BOLIVAR, Mo. -- Bloomfield junior Peyton Bell went into round 2 with a one-stroke lead in the MSHSAA Class 1 state golf championship at Silo Ridge Golf and Country Club.
His second round didn't go as well, and Bell finished tied for fourth after shooting 74 and 82 for a 12-over 156. On the bright side, he was offered a scholarship to Southwest Baptist University, located in the same city as the tournament, in the process.
After doing well in the opening round, Bloomfield coach Travis Westbrook said Bell was approached and asked about his grades and test scores. The next morning, the SBU coach showed up with admissions information in hand.
"He was pretty pumped," Westbrook said.
Bell started his second round with a drive down the middle and a par on the first hole.
In windy conditions, he mis-clubbed on the par-3 second and hit a good shot over the green into the water and double bogeyed.
Then on the par-5 third, his drive found the native grass and after having to re-tee, Bell got a triple bogey.
Suddenly he was 5-over after three holes when he shot 2-over after the entire first round.
Bell rallied toward the end of the front nine with a birdie and an eagle to get back to 4-over at the turn.
Logan Smith of La Plata won the title after shooting 76-74 for a 150, besting the field by three strokes.
"(Bell) was in contention basically all day until the last 3 holes. The kid that won kind of pulled away," Westbrook said.
The Wildcats finished seventh as a team with a 746.
Holdon Duckworth shot 90-97 to finish 55th. Dustin Debeaux was 80th after shooting 89-113. Levi Clary (96-112) got 84th and Brant Hobbs (103-106) was 86th.
In Class 3, Dexter's Spencer Warren finished 55th in the Class 3 championship after shooting a pair of 84's at Sedalia Country Club.