EUREKA • Westminster's Kevin VandeKamp is earning the reputation as a big tournament player.
VandeKamp shot a 74 at Aberdeen Golf Club on Wednesday, edging teammate Matthew Brugner and MICDS's Parker Goldman, who each shot a 75, for the Class 3 Sectional 2 tournament individual title. VandeKamp also won the Class 3 District 3 tournament last week and is the defending Class 3 state champion.
"Going into a big tournament, you prepare yourself so much going into it and you just hope your swing is looking good and you embrace the pressure," VandeKamp said. "It's fun to play in big tournaments and in big situations."
VandeKamp birdied No. 6, a 515-yard par 5, after making the green in two. Up and downs on holes four and nine were also key. VandeKamp sunk a 12-foot putt to save par on No. 4 and made another 10-footer on No. 9 to save par.
"Out here, the key is to just keep the ball in play and then see if you can score around the greens," VandeKamp said. "The greens were rolling so nice that you can get a good read and put a really good roll on the ball, so that was helpful."
"He's definitely been clutch," Westminster coach Brian Burkey said. "He's definitely played well in the bigger tournaments and it's huge to have that kind of talent."
Westminster, the defending Class 3 team champion, will get a chance to defend its title as it advanced to state by winning the sectional team title with a 316. VandeKamp and Brugner led the way, followed by Shaeffer Bell (83), Ryan Haxel (84) and Peter Sippel (85).
The key to Brugner's round was getting an up and down for birdie on No. 6. Brugner's performance showed Westminster's depth and the team beat the field by 31 strokes even though Haxel, its No. 1, struggled amid tough course conditions.
"It just shows that we have a lot of depth and a lot of ability from one down to five," Brugner said. "Anyone can play well anyday and there's always someone there to pick it up."
Even though Westminster is the defending state champ, Burkey said there is no pressure.
"We lost three of our guys from last year, but we have Ryan and Kevin coming back and a couple of guys who haven't seen it before," Burkey said. "I don't think we have the same pressure like it would have if we would have the same guys."
Lutheran South took second with a 347, advancing to state as a team for the first time since 1985. David Kirkman, Ethan Werkmeister and Jake Hartwig each shot an 84 to lead South, while Steve Piedimonte shot a 95 and William Brown finished with a 96.
"They played the way they are capable of and it finally came," South coach Mike Albers said. "We've been there all year long and just haven't been able to beat people ... this is the way they are capable of playing and it is awesome."
For the second consecutive week, Hartwig was the difference for South. His strong round helped the Lancers edge third-place Moberly by three strokes. Hartwig, the team's No. 5, broke a three-way team tie for second place in districts last week by having the lowest score among the No. 5 players on the tied teams, which allowed South to advance to sectionals.
"It is a total team effort, you can't nail it on one person, but it turns out that way sometimes," Albers said. "Just like winning in the last inning (in baseball), you give credit to the guy who hit the home run, but the whole team did it."
Individual state qualifiers included Goldman; Colin Kopsky, Priory, 77; Austin Wheeler, Kirksville, 78; Jared Martin, Moberly, 80; Kyle Adamson, MICDS, 80; Matthew Finneran, Priory, 80; Christopher Pestka, Duchesne, 81; Bryce Balber, University City, 83; Chris Percy, St. Charles West, 83; Danny Collier, Moberly, 83; Jake Leonard, John Burroughs, 83; Adam Minter, St. Charles, 85; Charlie Baumann, Hannibal, 85; Ethan Luecke, Warrenton, 85; Mark Loeber, Moberly, 85; Michael Epsten, John Burroughs, 85; and Mikal Harpster, Warrenton, 85.
Defending Class 2 champ Whitfield has another strong showing
Whitfield, the defending Class 2 team champion, continued its dominance by shooting a 305, which was 29 strokes better than second-place Kennett in the Class 2 Sectional 1 tournament at the Cape Girardeau Country Club.
Whitfield's Mitch Rutledge won the individual title with a 3-under 67 and teammate Jake Andrews finished second with a 76.
Whitfield's Alex Sarr had the shot of the day, nailing a hole-in-one with a 6-iron on the 158-yard No. 11. Sarr finished with a 78, good enough for fourth place.
