Chaminade's Chapman finishes in three-way tie for Class 5 individual state championship

The Chaminade junior was a big part of the Red Devils' run to the Missouri Class 5 boys golf team championship two seasons ago, but last year ended in heartbreak when he was the fifth player on the district runner-up squad and didn't qualify for state.

That disappointment was washed away in a two-day span at this year's Class 5 tourney at Silo Ridge Golf and Country Club when Chapman posted a two-day score of 72-70-142 to be one of three players to come in at 2-under-par and tie for the individual championship.

“It definitely means a lot,” he said. “I understood that bad days happen and I only missed by a couple shots, but I just felt like I let the team down and it really hurt. So I really worked my ass off to get back here.”

Chapman was a double winner Tuesday as the Red Devils also claimed the Class 5 team title by one stroke over Rockhurst.

“It's been a dream. I'm happy,” he said. “I wish that putt on 18 would have gone. I could have got it to 3 (under) and won by myself, but there's too many great players in this field. It's fitting that people tied because the field was really, really good.”

Chapman had a strong start to Monday's opening round with a 3-under 33 on the front nine that included an eagle on the par-5 3rd Hole.

“That was nice,” he said. “I had like 185 (yards) up the hill coming from a really good lie in the rough and I knew the 7-iron would come out hot and get there. I had about a 20-footer (putt) and got it to go.”

Chapman got as low as 4-under and still sat at 2-under after a pair of bogeys. He and the rest of the field then had to endure a nearly four-hour weather delay and he came back to end his day with a tough triple-bogey on waterlogged No. 18 to finish the first round at even-par.

“My last three holes after the delay, the wind kind of picked up and made it a really difficult hole,” he said. “The double there was definitely disappointing, but I bounced back well this morning with a good start.”

Chapman got off to another strong start in Tuesday's final round with three birdies in the first six holes. A double-bogey on No. 8 was a minor hiccup before birdies on Nos. 10 and 12 put him back at 3-under. He bogeyed No. 13 and then parred the final five holes, including the infamous No. 18.

That left Chapman tied for the top spot with Liberty North sophomore Caden Mickelson and Rockhurst senior Jack Cobb and that's the way they would stay as Missouri State High School Activities Association rules don't call for first-place ties to played off.

“Even if it didn't go my way, it would be a lot of fun,” Chapman said. “Any other event would be going to a playoff. The system is what it is. I think it's pretty good. They've tinkered with it a little bit over the years. But it would definitely be fun to go to a playoff.”

After he completed his round, there was a gap before the next group came in, so it was an excruciating wait for Chapman for the final two groups of scores to come in. Once they did, he could breathe a sigh of relief that he had etched his name among the others who can call themselves state champs.

“I don't know if I was more nervous for my putt on 18 or (Cobb's) putt on 18,” Chapman said. “I would say I was nervous, but it's a weird situation you only get in golf. You don't get this in any other sport where you've got 50 people around the green and this five-foot putt matters for so many different reasons. It's an amount of pressure that's really hard to deal with.”

Eureka senior Logan Forister also finished below par at the Class 5 tourney with a two-day total of 72-71 for a 1-under 143, which earned him a tie for fourth place.

“I wanted to post a good number and go under par,” he said. “I was striping it all day. I couldn't hit a fairway on the front nine, but I was battling all day and I was making some putts.”

After 16 pars over his 18 holes in the opening round, Forister had the statistical oddity of carding a 4 on every one of his first nine holes Tuesday. That accounted for five pars, two birdies and two bogeys to keep him even at the turn.

The Webster University recruit then posted birdies on Nos. 13, 14 and 16 to get to 3-under and give himself a one-shot lead, but bogeys on the final two holes brought his day to a close at 1-under.

“I kept throwing darts on that back nine and unfortunately hit a bad first putt on 17 and hit a couple bad shots over on 18. That's just the way it goes,” Forister said. “I'm thrilled with it. I know I played well these last two days. It's just fun playing good golf with a bunch of good golfers. It's my favorite thing in the world to do.”

SLUH freshman Harrison Zipfel had a share of the lead after the opening round and sizzled out of the gate Tuesday with birdies on Nos. 4 and 6 to make the turn at 5 under, good enough for a two-shot lead.

But the back nine was unkind to the area's top newcomer as bogeys on Nos. 10 and 11 started a run of five bogeys over the final holes to leave Zipfel with a final line of 69-75-144, an even-par showing that left him all alone in sixth place but wanting more.

“Overall it was pretty good for the most part,” he said. “I shanked one on 10, so that was like a given bogey and then I felt like I got a bad ruling on 12, but it what it is and it kind of went downhill from there. I've just got to keep working and we'll see how we do next year.”

A pair of Metro Catholic Conference foes were part of a two-way tie for ninth place as Vianney senior Cole Wiese and Chaminade senior John Guerra posted matching two-day totals of 76-71-147.

Wiese, who will play at Central Methodist University, said his round was “weird” but he was glad to end on a strong note with an under-par final round.

“I played excellent but just couldn't hit a fairway, which is usually the absolute strength of my game,” he said. “Last year, I played my entire high school season without a single penalty stroke off the tee and today I literally hit three or four fairways all day. It was just a weird round.”

Guerra will attend Mizzou next year but won't play golf for the Tigers, so his final hurrah Tuesday included the all-state individual finish and a team title.

“I was 6 over (for the tourney) making the turn and I went 3-under on the back,” he said. “Since I'm not playing next year, for the junior golf career to end that way is something special.

The final all-state (top 15) spots were filled by a seven-way logjam at 149 with four of them being area players.

CBC sophomore Harper Ackermann carded a two-day score of 75-74 to attain the all-state status he missed out by one stroke at last year's state tourney.

“I feel like it summed up this year pretty well — pretty average, nothing crazy,” he said. “I was shooting for a lot more. I was really excited for state and to not do great just kind of sucks.”

In his first and only state appearance, Francis Howell senior Carter White also carded a 75-74.

“For the most part, it was pretty boring golf. A lot of pars, birdies and a couple bogeys. Like today, I parred the first 10 holes,” he said. “I kind of had a chip on my shoulder, missing it by a little bit last year. I like to get out here and compete and it was nice to play decent.”

CBC junior Austin Jacobs matched Ackermann and White with a 75-74, ending his day with a strong even-par final nine holes.

“It went solid because I had an awful season until districts,” Jacobs said. “I didn't make many putts, but I made a lot of pars. And I had one birdie today (on No. 17) with a 50-footer (putt) from off the green.”

Liberty freshman Cole Packingham was the other area player at 149. He had a sizzling opening round with a 1-under 71, but he fell back a bit Tuesday with a 78 that included 14 pars, but also two bogeys and two double-bogeys.

“The first day, I was able to make a little more putts than the second day. That's why the score was better,” he said. “My swing was awesome. My coach and I have been able to get it where we wanted. The overall experience was great. I've got three more years, so I'm excited.”