Schuenke powers to pair of victories, reaches quarterfinals of Missouri Amateur Championship

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Ryan Schuenke didn’t allow a long day of golf to go any longer than needed.

The Palmyra golfer ended a pair of matches Friday in the 117th Missouri Amateur Championship short of 18 holes, winning twice to advance to Saturday’s quarterfinals at St. Joseph Country Club.

Schuenke, a former Quincy men’s city champion and multi-time Quincy Country Club champion, defeated Hunter Shy of St. Charles, Mo., 5 & 4 in the round of 32 on Friday morning and then knocked out Jefferson City’s Alex Gentry 3 & 2 in the round of 16 on Friday afternoon.

Against Shy, Schuenke seemingly had his match wrapped up by the turn. He won the first two holes as Shy made bogey on both, and Schuenke won the sixth and seventh holes with pars to go 4-up. A birdie on the par-3 ninth won the hole and put him 5-up.

The golfers split the first four holes on the back nine before halving the par-4 14th to end the match with Schuenke up 5 & 4.

In the round of 16, Schuenke bookended the front nine with victories and went to the back nine all square. He made birdie on the par-3 11th to go 1-up and then won Nos. 15 and 16 with pars to end his match with Gentry.

Schuenke is scheduled to tee off at 8:18 a.m. Saturday in the quarterfinals against Mt. Vernon’s Presten Richardson.

Quincy’s Adam Pfeiffer, an eight-time Quincy city champion, was knocked out in the round of 32 as Brad Nurski of St. Joseph, Mo., won 1-up.

Pfeiffer won two of the first five holes, making pars on the par-4 second and par-4 fifth holes, but his bogey on the par-3 ninth hole allowed Nurski to win the hole pull even. Nurski made a par on the 11th and a birdie on the 12th to go 2-up before Pfeiffer came back with a birdie on the par-3 13th to get within 1-down.

They halved the remaining five holes to give Nurski a 1-up victory.