Competion was tight in the boys 16-18 division at the Lake of the Ozarks Junior Golf Associations tournament Monday at Lake Valley Country Club. Four golfers needed two seperate chip-offs to determine the top four spots.
J.D. Nash of Newberg and Clayton Mellville of Camdenton each shot 73s while Matt Lenz of Green Ridge and Linn Creeks Anthony Rutledge tied for third with matching 77s.
Nash and Rutledge won their respective chip-offs. Nash placed first with Mellville, Rutledge and Lenz finishing the top four.
I played pretty well, putting was a bit of a downside, Mellville said. The course is wide open, its just getting the ball in the hole once youre on the green.
Lake Valley is Mellvilles home course and he said that put extra pressure on him to play well. If I played bad here, I knew Id hear about it (from the other players,) Mellville said.
In the boys 14-15, division Jesse Maples of Belle matched the low round of the tournament with a 73. Owensvilles Cy Moritz was one stroke behind with a 74.
In the boys 10-11 division Michael Hake of Osage Beach won his third consecutive title. Hake shot a 47 for nine holes.
In the girls 12-13 division Sedalia's Megan Keck won her second straight tournament with a 45 for nine holes. McKenzie Griffin of Osage Beach placed second with a 50. 
Despite her second place finish Griffin was not happy with her performance saying I didnt really play too well, the greens are really fast.
Despite earning enough points to play in the championship tournament, Griffin says she will be on vacation and will miss the tournament. She says that she's happy with her improvements this season, but wishes it would have led to better results.
Ive gotten a lot better (this year), I wish I would have won more, but there is always next year, Griffin said.
Michael Pfitzner of Sunrise Beach won the boys 12-13 division with a 40 for nine holes. Lebanons Hayden Brackett and Eldons Johnathan Helms tied for second with matching 41s. Brackett won the ensuing chip-off, giving Helms third place.
Stephanie Bruemmer shot a 74 to win the girls 16-18 division. She was the only girl in the tournament to break 80 for 18 holes. Brittany Smith of Jefferson City placed second with an 83.
In the girls 14-15 division Eldon natives Kara Harwood and Arika Myers placed first and second with respective scores of 95 and 99.
Katelyn Bartels of Osage Beach shot a 64 for nine holes to win the girls 10-11 division, while Katie Bird, also of Osage Beach, placed second with a 72.
In the boys nine and under division, Hunter Davidson of Roach finished first with a 53 for nine holes while Kellen Welsh from Olathe Kan., was right behind with a 54.
The Junior Championship at Osage National will be held on Sunday July 27 and Monday July 28. The top 12 players from each division that plays 18 holes will be invited, as well as the top nine players from each division that plays nine holes. The official list of players who will be competing will be released at a later date.
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