Cape Central's Connell leads Class 4 state golf tournament

~ The senior shot a 2-under-par 70 to take a one-stroke lead into today's final round

Central senior Corey Connell led the field of 89 golfers after the opening round of the Missouri Class 4 golf championships Monday at Silo Ridge Golf and Country Club in Bolivar, Mo.

Connell, who was playing in the day's final group, fired a 2-under-par 70 and led by one stroke over the trio of Ben Crancer of Kirkwood, Jason Huska of Rockhurst and Garrett Roberts of Carthage.

Connell will be paired with that threesome in the last group of today's final round. The foursome will tee off at 9:39 a.m.

Connell rolled in five birdies in his opening round.

"He had a very steady round," Central coach Dick Wadlington said. "I was able to watch him for the whole 18 holes. He made very few mistakes. He had a good day with the putter."

Connell capped his round with a 20-foot birdie putt on the par-5 18th to take the outright lead.

"It definitely was needed," Connell said about his final birdie. "I'm very excited. Very happy."

The putt put him at 2-under and a stroke ahead of Crancer, a senior who will play golf at Texas A&M next year. Crancer won his district with a sub-par round, then had the only sub-par round at the Class 4 Sectional 1 meet. He finished seven strokes ahead of Connell.

"I knew Ben Crancer would put in a good score," Connell said.

Brad Carpenter of Washington and John Derksen of Blues Springs South were two shots back at even par.

Connell covered the front nine in 33 strokes, making birdies on Nos. 3, 6 and 8.

"I putted pretty well early," Connell said. "I had a couple mistakes early where the green just got away from me, but I definitely rolled it good. I made some good putts early."

He shot 37 on the back. He bogeyed Nos. 11, 13 and 15, but birdied No. 14 along with 18.

He got a look at the course in a junior amateur tournament last year.

"I really like the course," Connell said. "The course is really setting up to make some good birdies on it. I liked it last year. The greens are really rolling nice."

He entered Monday's play with a goal of shooting 5 under for the tournament.

"I'm right around where I wanted to be," Connell said. "There's a lot of good guys in my class, and the course is pretty short. There's no telling now. I thought the scores would be a lot lower today. I don't think now that they're going to get that out of control. I think 2 or 3 under will win it. Hopefully I'll go out tomorrow and shoot somewhere around par, and we'll see where that leaves me."

Jackson freshman Eli Pike shot 78 in the first round and was tied for 20th.

Notre Dame, led by an even-par round of 72 by sophomore Brady Dixon, was in fourth place in the Class 3 meet at Rivercut Golf Club in Springfield, Mo.

Dixon was in a five-way tie for third, two shots behind first-round leader Gordon Hamilton of Pembroke Hill.

Notre Dame had a team total of 315, which included scores by Jake Seabaugh (79), Tyler Arpin (80) and Cody Cox (84). Gunnar Knudtson opened with an 85, which did not figure into the team score.

MICDS led the field with a 302, which was one stroke ahead of Westminster Christian Academy and two shots ahead of St. Francis Borgia.

St. Vincent (354) was in seventh place among the nine Class 1 teams at Fremont Hills Country Club in Nixa, Mo.

Sophomore Levi Gotto led the Indians with an 84, which put him in a tie for 17th, six strokes off the lead. Kelly Welker (88), Sean Martin (91) and Tim Schumer (91) contributed to St. Vincent's score, which was 30 strokes behind first-place Sacred Heart (324).

Collin Sprandel of Saxony Lutheran was tied for fifth place with a 5-over-par 76 in the Class 2 meet at Twin Oaks Country Club in Springfield, Mo. Sprandel, a junior, was five shots behind David Abolt of Cuba and Mitchell Rutledge of Whitfield, who both were four shots clear of the field with even-par 71s.