SPRINGFIELD, Mo. • If Mike Wootten's knees were knocking, nobody heard them.
The Francis Howell junior and Poplar Bluff's Carr Vernon turned the final day of the Class 4 state golf tournament at Twin Oaks into their own match-play event.
But after matching each other stroke for stroke, Wootten stood over a 15-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole for the lead. Wootten sank the putt and went on to win the tournament with a 75-68--143. Vernon, who shot a 70 in the second round, finished a stroke back.
"I like to believe that I'm a really clutch, pressure player," Wootten said. "I don't let those things affect me. It actually helped me. Without having the pressure, I don't think I would have made it, because I wouldn't have focused as much."
The putt didn't clinch the state title. After clipping a tree on his approach on 18, Wooten was faced with having to get up and down to secure the title.
With the eyes of the gallery on him, Wootten put his chip just a couple of feet from the hole and tapped in the winning putt.
"It was a good 40-yard chip," Wootten said. "I practice those a lot. I just picked my spot on the green and hit it."
Wootten started off hot and never cooled. He birdied the 546-yard par-5 No. 3 and the 510-yard par-5 No. 8. As first-round leader Kyle Weldon of Parkway South struggled to a 78 to finish tied for third at 148, it became clear that the tournament's individual championship would come down to Wootten and Vernon.
Wootten sank a 25-foot putt to birdie the 527-yard par-5 10th, only to be outdone by Vernon, who eagled the hole.
The key to Wootten's round was hole 12, a 402-yard par 4. Wootten chunked his approach short, but again parked his chip next to the hole and sank a 3-foot putt to save par. The save kept him even with Vernon until the 17th.
Winning state "is something I've wanted to do all year," Wootten said. "When I started the year, that was my goal. To accomplish it is a dream come true."
Eureka's Ted Jones aced the 165-yard 16th hole to finish with a 76 and tie for fifth place at 150. Other area medalists were DeSmet's Scott Hamel (76-77--153), Ladue's Seth Smith (79-75--154) and Chaminade's Alex Doneff (82-73--155).
Wootten's big day punctuated a strong day for Howell, which tied with Rockhurst for second in the team standings with a 631. Rock Bridge won the team title with a 614, placing four golfers in third place, 14th, 14th and 17th.
"We've been here the last two years as a team and each of those times we shot worse on the second day than we did on the first," Howell coach Carl Wayne said. "It's a tribute to the team about how much they care about each other and fight for each other."
Howell's team included Wooten, Cody Stoll (158), Ryan Staggemeier (164), Alex Stear (166) and T.J. Lyons (174).
DeSmet also earned the fourth-place team trophy with a 632. The Spartans included Hamel, Nicholas Arman (160), Michael George (160), James Siegfried (160) and Michael Odenwald (168).
"I thought they played really well, considering they didn't play well the first day," DeSmet coach Frank Hawkey said. "It's nice to see them bounce back."
