Central's Simmons, ND team repeat at SEMO Conference golf tournament

Travis Simmons stood in the rough just off the left side of the 18th green Tuesday afternoon at Dalhousie Golf Club and knew just what he had to do.

Simmons, a senior at Central and the defending SEMO Conference champion, had just played his second shot from the rough at the par-5 18th, which served as the first playoff hole in this year's SEMO Conference tournament, and needed to chip his third shot over a foot of rough and negotiate some 25 feet of green to the pin.

Jack Litzelfelner, a Notre Dame sophomore and the defending Class 3 state champion, had nestled his second shot from the left fairway some 12 feet from the pin and was putting for an eagle and a chance to dethrone Simmons as the conference champion.

Simmons needed his best shot of the day. And he delivered.

"I hit it, and I said, 'That's got a chance to go in,'" Simmons said.

Advance’s Brian Whitson watches his putt on the 16th green during the SEMO Conference tournament Tuesday at Dalhousie Golf Club. Whitson placed first in the small-school division with a 2-over 74. (Adam Vogler)

It didn't, but it stopped 12 inches from the hole. Litzelfelner rolled his eagle attempt some four feet past, and missed his comeback birdie try.

From there, Simmons rolled in his putt, successfully defending his SEMO Conference medalist title.

"You like to win, you love to win, but you hate to see a guy three-putt like that," Simmons said. "He's my friend, and I want him to do well. But it was nice to get the victory as well."

A teary-eyed Litzelfelner knew just how close he came to dethroning the conference champion.

"Just ran it about four feet by and pushed the putt," he said.

Notre Dame’s Jack Litzelfelner watches his approach shot on the third hole during the SEMO Conference Golf tournament Tuesday at Dalhousie. Litzelfelner, the defending Class 3 individual state champion, shot a 73 to help the Bulldogs repeat as conference champions.

Some consolation for Litzelfelner was the fact his team successfully defended its team title, totalling 311 to win the tournament by 18 strokes over second-place Jackson, the Bulldogs' third SEMO title in four years.

"We feel like we had just as good a team, if not better, than last year," said Notre Dame senior Brady Dixon, who earned all-conference status after tying for seventh with an 8-over 80. "We're pretty happy with the numbers we've been putting up. Even when we haven't played to the best of our ability, we've been putting up pretty good numbers as a team."

Evidence of that was all five Bulldogs golfers (only the top four scores are used in the team total) earning all-conference mention.

"The boys have really done a great job," Notre Dame coach Jerry Grim said. "We've lost two tournaments this year by one stroke. So this was a nice win for us."

Notre Dame's Nick Cantoni turned in a 5-over 77 to tie Jackson's Adam Way for third.

Jackson's Eli Pike overcame a rough mid-round stretch to finish with a 7-over 79, good for sixth place, once stroke behind Central's Luke Kinder.

"Notre Dame played really well as a team overall today," Jackson coach Zach Walton said. "Your low guy's an 81? That's pretty good.

"I thought Adam played well today, shot 3-over on his last three holes. So you take those away, he's right in there with the top kids."

Advance sophomore Brian Whitson fired a 2-over 74 to earn medalist honors in the small-school division.

"I was shooting for 77 or less today," Whitson said. "I thought if I played good I had it in me."

Whitson was 1-under par over his first nine holes, which were the back nine on Dalhousie's par-72 layout.

"Just make my shots as easy as possible and don't get too much stuff going through my head," Whitson said. "Just keep it simple. I was hitting the middle of the greens pretty much."

Advance golf coach Neil Miles said Whitson's short game is his key to scoring well.

"He always stays in play off the tee box," Miles said. "But when he's not, Brian has a knack for being able to get up-and-down around the green. He's got a very, very good short game."

Doniphan won the small-school team title with a 385. Kelly was second at 389.

But the battle everyone had their eyes on all day was Simmons and Litzelfelner, who staged an engaging duel down the back nine.

Simmons hit to within two feet for an easy birdie at the par-3 13th to pull even with Litzelfelner at even-par. At the 14th, a par-4 dogleg with water on the right, Litzelfelner drove through the fairway into the trees, punched out into the fairway, pitched well short of the pin and three-putted for a double-bogey.

Simmons, meanwhile, knocked his approach to within 15 feet and two-putted for par.

"I thought I would come back pretty good," Litzelfelner said. "I thought I could get back to [even-par]."

Both birdied the par-5 15th, Litzelfelner knocking a fairway wood to within 18 feet and two-putting for a birdie and Simmons, laying up after driving into the waste area on the left, pitching to the back of the green and sinking a clutch six-footer for the matching birdie.

Litzelfelner pulled even with a par on the par-4 16th when Simmons mis-hit his drive and ended up with a double-bogey.

Both drove down the right side of the fairway on the par-4 17th, where Simmons' approach was pin-high, just off the right of the green. He hit a delicate chip two feet past to save his par. Litzelfelner, meanwhile, was short on his approach to the two-tiered green, and pitched to the upper level, missing a six-footer that would have saved his par and settling for a bogey.

At the 18th, Litzelfelner, from the fairway, hit his second shot pin high just right of the green, then pitched to six inches and tapped in for a tying birdie.

"He hit a fantastic shot, and even a better chip," Simmons said. "He almost made the chip. There almost wasn't a playoff. He played it great. Hat's off to the guy for birdieing his last hole."

That set up the dramatic playoff, a replay of the 18th where Simmons changed his strategy.

"On the 18th hole in regulation, I hit 3-wood off the tee box and hit it in the right rough," Simmons said. "This time I just pulled out driver and hit it in the left rough and was able to get it up by the green and get it up and down, which I should have done the first time. But I had a one-shot lead and was trying to play conservative. I should've just stayed aggressive."

Simmons was aggressive in the playoff, winning in front of opponents and fans who had made their way back to the 18th hole to watch the drama unfold.

"All day, one of us would get up and the other would make a mistake," Simmons said. "It seemed like neither of us could close the door -- couldn't distance ourselves. But it was so much fun to be out there playing and battling. That's what you practice for. You practice to get in those situations and get in a playoff, and I was fortunate enough to pull it off this time."

SEMO Conference tournament

at Dalhousie Golf Club, par-72

Large school division

Teeam --1. Notre Dame 311, 2. Jackson 329, 3. Poplar Bluff 336, 4. Sikeston 344, 5. Central 348, 6. Dexter 374.

Top Individuals (all-conference) -- 1. Travis Simmons (C) 73, 2. Jack Litzelfelner (ND) 73, 3. Nick Nantoni (ND) 77, Adam Way (J) 77, 5. Luke Kinder (C) 78, 6. Eli Pike (J) 79, 7. Gabe Wheeler (S) 80, Brady Dixon (ND) 80, 9. Jonathan Bell (ND) 81, Trent Schumer (ND) 81, Ryan McVey (PB) 81.

Local finishers

Notre Dame (311) -- Jack Litzelfelner 73, Nick Cantoni 77, Brady Dixon 80, Jonathan Bell 81, Trent Schumer 81.

Jackson (329) -- Adam Way 77, Eli Pike 79, Hunter Asher 85, Caleb Likens 88, Tommy Tran 90.

Central (348) -- Travis Simmons 73, Luke Kinder 78, Kobe Franklin 85, Diona Kanchev 112, Christian Retter 116.

Small school division

Team -- 1. Doniphan 385, 2. Kelly 389, 3. Caruthersville 398, 4. Malden 442, 5. Saxony Lutheran 445. (No team scores for Advance, Clearwater, Kennett, Malden, New Madrid)

Top individuals (All-Conference) -- 1. Brian Whitson A 74, 2. Aaron Beck K 82, 3. Trent Beeson D 85, 4. Robert Jamieson CL 86, 5. Colton Smith D 89, 6. Dilan Rucher K 90.

Local finishers

Kelly (389) -- Dilan Rucher 90, Jacob Riley 98, Josh Roberts 99, Derrick Garner 102, Jerrod Lynn 129.

Saxony Lutheran (445) -- Karsten Short 92, Kieran Griffin 111, Anton Rhodes 120, Mikayla Schuessler 122, Ethan Schuessler 132.