Captain Named!!

Mike White, President of the Missouri Golf Association, has been named the 2008 Captain of the Missouri team against Kansas in the Ozark Challenge Cup. The event will take place October 21st-23rd at Hickory Hills Country Club. The teams are made up of 16 players from both association’s Senior Series. Last year was the first year Missouri and Kansas competed in this great event. I am looking forward to another great competition this year and hopefully we can defend our title!

Until I see you on the first tee!!

Scott

Time to Play!!

Well the time has come again for the top golfers in Missouri to compete in the Missouri Stroke Play Championship. The event is being held right outside Jefferson City at Meadow Lake Acres Country Club. This will be the first major event held at the course and the top players in the state will compete. For me it is kind of exciting to see how the guys will score. I grew up on this golf course and have seen it come a long way from the days of non water fairways to now having zoshia fairways and irrigation systems through out the course. The staff at Meadow Lake has done a wonderful job with the course and has it looking great for the event.

Today is the practice round day, Wednesday and Thursday the players will play 18 holes each day. Then we will make a cut to the top 50 scores and ties for the final day which is a 36 hole shoot out. So stay in touch with what is going on with the action by watching the live scoring at http://www.mogolf.org/ this week.

Until I see you on the first tee!

Scott

Voice of Tigers to be Guest Speaker

Mike Kelly the Voice of the Missouri Tigers is going to be the guest speaker at this years Father-Son Championship being held July 28th and 29th at The Club at Porto Cima. Kelly will speak after the first round of play at the yacht Club at Porto Cima around 7:30 p.m. The Father-Son is going on its third year and is become the players favorite event each year. If you are interested in joining us for dinner please call the MGA office at 573-636-8994.

Mike Kelly has broadcast almost 700 Mizzou Football and Basketball games. The Dupo, Illinois native started his affiliation with the University of Missouri in 1989, when he was named the host of “Tiger Talk” the radio show that features Mizzou’s Football and Basketball coaches. After serving as the color analyst for Mizzou Basketball during the 1990-1991 season, Kelly took over the play-by-play duties the next season. In 1994, Kelly was named as “The Voice of the Tigers” taking over the reigns for Mizzou Football.

A 1984 graduate of SIU-Carbondale, Kelly has broadcast NFL Football and NCAA basketball for CBS Radio. He has also broadcast games for the St. Louis Cardinals.

In addition to broadcasting games, Kelly is employed by The Insurance Group, and independent insurance agency located in Columbia, MO.

Kelly and his wife Laurie will celebrated their 20th anniversary in August. They
are the parents of 17-year old twin daughters Shannon & Shaun. Their youngest child
Megan is 12.

On the Run

I first off want to apologize for not being very prompt with my blogs lately, I have been pretty busy and just have not gotten around to them. However, I hate excuses so I will stop there.

As I type this out I am in North Kansas City at our 25th Missouri Junior Amateur Championship being held at Paradise Pointe Golf Club. This complex has 36 holes here, one course called the Outlaw and the Other named The Possey. Both courses are in wonderful shape and we have over 180 players competing these two days. This mornings weather was great however this afternoon a storm is brewing west of here and has kicked the winds up and that will kick the scores up as well.

From here I will be making the a short drive to Cape Girardeau which will only take me about 6 hours from the spot I am in now. Nothing like going from Northwest Missouri to Southeast Missouri! Thursday and Friday we are having another Senior Series event at Cape Girardeau Country Club and Dalhousie. There are over 80 players competing at both spots. The players are in for a great treat with these two courses for sure. The rest of the Senior Series Events are sold out for the year. So if you want to participate next year make sure to get your applications in early.

Well time to help bring the kids in off the golf course, we just had lightning in the area and had to blow the horn to halt play.

So until I see you on the first tee.

Scott

Congratulations Missouri Amateur Champion - Justin Bardgett

One year ago at Old Warson Country Club, a young Justin Bardgett found himself in the finals of the Metropolitan Amateur Match Play Championship against Player of the Year, Skip Berkmeyer. On this day, Bardgett looked to defeat the number one seeded Berkmeyer holding a 2up lead with 2 holes to play. But the veteran Berkmeyer found a way to square the match as he has a knack to do, ultimately winning in extra holes and sweeping away the championship from Bardgett.

Turn the clock forward a year and a more experienced Bardgett again was on the cuff of winning a major amateur championship, this time the 101st Missouri Amateur Championship. And again, in his way was none other than Skip Berkmeyer. Both graduates of Chaminade High School, Bardgett has played in the shadow of Skip Berkmeyer for most of his young adult life. A Missouri High School Champion, Bardgett has captured his share of major golf tournaments, but never a Men's major championship like he again had the opportunity to win on Sunday at WingHaven Country Club.

Throughout the week, Skip Berkmeyer had played what he called some of the best golf he's played competitively in his career. He had control over his golf ball, a great feel on the greens and an edge over many of the younger inexperienced competitors in the field. Breezing through his first five matches, you could sense Berkmeyer intimidated his opponents if not because of his reputation alone. But Bardgett had seen it before. He fully understood what Berkmeyer was capable of and also knew that he was one good shot away from defeating him a year ago. Watching the players warm up on Sunday morning, you could sense Bardgett wasn't going to spot Berkmeyer 2up on reputation alone.

As the players began their marathon 36 hole final match ominous clouds hovered over the Nicklaus Design Championship Golf Course and mother nature was evident with gusts of 10 to 15 mph. For most of the week the weather had been perfect with little wind to challenge the golfers.

If anyone had their doubts as to whether the younger and less experienced Bardgett would handle center stage, it took all of 15 minutes to answer that question. After an atypical wayward drive from Berkmeyer off the first tee, Bardgett neatly placed his tee shot on the left side of the fairway. It was Bardgett's second shot that served notice that he was ready for this challenge, as he stuck his approach to 4 feet of the hole. He would go on to make birdie and assume a 1up lead. After both players made birdie on the par 5, 2nd and pars on the 3rd, the players were called off the golf course for 45 minutes due to inclement weather with Bardgett maintaining the 1up lead...Read More