Golfers hit the greens for Ozark Shootout

The weather held off just long enough for the 2024 Tom Hoover Ozark Golf Invitational opening weekend at Westwood Hills Country Club.

Before the participants could hit the greens for an intense competition, the top ten golfers from last season competed in the 38th annual shootout on Friday, sponsored by Michelob Ultra. Though the shootout is a time for players to mingle and get warmed up, each player saw it as an opportunity to build momentum for Saturday's opening round.

Representing the Poplar Bluff area were Alex Wisman and Ben Brumitt, who’s finished in multiple top tens. Alongside them were last year’s shootout winner, Chad Niezing, and last year’s Ozark champion, Josh Rhodes.

Rhodes finished in a three-way tie for the lead on Saturday and connected with solid strokes down the stretch to edge out Jason White for the title Sunday in last year’s competition. This year, he’s looking to snag his third title. He was excited to return to the course and expressed high expectations due to his past success at the Ozarks.

“I’m already having a good time just being in the shootout,” Rhodes said. “I’m glad to be back here at Westwood Hills because (Jimmy) Vernon does such a good job with the tournament. This event kicks off our summer, so I couldn’t wait to be back.”

Rhodes said he’ll be focused and ready to go for the opening round. He believes he’s playing better than he did last season, so he’s hoping for the best as he attempts to win the tournament for the third time.

Wiseman of Drury University is feeling good heading into the tournament. After playing well at his college conference tournament, he said he’s feeling ready to go for the weekend. Wiseman is playing in the Ozark Invitational for the fifth, and with so much experience, he doesn’t feel pressure from any hole he approaches.

“Of course, I want to win, but I’m looking forward to having some fun,” Wiseman said. “The key for me is to be patient. I want to limit getting any doubles and just take advantage when I can. I don’t want to get too greedy out here because if you get above the hole, getting off track is pretty easy, so I will take my time.”

Hunter Parish of Columbia, Mo, outlasted nine other competitors to capture this year’s shootout title. He won a chip-off on hole 18 with Jeremy Tandoy of Broken Arrow, OK. Parish was three to four inches closer to the hole (measured with the flag stick). Parish chipped in for a birdie to survive on 17 while Tandoy sanked a 4-foot birdie putt, which knocked out Niezing, who sanked a long par putt. All three survived a chip-off on 16. Brumitt was the longest and knocked out.

Parish and Tandoy both advanced on chip-offs on No. 12 with two others.

Parish tied for 8th last year, and Tandoy tied for 4th, both showing a solid jump in this year’s shootout.

The Ozark Invitational will continue on Saturday with a tee-off at 8 a.m.