Houston junior Dustin Blackburn, who became the first Tiger golfer in 15 years to win the district title, finished tied for 37th at the MSHSAA golf championships in Springfield.
Blackburn, who tied for 25th last year, shot an opening-round 80 Monday on the par 72 Deer Lake Golf Course in Springfield. He followed with an 89 Tuesday for a two-day total of 169.
Dixon senior Jace Long won the individual state championship for the second consecutive year by shooting an even par 144. He is the 18th two-time golf champion in state history.
The top local finisher was Willow Springs’ Steven Mallow, who tied for 15th and earned all-state honors with a 162.
Jared King of Lawson and Jordan McLaurin of Arcadia Valley, along with Springfield Central’s Kevin Kring in Class 4, all became four-time state medalists. They have finished in the top 15 four consecutive years at the state tournament on four different courses.
Ash Grove easily won the team title, besting second-place Cameron by 24 strokes. It’s the third consecutive team title for Ash Grove. Willow Springs finished ninth.
Tipton repeated as the Class 1 champions to claim its fifth title. Kearney, which had never placed in the top four, won the Class 3 championship. Rockhurst won the Class 4 title for the 10th time.
Despite lower back pain that sidelined him for nearly two weeks and forced him to make three trips to the chiropractor, Blackburn won Houston’s first district title since Toby Breedlove in 1993. He followed by winning the SCA championship by two strokes the next week.
