When it comes to advancing in the postseason, skill has not always proven to be enough in the game of golf.Occasionally, a lucky break or a favorable course is necessary to slide into the next round. And at times, you just barely get by.For three Warrenton golfers — and to an extent, the entire team — overcoming bad breaks has become routine.At Tuesday’s Class 3 District 3 Tournament at Innsbrook the Warriors found themselves locked in a three-way tie for second. By the time the rule books had been engaged, Warrenton was the odd team out. One stroke had been the difference between the whole team or just three individuals moving on to sectionals. But Coach Rich Barton says there is no time for regret.“Every kid knows we left a stroke out there, but we’re not looking back,” said Barton. “I was pleased with all the kids’ effort.”Seniors Ethan Luecke, Chase Nelson and Curtis Bauer each advanced to the sectional round.Expected to compete for the individual title, Luecke had no concerns about moving on. But he did find misfortune getting in his way of knocking off district champion Davis Soderburg.“On the front I played pretty consistent all day,” said Luecke. “But then on a few holes on the back nine I had a couple of unlucky breaks.”Perhaps more frustrating is that Luecke’s lost strokes have come on circumstances that were out of his control.“My last two tournaments I’ve hit the cart path,” said Luecke. “One went out of bounds, and today it went into the water.”Nonetheless, he carded 74, while Soderburg shot a 73 on the par 70 course.“I was pretty confident all day,” said Luecke. “I was hitting the ball good, but I just couldn’t get close enough to make a few birdies.”After taking second at state last year, Luecke is determined to return in pursuit of another strong finish.“Coming into the round, he wanted to really focus on staying around par,” said Barton. “He played really well, and now he can just relax and focus on getting back to state. I’m really excited for him.”There was a little more suspense for the remaining two qualifiers, who were glad to see scores coming in on the high side.“Today was the first day that most of the kids had played the ball down,” said Barton. “That affected the scores quite a bit today.”Nelson’s round took a disappointing turn early, but he was able to salvage an 87 and slide through among the Top 15.“That kind of brought my confidence down after I bogeyed (my first) hole,” said Nelson. “Right after that I double bogeyed. The front just wasn’t coming together for me.”After carding a 45 on the front, he shot a 42 on the back nine.“He struggled the whole day from his very first shot on,” said Barton. “I kept reminding him that scores were going to be high, and to focus on finishing strong.”Bauer was holding out hope that his 89 would be good enough to advance, and it was just that.“We thought the cut line would be a 90, and he snuck right in,” said Barton. “That’s all that matters is moving on.”For Bauer, escaping Innsbrook successfully was a huge relief. He folded on the same course last season at sectionals, and while it’s a familiar course, it hasn’t been friendly.“It’s just Innsbrook,” quipped Bauer. “It always gets me.”He and his two teammates will compete in Moberly on Monday for a chance to advance to the Class 3 MSHSAA Championships at Fremont Hills in Ozark.“I wanted to get back to sectionals and do better than I did last year,” said Bauer. “And now that I got this course out of the way, hopefully I can improve.Closing out the season for the Warriors was senior Luke Hawley, who has been a longtime contributor to the program. He shot a 95 on Tuesday.Meanwhile, Warrenton’s lone underclassmen on varsity, junior Jesse Washburn, carded a 111.

Warrenton senior Curtis Bauer was one of three Warriors to qualify for the Class 3 sectional meet.

Derrick Forsythe Photo.