Litzelfelner helps Missouri team to second-place finish in four-state competion

~ Dalhousie golf Club hosted the Southern States Junior Cup this week

Tuesday's rains meant a long day for Jack Litzelfelner and his Missouri teammates Wednesday on the final day of the Southern States Junior Cup golf tournament at Dalhousie Golf Club.

But it was worth it.

The team from Missouri claimed 5 1/2 points in singles matches played Wednesday to lock up second place in the four-team meet, which included high school golfers from four southern states.

Oklahoma ran away with the team title, scoring 19 points over the two-day meet. Missouri was second with 10.5 points, followed by Mississippi (9.5) and Arkansas (9.0).

Litzelfelner, a junior-to-be at Notre Dame, was one of a handful of players whose final match Tuesday was suspended by thunderstorms. He and teammate Brooke Thompson had to return to No. 14 early Wednesday morning, down two holes to their opponents from Arkansas.

But two quick birdies evened the match, and Thompson, a senior from Jefferson City, holed a crucial putt on No. 17 that helped earn the Missouri pair a critical half-point after their match ended all square.

That set the stage for Wednesday's singles matches, and Missouri's five wins along with one that ended all square was enough to earn second-place.

For his part, Litzelfelner defeated Mason Overstreet (Kingfisher, Oklahoma) 4 and 2.

"He's a really good player," said Litzelfelner, the only player from Southeast Missouri to qualify for the team. "It was fun."

Overstreet led by one after five holes on the back nine, but Litzelfelner won four consecutive holes (Nos. 15, 16, 17 and 18) to make the turn with a three-hole lead.

"I didn't get off to the best start, and didn't play that good in the middle or the end," said Overstreet, a University of Arkansas recruit who will be a junior this fall.

Litzelfelner holed a 20-foot birdie putt on the third hole to go up by four, but Overstreet responded with a nice birdie on No. 4, pitching to within two inches of the hole for a conceded birdie. His drive on No. 5, a short 180-yard par-3, stopped within three feet of the hole, but he slid his birdie attempt just past the hole and Litzelfelner was able to halve the hole with his short par putt.

Both again sank short par putts on the sixth hole, Litzelfelner chipping to within two feet and one-putting to go up three with three holes to play.

On the seventh hole, a long par-5, Litzelfelner laid up with his second shot before pitching to within five feet. Overstreet, going for the well-guarded green on his second shot, found the deep rough on the right. He blasted out but remained short of the green, then pitched long before conceding the hole and the match.

Matt Echelmeir (Columbia, Missouri/Rock Bridge H.S.), playing in the match ahead of Litzelfelner, defeated Mississippi's Griffin Agent 2 and 1 after both parred the 206-yard eighth hole. Echelmeier, who finished second on this course at the Class 4 state meet in May, opened the day with birdies on Nos. 10 and 11 to take an early lead that he never relinquished.

"I got off to a hot start, which is very important in match play," said Echelmeyer, who will be a senior. "I had some opportunities, but I kept him down the whole time. I was never trailing."

The tournament, in its third season, teams boys and girls on the first day in fourball and foursomes matches before breaking up into singles matches on the final day. The competitors enjoyed the format, which enabled them to bond as a team.

"I like the format," said Litzelfelner. "The best-ball (fourball) is probably my favorite. The alternate shot (foursomes) was fun, too. It was something different."

Litzelfelner paired with Mikala Jungmeyer (Russelville, Mo.) in Tuesday's fourball, defeating Arkansas' Chandler Cain and Elizabeth Moon 6 and 4. His match with Thompson went down to the final hole before they finished all square with Arkansas' Ian Bellisario and Josie Robertson.

"It's super-fun," Thompson said. "This is definitely my favorite tournament of the year just because of the camaraderie of it. It's nice to have someone else their to have your back. It's a nice change from the normal every-day tournament. ... This format puts you in a lot of stressful situations. Jack and I were definitely in a lot of those today, but fortunately, in our round, we pulled through. We had a lot of clutch putts."

"I've never really played co-ed matches," Echelmeir said. "Playing with girls, someone you've never met, it was a nice bonding experience and I made a lot of friends. It was fun."

After having hosted the AJGA, the state high school tournament and the Southern States Junior Cup in the past calendar year, Dalhousie plans to build on its success.

"It's the future of the game," said Jack Connell, dierctor of golf at Dalhousie. "Our owner, Cord Dombrowski, is very interested in not only helping the golf course but also helping juniors and the community. People just rave about how they're treated not only at the golf course but in town, in this area. It's fun to share midwestern values with people who come in here from other states and other golf courses. They go away with a smile on their face, knowing that the facility was outstanding and the people were even better."