The Missouri girls golf state championships will commence Monday and Tuesday at four different locations across the state.
Each class offers varying degrees of area players and teams, and all have some intriguing storylines to follow.
Here are five things to keep an eye on as they tee ‘em up for the final time this fall:
1. Which team will win Class 4?
The top three teams in last season’s Class 4 tournament were all from the St. ÑÇÖÞÎÞÂë area — Visitation, St. Joseph’s and Francis Howell — and all are back for another run at this year’s Class 4 tourney at Dalhousie Golf Club in Cape Girardeau.
The Vivettes finished second to the Angels at last year’s district tourney before turning that around and edging St. Joe’s for the state title. This year was much like last year at state with Viz edging St. Joe’s again by eight strokes. Vivettes senior Avery McLaughlin heads into state with a head of steam after carding a 1-over 73 to win the individual district championship.
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The Angels had their record run of seven straight state championships snapped by Viz last fall, so they are looking to get back on top of the podium. Senior KC Lenox and junior Maggie Drozda are the last two Angels who remain from their last title team in 2022. Lenox shot a 74 at districts to finish one stroke behind McLaughlin.
The Vikings went from fourth two years to third last season and they enter this year’s state tourney on fire after posting the lowest score (303) of any Class 4 team in district play last week. Senior Hannah Mottert produced the area’s best finish (sixth) for any individual player at state last season and she shot a 1-over 72 at districts.
Defending Class 3 champion St. Dominic moved up a class this season and the Crusaders are the other area team that advanced all five golfers out of districts after a runner-up finish behind Howell. St. Dominic senior Annabelle Bush tied Fort Zumwalt North sophomore Isa Flores for the top individual spot at districts with matching totals of 1-under 70.
2. Can the area produce the Class 4 individual champ?
The area did not have an individual golfer finish in the top five at last year's Class 4 tourney and it has now been five years since Lafayette’s Brooke Biermann brought home the area’s last title in the state’s highest classification.
Fifteen of the top 30 finishers last fall were from the area and 10 of those golfers return to state this season with an eye on bringing an individual title back to the area.
Four players — including two who were in the top 15 — that helped St. Dominic to the Class 3 title are also back to vie for a Class 4 crown.
3. Mehville's Eva Brown a top contender again in Class 3
Mehlville’s Eva Brown produced an outstanding two-day effort at last fall’s Class 3 tournament, carding an opening-round 73 before finishing with a flourish by firing a sizzling 4-under 68 on the final day.
Unfortunately, Nevada’s Emree Cameron was unconscious on the course both days with incredible matching scores of 67, finishing with a two-day score of 10-under to beat Brown by seven strokes.
The good news is Cameron and the Tigers have moved down to Class 2, so Brown won’t have to contend with her again this season.
Brown — the reigning All-Metro girls golfer of the year — enters the Class 3 tourney at Rivercut Golf Course in Springfield on a high note after the junior won her second district title in three years last week.
4. Locals spice up Class 2 tourney
Wright City’s Morgan Nute burst on to the scene last year when she finished fourth in Class 2 as a freshman.
Nute is back again this year after another fourth-place showing, this time in last week’s district tourney.
But two of the golfers that finished ahead of her at districts are area players and will have something to say about the race to win the Class 2 tourney at Fremont Hills Country Club in Nixa.
MICDS sophomore Lisa Zhang qualified for her first state tourney and did so in style with a 2-under 70 to win the district title by five strokes. Zhang’s accomplishments this season include setting a new school record for nine holes with a 7-under 28.
Kal Kolar made big waves for four seasons (2019-2022) at Maplewood-Richmond Heights and now his younger sister Sara is doing the same thing after a runner-up finish at districts as a freshman.
5. Whitfield’s Tina Zhang, Duchesne headline area Class 1 field
Another freshman hopes to make some noise in the Class 1 tourney at Crown Pointe Golf Club at Farmington.
Whitfield’s Tina Zhang carded an 81 last week to win the district title by eight strokes and she will be among seven area players (two from Whitfield and five from Duchesne) vying for the Class 1 title.
Duchesne will be the lone team representing the area in Farmington. The Pioneers, who finished fifth in the state last fall, amassed the second-lowest total of any Class 1 team in winning their second consecutive district championship.