Jace Long was one tired pup Wednesday night.
A state championship and winning a berth in a U.S. Open sectional qualifier over a three-day span will do that to a golfer.
Long, fresh of a repeat performance as Missouri Class 2 State Tournament champion, also repeated as a qualifier in a U.S. Open qualifying event on Wednesday.
On Wednesday Long was one of six golfers who advanced to U.S. Open Sectional competition in the local qualifier held at Creekmoor Country Club in Raymore.
Long, who graduates from Dixon High School on Friday and who has signed to play on the Missouri-Columbia golf squad next school year, was in a group of six golfers who tied at 1-over-par 73. Those six went into a playoff for three qualifying spots.
An American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) All-America in 2007, Long captured one of those spots in dramatic fashion, as he chipped in from 35 feet on the third playoff hole.
The winner of the local qualifier was St. Joseph’s Brad Nurski, who shot 69. There were also two scores of 72 ahead of the group at 73.
Long now advances to the U.S. Open Sectional Qualifier, to be held at Boone Valley Golf Club in Augusta, Mo. June 2. Qualifiers from that sectional event will advance to the U.S. Open, to be held June 9-15 at Torrey Pines in San Diego, Ca.
Last year Long tied for second place as the lone prep qualifier in the local U.S. Open qualifier at Kansas City Country Club. That advanced him to the U.S. Open Sectional Qualifier at Indian Hills Country Club in K.C., where he tied for 15th but did not advance.
Monday and Tuesday Long was at the Deer Lake Golf Course in Springfield, where he defended his state medalist title in the Missouri Class 2 State Tournament, shooting even-par 71-73—144 to win by two strokes.
He then drove directly to Raymore for Wednesday’s action.
He admits to being “beat” when he started his round Wednesday.
“I was beat,” Long said. “I teed off at 11 a.m. and ended the playoff around 5:30 (p.m.).
“I got on the first hole and bogeyed. I was just exhausted mentally and physically.”
However, Long quickly got that teenage second-wind…and then was fine the rest of the way.
“Actually it was the second hole,” he said. “I hit a drive in the rough but then had a great up-and-down. I chipped in for par and that kind of got me going. I parred three holes and then birdied the fifth hole.”
Long ended up shooting 1-under over the front-nine. He followed that with 2-over on the back-nine to get into the playoff.
Creekmoor is one of the state’s newer championship courses.
“The course was tough; it was brutal,” Long said. “I actually got to play the course a week ago, to practice on it.”
He said his qualification in the local U.S. Open Qualifier was a little less stressful last year.
“This year I definitely made it harder on myself,” Long said. “I played decent enough to get in a position to qualify. I had to grind it out.”
Not much rest will be in store for Long anytime soon. After his graduation weekend, he will travel to Arizona next week for an AJGA tournament, which will kick off his summer junior golf circuit in earnest. Long ended 2007 ranked No. 52 nationally in the final Polo Golf Rankings
Perhaps he’ll find a little time to sleep before then.