Levi Palmer qualifies for state golf tournament

Nevada's Levi Palmer chips onto the green during the Class 3, Sectional 4 tournament Tuesday, at Hidden Pines Country Club, in Warrensburg. Palmer qualified for the state tournament with a 12-over-par 83.

By Eric Wade

Daily Mail Sports Editor

WARRENSBURG, Mo. -- Though the rains held off for the day, course conditions were still far from ideal for the Class 3, Sectional 4 boy's golf tournament Tuesday, at Hidden Pines Country Club.

The tournament was originally scheduled for Monday, but was postponed one day due to wet conditions and though the cours had improved enough by Tuesday to be playable, everyone involved still had their share of issues to battle. Everything from standing water to muddy fairways greeted the participants, on top of some already tricky hazards that were built into the course.

Among the players forced to battle those tough conditions for a shot at making the state tournament were three Nevada golfers -- Andrew Quitno, Levi Palmer and Keegan Bell. By the time all was said and done, however, only one of those three was left standing.

Levi Palmer qualified for the Sectional tournament with a 12-over-par 84 in the Class 3, District 7 tournament at Adams Pointe Golf Course, in Blue Springs, tying Bell's mark and finishing one stroke ahead of Quitno. Palmer echoed that success almost exactly as he finished the Sectional tournament with a 12-over 83.

The Sectional round didn't go nearly as well for Bell and Quitno, however. Quitno finished the tournament tied for 22nd with an 18-over 89 and Bell was tied for 27th with a 19-over 90. Those scores put Quitno and Bell out of the state tournament by two and three strokes, respectively.

The top seven individual finishers all came in at less than 10-over, led by Pembroke Hill's Preston Fleener and Austin Hardison, of Excelsior Springs, who each shot a 2-over 73. Pembroke Hill won the team title with a combined score of 312 and Excelsior Springs was second at 338.

All members of the top two teams and the top 12 individuals who weren't on either of those two teams qualified for the 2013 Missouri State High School Activities Association's Class 3 State Boys' Golf Championships, which will be held at Sedalia Country Club, May 13-14.