105th Missouri Amateur tees off today at Dalhousie Golf Club

Six Cape Girardeau golfers will be in the field today when Dalhousie Golf Club hosts the 105th Missouri Amateur for the first time.

David Babcock, Ben Cantrell, Brevin Giebler, Kent Phillips, Blake Driskell and Brent Holmes will be in the 144-player field that tees off today.

Jackson will be represented by Travis Simmons, Ronnie Strong and Tim Simmons, while Lee Wilson of Perryville also will be in the field.

A state champion will be crowned after six days of competition. The field will be trimmed to 64 players after two rounds of stroke play, and match play will be waged over the final four days.

Six rounds of match play will determine the champion. The first round of match play will be Thursday, with the second and third rounds Friday. The quarterfinal and semifinal matches will be waged Saturday, and the tournament will culminate with a 36-hole championship match Sunday.

Defending champion Skip Berkmeyer of Wildwood, Mo., will be seeking his record-tying fourth championship.

Four-time champion Don Bliss of Chesterfield, Mo., is also in the field, along with two-time champion Ben Godwin of Poplar Bluff, Mo.

Dalhousie, which has hosted other MGA events since opening in 2002, is the first course in Southeast Missouri to host the Missouri Amateur.

-- Jeff Breer