Quincy’s Pfeiffer wins third Missouri Mid-Amateur title, fends off challenge from Palmyra’s Schuenke

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Adam Pfeiffer saved his best for last.

The Quincy golfer played the final nine holes of the 36-hole Missouri Mid-Amateur Championship in 4-under par, making four birdies in a five-hole span at Jefferson City Country Club to allow him to clear the field by two strokes and win his third title with a 9-under 135 total.

Pfeiffer becomes the second golfer in the history of the Missouri Mid-Amateur Championship to win three titles, joining Skip Berkmeyer following his bogey-free round of 7-under 65.

“I was just steady. A lot of fairways, a lot of greens,” Pfeiffer told Missouri Golf Association’s Ella Fixsen afterward. “The greens are just pure out here so you get a lot of 10-, 15-, 20-footers, and luckily a lot of them rolled in for me today.”

Palmyra’s Ryan Schuenke did his best to challenge Pfeiffer, playing the final nine in 3-under, but he fell two strokes short and finished alone in second place at 7-under 137. Springfield’s Chase Gafner was third at 6-under 138.

Pfeiffer, an eight-time Quincy men’s city champion, began Sunday’s final round two strokes off the lead of 4-under 68 shared by Schuenke and Columbia’s Hunter Parrish. That deficit was erased by the turn as Pfeiffer played the front nine in 3-under 33, while Schuenke was even on the front and Parrish was 2-over.

Schuenke, also a former Quincy men’s city champion, looked to seize command on the back nine, birdieing the first three holes to get to 7-under. Pfeiffer parred Nos. 10 and 11 before making a birdie on the par-5 12th to get to 6-under. That’s when things changed.

Pfeiffer made birdies on the par-4 13th, the par-5 15th and the par-4 16th to reach 9-under. Meanwhile, Schuenke bogeyed the par-4 14th and came back with a birdie on the par-3 17th. However, Pfeiffer made par on the final two holes to secure the victory.