Wildcats set goal to qualify multiple golfers to state

By Kyle Troutman [email protected]

With the amount of experience returning to the tee box, the Cassville boys golf team is has set ambitions goals this season, expecting to qualify multiple golfers to state.

“We have an older group of boys now that have played at the varsity level for a year or two at least,” said Clayton Bagby, Cassville boys golf coach. “They spend a lot of time at the golf course putting in time on their own to be better golfers and love to play the game. They all have high expectations for themselves, and if individually they are meeting their expectations, as a team, that should put us in a lot of opportunities to compete for tournament titles, including at Conference and in the District Tournament. 

“I believe they would tell you they want, and expect, to for multiple members to qualify for state, and have the opportunity to qualify as a team.”

Among the returners, juniors Cheney Kelley and Dennis Craig bring state-level experience.

“Cheney qualified for state last year as a sophomore,” Bagby said. “Has played the most golf of any of them and is a very good ball striker with a good short game. Dennis qualified for state as a freshman. He didn’t start playing as early as Cheney, but he absolutely loves the game and puts in a ton of work to keep improving, and he has high expectations for himself to return to state and finish towards the top of all tournaments.”

The Wildcats also return a group — senior Aiden McBroom, Senior Tyson Bohmke and junior Kaleb Artherton — that has shown scoring ability in recent seasons.

“These three all started playing a little later, but their quick improvement and ability to score has been impressive,” Bagby said. “All three have the ability to score in the 70’s, and Tyson and Aiden having earned medals in tournaments last year, including the Big 8 Tournament.”

Competition for varsity spots is expected to be strong throughout the season.

“We have a very competitive group this year,” Bagby said. “Last year, the same five guys played every varsity tournament. This year, I expect there will be changes from tournament to tournament on who is earning that opportunity with the five above, as well as the ones below having the ability to play good golf and would play on a number of other teams at the varsity level.”

Several additional golfers are pushing for those interchanging varsity opportunities.

“Junior Kyle Brown was usually in sixth spot last year and has shown improvement in his game and improved consistency in his ball striking and scoring over the year before,” Bagby said. “Senior Daichi Kezuka is a foreign exchange student from Japan that is a very skilled golfer and has shown the ability early to shoot low scores.  

“Senior Will Brooks placed in the 50s of over 100 golfers in our own varsity tournament last year Senior Trevor Brookes is a newcomer that likes to play golf and is working to improve his game.”

Bagby said the team’s competitive nature is a key strength.

“They love the game and they are competitive,” Bagby said. “Like any sport, when you have athletes competing against each other on your own team in the right way, that is only going to make the team and the individual better.”

Course management, Bagby said, will be a major a point of emphasis moving through the season.

“It’s human nature to want to fix one bad shot with the next shot, and being able to take your medicine, forget and move to the next hole will be huge, as well as understanding that par is always a good score,” he said. “So, we have to know when to be aggressive and when to be smart.”

Cassville will also host a key event on its home course.

“We host about 20 teams in our own tournament on April 9, so it is always a good opportunity to let people see the excellent job the crew at the golf course do with the course conditions and give the boys the opportunity to play at home when maybe a few extra people are able to get out and watch them,” Bagby said.

The schedule has been adjusted this year to provide additional challenges.

“We definitely made an effort to get in a couple of tournaments this year at state-level type courses against some bigger school competition, which included adding Ozark (Fremont Hills) and Joplin (Twin Hills) to the schedule,” Bagby said.

The Wildcats’ season began last week at the Reeds Spring Invitational. The team took fourth place among 17 schools, finishing behind Monett, Branson, and Logan-Rogersville. A total of 74 golfers competed in the tournament. Individual results included: 4th, Aiden McBroom, 79; 11th, Dennis Craig, 82; 16th, Cheney Kelley, 84; 26th, Kyle Brown, 87; 29th, Tyson Bohmke, 88.

Cassville’s next tournament is on April 6 in Joplin.