Cason Bekemeier won his first varsity tournament championship, and Republic golfers turned in one of their best team performances in recent memory, finishing second at the Willard Invitational on Thursday. The Tigers combined for a score of 306, just three strokes behind the team champion, Ozark.
Bekemeier overcame a slow start to win the title. After bogeying two of the first three holes, he birdied the next two, and he was at par or below for 11 consecutive holes. He and two other golfers finished with a score of 70, and Bekemeier won a scorecard playoff to become tournament champ.
Jace Henry also finished in the top ten, scoring a 77. Porter Bollinger was 12th with a 79. Brayden Tharp finished just behind Bollinger with an 80, and Aslan Ebisch turned in a score of 92.