The talent on display at the AJGA Dalhousie Junior Championship even impressed a non-golfer like me

It's not that I have anything against golf, but for a variety of reasons I have never taken up the game.

In fact, many people might find this hard to believe, but I have played golf exactly once in my entire life -- and that was way back in 1983, when I worked for a small newspaper in Oklahoma.

No, I can't say that golf is close to my favorite sport, but I do enjoy watching it on television, especially the major championships. And I have numerous friends who swear by the game.

So why have I never made it a point to play golf?

There really is no sole reason, but here are a few primary ones:

I didn't grow up around the game, I still enjoy playing other sports that I am much more familiar with and have enjoyed for a long time -- like basketball, tennis and racquetball -- and I don't know how often I could afford to hit the links on a sports writer's salary.

But I am not writing this piece to justify my lack of a golf game, or really even to let people know that I am not a golfer.

It's to point out that, as unfamiliar as I am with one of the world's most popular sports, that did not prevent me from being totally awed by the talent in Cape Girardeau this past week for the American Junior Golf Association's Dalhousie Junior Championship.

Talk about some incredible boys and girls golfers ages 12 through 18. Their skill level and competitiveness were pretty much off the charts.

I don't know that people in this area truly appreciate the high-level event that took place Tuesday through Thursday at the immaculate Dalhousie Golf Club.

More than 160 current PGA and LPGA players -- including Tiger Woods -- are former AJGA members.

So it's likely that, although there is no telling who they might be, some future professionals were in the Dalhousie Junior Championship field, which included players from 29 states and Canada.

It's not often that some of the nation's top performers at any age level in any sport display their wares in Southeast Missouri.

The event was a pleasure to watch and cover. It was a mighty impressive show, one that even a non-golfer like me could appreciate and savor.

Even if it probably won't drive me to take up the game -- although you never know.

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I baked in the toasty sun for nearly four hours Thursday following the leading group -- on foot and not using a cart, I might add -- during much of the Dalhousie Junior Championship's final round.

But the sweat and soiled clothing were more than worth it because I got to witness a bit of local history.

Ty Spinella, a 17-year-old senior-to-be from Aledo, Texas, tore up the tough course for a 5-under-par 67 as he ran away with the tourney title.

Spinella's round broke Dalhousie's course record in a competitive event. The previous low score was 68.

And I might add that Spinella was as likable a young man as he was a terrific golfer, which is quite a combination.

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Major props to everybody associated with Dalhousie and the AJGA for the way they ran the tournament.

With 15 AJGA staff members on hand to help conduct things, along with Dalhousie personnel and countless volunteers, it almost seemed like a mini PGA or LPGA event was taking place, instead of a junior tournament.

That's how organized and exact everything was, which sure made the media's job that much easier.

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For the second year in a row, Southeast Missouri State football coach Tony Samuel has quite an event planned for his program's golf tournament fundraiser.

Samuel's ties to the University of Nebraska -- he played for the Cornhuskers and was also an assistant coach -- have helped add plenty of luster to things the past two years.

Former Nebraska stars Tommie Frazier, Rich Glover, Broderick Thomas, Jamie Williams, Paul Miles and Neil Harris are all scheduled to take part in Monday's TEAM (Together Everyone Achieves More) Tournament at Cape Girardeau Country Club.

Samuel said the ex-Cornhuskers also plan to attend tonight's silent and live auction, which begins at 6:30 at Cape Country Club.

A wide range of items will be auctioned off, including sports memorabilia. The auction is free for those playing in the tournament, but non-golfers can attend the event for $15. If interested, just show up tonight.

Samuel said the Southeast football program can use extra money -- what athletic program at the university can't? -- and a fundraiser like this gives the Redhawks a nice boost.

It probably doesn't hurt in trying to attract interest from the public that some of the biggest names in the illustrious history of Nebraska football -- led by Frazier and Glover -- come to Cape Girardeau to help out former Cornhusker Samuel.

Frazier, Williams and Harris also participated in last year's event.

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It's pretty much a given that the Southeast men's basketball team won't have the luxury of easing into the season, since the Redhawks face rugged early tests at the likes of Xavier, Illinois State, Bradley and Tulsa.

But the Redhawks' Nov. 10 opener at Xavier figures to be especially challenging, after the Musketeers were recently ranked 22nd in the ESPN.com preseason poll.

Xavier went 25-9 last year, won the Atlantic 10 championship and came ever so close to upsetting No. 1 seed Ohio State in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

Ohio State needed a 25-foot 3-pointer at the buzzer to force overtime against Xavier on the Buckeyes' way to a national runner-up finish.

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By any standards, it was not a good season for the Southeast softball team as the Redhawks failed to make the Ohio Valley Conference tournament for the first time ever.

But at least the Redhawks showed they can hit the long ball.

In the final NCAA Division I statistics released recently, the Redhawks finished ranked 15th nationally in home runs per game with 1.19, based on 57 homers in 49 contests. That tied them for second in the OVC.

Southeast junior Michelle Summers wound up 26th nationally after eclipsing her own single-season school record with 14 home runs, for an average of 0.29 homers per game. Summers is also Southeast's career home run record-holder with 35.

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There might not be a more hard-luck pitcher so far this season in all of professional baseball than Advance High School product Garrett Broshuis.

Broshuis, with the Connecticut Defenders of the Class AA Eastern League, is 13th in the league with a 3.49 ERA -- yet his record is just 1-8.

Broshuis was taken by the San Francisco Giants in the fifth round of the 2004 amateur draft out of the University of Missouri.

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The NBA draft is Thursday, and I've been reading that former SIU star Jamaal Tatum's stock is rising.

Tatum, once considered a longshot to be drafted, now looks like he has a chance to be selected in the two-round draft.

And even if the guard isn't picked, he's sure to wind up in some team's training camp.

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One more NBA draft note, relating to the OVC:

Tennessee State guard Bruce Price has withdrawn his name from the draft and will be eligible to play for the Tigers this season.

When healthy, Price has been among the OVC's premier players ever since his freshman year, but he has been troubled by injuries.

Price tore his ACL early in the 2005-06 season and received a medical hardship. He re-injured the same knee prior to the 2006-07 campaign and never took the court.

Price was granted an additional hardship waiver from the NCAA, and his return will certainly bolster the Tigers' hopes of contending for the OVC title.

Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian