Teams place their seasons on the tee

~ Only district champion teams and top 10 individuals make it to state.

A rule change last year in the state-qualifying process in golf had district runners-up throughout the state on the outside looking in.

The previous state-tournament cut -- top two teams and top five individuals -- was changed to one team and 10 individuals. Teams that qualified four individuals to the state tournament were allowed to compete in the team tournament, and St. Vincent was one of nine teams to take advantage of the that.

In order to earn a trip to the state tournament as a team this season, the Indians may again have to count on individual performances Wednesday in Class 1 district tournament at Piney Valley Golf Course in Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. Thayer, the returning district champion, has four golfers back from a team that finished third in the state. Thayer defeated St. Vincent by 27 strokes to win last year's district.

"If we couldn't score quite good enough to win and had four shoot in the top 10, that would be absolutely fantastic," St. Vincent coach Tom Prost said.

St. Vincent finished seventh in the team standings at state last season and returns two state qualifiers in juniors Zach Richardet and Corey Brueckner.

The Indians finished their season with a 10-1 dual record. Richardet and Brueckner have been the team's leaders again.

"The last couple of weeks there's been nothing but 30s from them, and that's what I'd hoped for," Prost said.

Central may be in a similar situation in Class 4, pitted against state runner-up Poplar Bluff and playing on the Mules' home course.

The Class 4 District 1 meet will be played today at Westwood Hills Country Club in Poplar Bluff.

The Tigers have two returning state qualifiers and are unbeaten in dual meets so far this season. Central finished nine strokes behind Poplar Bluff last year at the district tournament and tied for third. Oakville finished seven strokes behind Poplar Bluff.

"There's definitely a home-court advantage, maybe more so than any other sport I think," Central coach Dick Wadlington said. "But they still have to hit their shots. If we play well, I think we can beat them."

Tigers senior Blake Driskell is the defending district champion, and has averaged right around even-par for the season. Kirk Lohmann also qualified for state last year with a fifth-place finish. Seniors Zach Kluesner and Robert Kaverman and sophomore Jack Connell have been among Central's top five.

Kaverman said with the way the team's top five are playing, putting four individuals in the top 10 is a possibility. But the focus is on a district title.

"Hopefully, we can win district. That's our main goal," he said.

Jackson will join the Tigers at Westwood Hills and should have some contenders for top-10 finishes. The Indians did not have a player go to the state tournament last year.

Notre Dame and Perryville will compete today in the Class 3 District 1 tournament at Eagle Lake Golf Course in Farmington. North County won the district title last year. Notre Dame had two state-qualifiers and finished third.

The Bulldogs graduated both of their state qualifiers.