Volunteers draw praise from competitors

After her first round, girls division leader Courtney McKim was ready to play again, praising the Cape Girardeau community for its support of the AJGA Dalhousie Junior Championship.

"The people are so nice and they're so accepting of the tournament coming here," McKim said. "The community wants to have a tournament here, and I think that's just great. They'll do everything possible to make you feel at home.

"I'm looking forward to going around again."

Marshall Talkington, one of the leading boys after a first-round 67, had similar praise.

"I can see why it was the tournament of the year," he said, noting the number of volunteers.

The Knoxville tournament in which Talkington placed second did not have enough volunteers to have leaderboards carried with the lead groups on the final day.

"I finally was in the next-to-last group and couldn't get my name on a leaderboard," he said.

Volunteer committee chair Mark Hogan said that role has been in high demand among the volunteers.

"Everyone wants to be the standardbearer for the final group," Hogan said. "I said you had to be here Tuesday morning to qualify."

Cut me, Mac

McKim's mother comes prepared to the golf course.

She walked around with a backpack and earphones while following the first group of girls.

"She figures if I have to carry a bag, she will carry a bag, too," said McKim, the first-rounder leader in the girls division.

The contents? "Food. Medical supplies, in case you have a fingernail that needs to come off and you need to cut it."

As for the music preference, Courtney McKim wasn't sure what plays through her mother's earphones.

"I don't even know if she listens to anything," Courtney said. "Sometimes, she'll just have it in her ears and not have anything on."

The water boys

Among the volunteers Hogan had working the course Monday for the pro-am were Southeast Missouri State basketball coaches Scott Edgar (men's) and John Ishee (women's).

Edgar was circling the course with water and sports drinks during the junior-am. "He's got me earning my keep," Edgar said of Hogan.

"They made a movie about them, 'The Waterboy,'" Hogan joked. "Next year, I'm going to get them shirts with 'Waterboy' on the back."

Junior-am note

Superlatives from Monday's junior-am were: Rob Janet, closest to the pin on No. 13; Betty Dewitt, longest women's drive on No. 16; Lance Bray, long men's drive on No. 16; Adam Rainey, closest to the pin on No. 5; Phil Cantoni, closest to the pin on No. 8; and Carol Largent, closest to the pin on No. 11.

Regional line

Of Southeast Missouri golfers, Trent Hillis of Poplar Bluff turned in the low score of 76. Hillis shot a 1-under-par 35 on the front, but climbed to a 41 on the back.

Chance Holden of Dexter shot an 81.

Jordan McLaurin of Ironton shot a 70 and had the low score of 28 Missouri boys in the field.

Hanyle Seo of St. Louis shot a 79 and had the low score among six Missouri girls in the field.

A total of 23 states and Canada are represented in the boys field, with Illinois accounting for the second-highest number with 17.

Favorite holes

Joe Wiggans, the Cape Girardeau golfer and Notre Dame soccer player whose favorite recreational pastime is paint ball competitions, has a favorite hole at Dalhousie.

"I like 16," he said last week. "Just the setting of it is a really pretty hole. If you hit your drive down the middle, it's not that tough, but there are huge bunkers on the left and right."

The hole was not so kind to Wiggans on Tuesday, when he had a double bogey.

Jack Schultz and Talkington both liked the 10th hole best.

"You have to really decide if you're going to hit it over the water or go left and play it safe," Schultz said Monday after the junior-am. "It's always fun to have those holes where you can do what you want."