The Nixa boys golf team competed in the MSHSAA Class 5 District 3 Tournament on the Par 72 Course at Bill & Payne Stewart in Springfield, Mo., on May 12.

Per MSHSAA guidelines, the teams that finish in the top two advance to the state tournament. After removing the player scores from the qualifying teams (district champion, runner-up), the remaining top 13, including ties, also advance to the state tournament.

In a district with 16 teams and 80 golfers, including Nixa, the Eagles finished second, two strokes behind district champion Kickapoo.

The Eagles scored 291 points from their top four scores en route to their runner-up performance, besting Glendale by 12 strokes.

2024 state medalist senior Noah Naugle topped the entire field, shooting -4 (66), to crown the individual title. 

Following behind Naugle in the top 10 as a medalist was teammate junior Peyton Burbridge, who placed sixth with an even score of 72. 

The Eagles remaining three golfers placed in the top 50: senior Noah Schiman tied for 11th at +2 (72), junior Aydan Willoughby tied for 31st at +7 (79), and junior Will Johnston tied for 43rd at +11 (81).

With its outing, the Eagles qualified their entire squad for the state tournament, securing the program's third consecutive berth. A year ago, Nixa just missed out on a team trophy by three strokes (603), finishing behind Rockhurst (600), Ozark (599), Marquette (588), and state champs Chaminade (587). Naugle became Nixa's first-ever state medalist with a 12th-place performance. Burbridge was also a member of last year's state team and placed 86th.

In 2023, the team finished sixth in the team standings, where Naugle (27th) and Burbridge (49th) made their first state appearances.

The 2025 Class 5 state tournament will be held May 19-20 at Rivercut Golf Course in Springfield, Mo.

Nixa is vying for a state trophy in a team field against Lafayette (District 1 champion), SLUH, Chaminade (District 2 champion and state defending champions), Francis Howell, Kickapoo (District 3 champion), Rockhurst (District 4 champion), and Liberty North.

Individually, Naugle will be making his fourth straight state appearance, while Burbidge makes his third. Naugle placed 31st in 2022, 27th in 2023, and Nixa's record-setting 12th in 2024, seeking to capture the gold in 2025. Burbridge finished 49th as a freshman in 2023 and 86th as a sophomore in 2024.

The Eagles' second-place finish caps off a successful regular season. Nixa captured the Carthage Invitational Tournament against 21 opponents, were runners-up at SLUH and Cape Notre Dame, and took home the bronze at Bolivar, Springfield, and COC.

Click here for the entire Class 5 District 3 tournament results.
Click here for additional Class 5 state tournament information.
Click here for video highlights of the tournament.