
Top Ten Teams:
1. Logan-Rogersville – 298
2. Lebanon – 307
3. Monett – 325
4. Marshfield – 344
T5. Ava – 348
T5. Ash Grove – 348
7. Lockwood – 349
8. Clever – 376
9. Hartville – 378
10. Cassville – 379
Medalists: (Top Ten lowest scores)
1. Jaxson Bailey – 69 – Monett
2. Ben Roche – 71 – Logan- Rogersville
3. Bryce Marshall – 73 – Logan- Rogersville
4. Tyler Davis – 74 – Logan- Rogersville
5. Wyatt Davis – 74 – Marshfield
6. Ethan Mustard – 74 – Lebanon
7. Jason Clark – 75 – Lebanon
8. Gage Simon 75 – Clever
9. Eastan Rust – 76 – Ash Grove
10. Titan Haney – 77 – Lebanon
