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Wheeler's late push falls short in bid for SEMO Conference championship
SIKESTON -- Riding his own momentum and taking advantage of a leader that was slipping, Sikeston's Gabe Wheeler made a late charge he knew was possible.
Wheeler was two strokes behind with two holes to play and found himself in position to shave off another stroke while chasing down the day's leader, Cape Central's Kobe Franklin.
But one swing of the club changed everything leading to Franklin winning the matchup by two strokes on Monday at Fox Haven Country Club in Sikeston during the SEMO Conference Golf Tournament.
Franklin became Cape Central's fourth individual conference champion in as many years after shooting a 1-under 70 on the day after outlasting Wheeler, who ended with a 72.
Poplar Bluff won the large school team title with combined score of 320. Notre Dame came in second with a 333 just narrowly edging Sikeston's 334.
Coming off his second shot on the deciding No. 3 hole, Wheeler's approach to the green from 30 yards away landed about halfway to his desired location sending the senior into visible frustration. The senior's third shot was a bit of a tricky one that was wedged in a sand trap near the right side of the green.
Wheeler, who was coming off a win against the same field during the Jackson Invitational a week ago, ultimately ended with a bogey on the par-5. And although Franklin bogeyed the same hole, Wheeler's gusto was spent after failing to set himself up with a birdie opportunity.
"The only thing on my mind was birdie and get it tied," Wheeler said about his approach. "It was a bit of a tough shot and I did just about the worst case scenario possible. Because of that it kind of affected my next shot and got a bad lie."
The two golfers, who were paired together along with Dexter's Ethan Stevens, finished the tournament on hole four which they each parred. Franklin gained the early advantage with birdies on four of his first 10 holes.
"Kobe's a good player," said Wheeler. "He's played well our last few tournaments and has been great competition. We've got to play a lot together and he made a lot of good putts today. It all matters when you get on the green. That's where he beat me today. Off the tee and on the fairway we were pretty similar. He made the putts and I didn't."
Wheeler turned a struggling start into an opportunity. The senior bogeyed three of his first five holes and was down by five strokes going into his last five holes.
"I felt like he had rough start to the tournament. He battled his way back and is a never-say-die kind of kid," Sikeston golf coach Brent Taylor said about Wheeler. "He didn't execute and that kind of took the wind out of his sails but he has to look at it as being a positive day. He was able to bring himself out of a rough start and still shoot 1-over par. That's a good note."
Wheeler's push all started with a birdie on 18. He made the green in three shots and sank a 10-foot putt to put him four shots away from Franklin, who was sitting at three-under after his par.
"After that birdie on 18 a felt a little momentum going into my last four holes," said Wheeler. "I was going into at least three holes that I could birdie. Knowing I was in striking distance of Kobe and going into those last three holes, I knew I had a late charge in me."
Franklin gave Wheeler the chance he was looking for with two bogeys on his last four holes. Franklin pushed a five-foot putt on hole one for a bogey and missed another on the next for a par. Wheeler matched Franklin with a par and birdie after dropping his approach from the middle of the fairway on hole two four-foot from the pin.
After those two holes, Wheeler was even for the day while Franklin dropped back to 2-under. The next hole was Wheeler's downfall.
"A good score out of that hole would have made a difference," said Wheeler. "For myself and team-wise. "That birdie on 18 definitely set it up for a good comeback, but I fell just short."
Poplar Bluff clinched its first team conference title since 2010 and ninth overall since 2002. They had three golfers make the top 10 which qualifies them for all-conference. The Mules finished 13 strokes ahead of second-place Notre Dame.
"They didn't play their best but they grind," Poplar Bluff coach Billy Pyland said. "Something about conference to them is very important. Two of my top guys were six-over after a few holes and grinded it out. I was proud that they finished strong."
Nick Woolard was Poplar Bluff's top golfer with a 77, which tied him for fifth overall. Nathan Woolard and Tyler Norton finished ninth and 10th with an 80 and 81.
"We've got some great players in the SEMO Conference that a lot of people don't really know about," said Pyland, who's coached the golf team for 19 years. "When you say SEMO Conference golf a lot of people don't realize how tough it is."
Advance's Brian Whitson won the small school division championship with a score of 75 and his team, in just its third year, claimed its first SEMO Conference championship with a 351. They beat out second place Caruthersville by four strokes.
Large Division
Team
1. Poplar Bluff 320, 2. Notre Dame 333, 3. Sikeston 334, 4. Jackson 336, 5. Cape Central 339, 6. Dexter 380
Top 10 (All-Conference)
1. Kobe Franklin (C) 70, 2. Gabe Wheeler (S) 72, 3. Luke Kinder (C) 74, 4. Jack Litzelfelner (N) 75, 5(t). Ethan Stevens (D) 77, 5(t). Nick Woolard (P) 77, 7. Hunter Asher (J) 78, 8. Jonathan Bell (N) 79, 9. Nathan Woolard (P) 80, 10. Tyler Norton (P) 81.
Individuals
Cape Central -- Kobe Franklin 70, Luke Kinder 74, Kegan Bramlett 97, Christian Retter 98, Dustin Lindsey 104
Dexter -- Ethan Stevens 77, Drake Mitchell 92, Ethan Maul 117, River Chism 115, Brandon Berry 96
Jackson -- Hunter Asher 78, Eli Pike 82, Caleb Likens 88, Garrett Walker 92, Ty LeGrand 88
Notre Dame -- Jack Litzelfelner 75, Jonathan Bell 79, Jon Renner 83, Lincoln Hunter 96
Poplar Bluff -- Nick Woolard 77, Nathan Woolard 80, Hunt Nagy 82, Tyler Norton 81, Jake Richardson 85
Sikeston -- Gabe Wheeler 72, Clark Atchison 89, Blake Below 82, Drace Lawerence 91, Luke Blanton 99
Small Division
Team
1. Advance 351, 2. Caruthersville 355, 3. Doniphan 387, 4. Kennett 400, 5. Saxony Lutheran 401, 6. Malden 422, 7. Kelly 454, 8. Clearwater 464, 9. NMCC 467
Top 10 (All-Conference)
1. Brian Whitson (A) 75, 2. KJ Lynch (Ca) 79, 3. Matt Rosson (D) 87, 4. Nate Patillo (M) 88, 5. Jonathan Montgomery (Ca) 89, 6(t). Carson Miles (A) 90, 6(t). Colin Byers (K) 90, 6(t). Chris Crawford (K) 90, 9(t). Grant Woodfin (A) 91, 9(t). Graham Martin (Ca) 91
Individuals
Advance -- Brian Whitson 75, Carson Miles 90, Spence Lorch 95, Grant Woodfin 91
Caruthersville -- KY Lynch 79, Jonathan Montgomery 89, Parr Abbott 98, Graham Martin 91, Trever Winchester 96
Clearwater -- Andrew Smith 120, Mathis Busby 98, Brett Jackson 102, Skylar Starks 144
Doniphan -- Caleb Loewen 95, Will Michel 104, Logan Wetzel 101, Matt Rosson 87, Anthony Quintanar 116
Kelly -- Jacob Riley 94, Ashton Beggs 107, Brandon Smith 126, Dustin Micah 149, Dylan Sander 127
Kennett -- Colin Byers 90, Chris Crawford 90, Logan Faulkner 108, BJ Carr 116, Blake Carr 112
Malden -- Nate Patillo 88, Andrew Belcher 95, Cory Apprentice 104, Logan Donley 135
NMCC -- Skylar Rains 134, Dakota Ivie 114, Steven Carter 108, Landyn Faire-Adams 111
Saxony Lutheran -- Karsten Short 92, Bryan Thurston 100, Ben Daniel 110, Anton Rhodes 99, Drew Zieba 110