Cassville sophomore shoots 79 at district tournament

BY KYLE TROUTMAN ktroutman@cassville-democrat.com

Enduring inclement weather and a rain delay, one member of the Cassville boys golf team has extended his season another couple weeks.

At the Class 3, District 3 tournament on May 7 at the Frank E. Peters Municipal Golf Course in Nevada, sophomore Cheney Kelley shot a 79 (+7), tying for seventh place and earning a spot in the Class 3 Golf State Championships.

Clayton Bagby, Cassville boys golf coach, said due to the possibility of rain, the tournament had a shotgun start, and Kelley made it through 10 holes at +3 before Mother Nature opened up to cause an hour-long delay.

“He was +3 with the toughest stretch of holes left, and he added 4, but he was in good position and able to finish the round off to be able to go to state,” Bagby said. “The last four holes, he played in a pretty good rain. But, he came prepared with rain gear like umbrellas and towels to stay as dry as possible.”

Kelley was 6 strokes ahead of the qualifying score, and he was confident in his placement throughout the round.

“We have a new app that shows standings throughout the round, and when Cheney went back out after the rain delay, he knew as long as he kept those eight holes to bogey or better, he’d be in good position to qualify,” Bagby said. “

Kelley will play in the Class 3 tournament on Monday at Twin Hills Country Club in Joplin, and Bagby said to find success, consistency will be key.

“More or less, he just needs to continue what he’s been doing and focus on consistency,” Bagby said. “He needs to continue what he was doing in Nevada, avoid high numbers, keep the ball in play and get up and down around the greens.”

As a team, the Wildcats finished fifth of 14 teams. Junior Aidan McBroom was 27th with an 89, sophomore Dennis Craig was 30th with a 90, junior Tyson Bohmke was 34th with a 94 and sophomore Kaleb Artherton was 36th with a 95.

The state qualification cutoff was at 85, and Logan-Rogersville senior Benjamin Roche won the tournament with a 75.

“Our other four were a little disappointed in how they played,” Bagby said. “We had high expectations and hoped to qualify a couple more. It just wasn’t their day. This was the longest course we played all year and a difficult one. That with the weather conditions was tough. There was weeds or water on both sides of most of the holes.”

Bagby said despite any disappointment, the Wildcats are excited to return all five district players in 2026.