SOUTHEAST MISSOURIAN CUP VISITS CAPE C.C.

It took nine years, but the Southeast Missourian Cup competition finally found its way to the Cape Girardeau Country Club.

Now the only remaining challenge for the club is to see that the actual Southeast Missourian Cup remains on the premises.

Cape's eight-man team is among six area golf clubs vying for the coveted cup. Competition begins at 8:30 a.m. Saturday with a shotgun start.

Cape Girardeau Country Club is the last participating team to play host to the tournament. The club, situated along the banks of the Mississippi River, was supposed to host the tournament in 1995, but flood waters engulfed part of the course and led to a redesign of the front nine.

Cape is among four clubs yet to win the Cup and last year finished sixth among a then-seven-team field.

"We look to play better by being at home," said Cape Girardeau Country Club head professional Jack Connell. "We'll be optimistic; not cocky. Everyone should shoot better when they're on their home golf course than when they're playing away from it. We qualified a really good team and look forward to the challenge."

Defending champion Kimbeland Country Club of Jackson has won five of the eight championships under the direction of head professional Doug Dunbar, who left the club after last year's competition. Todd Eastin is now the playing professional for Kimbeland. David Clabaugh, Mark Unger and Mark Mungle are the only three returners from last year's team.

Kimbeland, Westwood Hills Country Club and Bent Creek Golf Course account for all eight of the titles.

Bent Creek, which won titles in 1993 and 1995, is no longer eligible for the competition after dropping both its head professional and club memberships. Westwood Hills, last year's runnerup, took home the title in 1994.

The competition consists of four nine-hole formats: Scramble, Four Ball (best ball), Scotch (alternate) and Chapman (a form of alternate).

The participating golfers will find a revamped Cape Girardeau Country Club, which reopened the front nine this past spring. In addition to nine bigger greens on the front, the course created two new holes -- No. 2., a 185-yard par 3, and No. 7, a 410-yard par 4.

"We're proud of the new redesign of the front nine, and the new greens are coming back with the cooler weather," said Connell. "The greens have recovered from the summer and the golf course is in real good shape."

Southeast Missourian Cup pairings

Cape Girardeau C.C.

Mark Johnson/Jack Smith

Tom Hamilton/Mark McDowell

Jeff Patton/Jack Connell

Larry McKinney/Ron Seabaugh

Kimbeland C.C.

Todd Eastin/Todd Ladd

Dave Clabaugh/Mark Unger

Gary King/Mark Mungle

Jim Stovall/Dennis Drerup

Westwood Hills C.C. (Poplar Bluff)

Bobby Godwin/Bob Reeves

Jim Sides/Greg Ford

Steve Shock/Jim Markel

Ben Godwin/Scott Spencer

Sikeston C.C.

Tom Fowler/Jeff Partridge

Glen Alexander/Chris Alberts

Steve Arndt/Wayne Wright

Jeff Young/Kevin Collins

Kennett C.C.

Matt Shetly/Rick Jones

Ben Cantrell/Ed Norton

C.W. Knhuts/Jim Reynolds

Roger Wheeler/Clayton Shumate

Hidden Trails C.C. (Dexter)

Jerry Jarrall/Glen Eubanks

John Barge/Bill Rowse

Gary Collier/Chris Hall

David Aggy/Bobby Givens