Local golfers struggle out of gate

AARON EISENHAUER ~ aeisenhauer@semissourian.com Jordan Sheets, of Cape Girardeau, drove toward the green from the fairway of the 18th hole. [Click to enlarge]

Yes, a less than stellar round of golf can age a person.

As Emily Matthews waited to tee off on the seventh hole Tuesday at the AJGA Dalhousie Junior Championship, she found the perfect spot to play the role of the grizzled veteran in youth golf: a wooden rocking chair on the porch of a nearby restroom.

That is, as grizzled as a bright-eyed 18-year-old with a blonde ponytail and hair ribbon can look.

Matthews, who will be leaving Cape Girardeau for her freshman year at Missouri State in less than two weeks, was the eldest of four local players in the event and the only one in the group playing in the second edition of the national tournament. It also was her final junior tournament.

Despite a triple bogey and double bogey on her card as she sat in the rocking chair, Matthews smiled as she chatted with her playing partner Rachel Mulkey of Flower Mound, Texas, who lazily rocked in the adjacent porch swing.

Mulkey, who also played with Matthews in last year's tournament, was on the short list of positives that Matthews could cite after her opening round of 93.

"I was happy with my pairing. You don't always get the best pairing," said Matthews, who said she hooked up with Mulkey for a practice round before the tournament.

KIT DOYLE ~ kdoyle@semissourian.com Tanner Werner, of Jackson, shot from the sand Tuesday morning, August 12, 2008, on the first day of the AJGA Dalhousie Junior Championship in Cape Girardeau. [Click to enlarge]

But smiles and positives were hard to find in her opening round that included a nine on the par-5 No. 7, where she needed four shots to get out of a greenside sand trap. But she had company in her local juniors. Tanner Werner, who finished second as a freshman in this year's Missouri Class 4 tournament, shot an 8-over-par 80; Jordan Sheets, who will be a senior at Central, carded an 87; and Joe Wiggans, a senior-to-be at Notre Dame, shot a 94.

"I know Tanner can go lower than that, and I'm sure he knows I can go lower than I shot," Matthews said. "I guess what makes it frustrating is we couldn't have a better showing with it being our home course. We can play really good golf."

All four youngsters have shown they are capable of shooting in the 70s at Dalhousie. Werner shot a 75 in the SEMO Conference championship this past season, and Wiggans has shot as low as a 71.

"I just wanted to play good golf — hit the ball solid and play good. I didn't do that," said Werner, who was tied for 66th place.

Emily Matthews, of Cape Girardeau, walked toward the tall rough after knocking the ball to the sand hazard on the seventh hole. [Click to enlarge]

Werner played the front in 2 over, but he bogeyed four holes on the back and capped off his round with a double bogey on the par-5 18th.

Werner said missed greens and missed putts were his downfall.

"I need to shoot even tomorrow," said Werner, who is trying to become the first local player to make a cut at an AJGA tournament at Dalhousie. "I probably can go a couple over. I would like to do better, but we'll see what we do tomorrow."

Sheets' round contained just five pars.

"My dad tells me it's OK to play bogey golf, but I actually did play bogey golf today, and it wasn't very fun," Sheets said with a smile.

Sheets said he was hoping to shoot in the high 70s or low 80s. Playing in his first AJGA event, he steadied himself with a 42 on the back nine.

His trio featured a 72 from Eric Straub of Paducah, Ky., and a 75 by Kenny Chong of Bradenton, Fla.

"It feels a lot different," said Sheets, comparing it to other tournaments he's played in. "There's more mystique, and the prestige of these guys. They carry themselves a lot better than the guys from the SEMO Conference — no offense to the guys in the SEMO Conference.

"It's good to know I played in something like this, but it's not so good to know I shot so crummy."

Wiggans shot a 50 on the front nine that included a nine on a par 4, and despite a four-putt on the 17th hole, he still was able to smile at the end of the day.

"It was my first tournament, and I just played for the experience pretty much," Wiggans said. "After playing in this, when I go to district [next high school season], it won't be as big a deal."

Wiggans said his main goal Tuesday was to keep a smile on his face, but he's looking for a little redemption. He saw his playing partners, Andrew Walukonis of Traverse City, Mich., and Clayton Jones of Merton, Wis., shoot 80 and 81, respectively, and Wiggans looks for a similar score today.

"I'd like to come back with an 80 because I know I can do it," Wiggans said.

While the four local players may have felt like they aged their way out of the tournament Tuesday, the reality is they will tee it up today at the same age as a day earlier, but with a little more experience ... and determination.

"I know I definitely want to shoot in the 70s tomorrow," Matthews said. "I know I can."