Two Republic golfers punched their tickets to the state tournament Monday at the Class 5 District 3 tournament at Payne Stewart Golf Course in Springfield.
Senior Cason Bekemeier shot an even-par 70 to qualify for his third consecutive state tournament, becoming the first three-time state qualifier from Republic since his cousin, Dylan Bekemeier. Senior Luke Heavin carded a 74 to make state for the first time.
Bekemeier started strong, playing 1-under through his first nine holes.
“Out of the gate I was one under through nine and pretty sweat-free,” Bekemeier said. “I played some hard holes pretty good…” he said. “I came out here pretty nervous, just trying to make as many pars and as few mistakes as I could, and I really limited a lot of mistakes for today, so I played well.”
Heavin took a strategic approach on a course he knows well, focusing on smart play over power.
“I know this course pretty well, but I just tried to play as smart as I could,” Heavin said. “I’m not hitting it as far as a lot of the other guys, but I know I can play a lot smarter than the rest of them, and I know I can put myself in good positions to score well.”
The round wasn’t without its tense moments for Heavin, who hit a rough patch in the middle of his round.
“I had a three-hole stretch where I was three over and so I had that little stretch, got a little nervous, but after that, I just took some deep breaths and made some putts,” he said.
After a birdie on his 17th hole of the round, Heavin knew he could play it safe on his final hole and still qualify for state. He hit a safe drive and knocked in a putt for parr, clinching his spot at state next week.
Both golfers will compete at the state tournament at Rivercut Golf Course, a venue they know well.
“I honestly really like Rivercut,” Bekemeier said. “It’s a hard course, but if you know it well I think it helps. I’ve played it a hundred times, but I think the condition of course changes a lot, so just getting out there the day before and seeing how firm the greens are and how the fairways are… and getting used to the rough I think that’s pretty important.”
Heavin is even more familiar with the course, because he has a part-time job there. “I feel all right going into it, but it… changes day-to-day, and knowing what it’s going to bring on that specific day is pretty important.”
As a team, Republic tied Ray-Pec for ninth place with a score of 314 (+34). Junior Ryder Edmonds shot 83, while seniors David Hayes and Porter Bollinger posted rounds of 87 and 95, respectively.
Heavin and Bekemeier are the first pair of Republic players to qualify for the boys state tournament in the same year since Dylan Bekemeier and Beau Allen both qualified in 2013.
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