Top 10 for Ketterman

SIKESTON -- In addition to his off-the-course managerial duties, Bootheel Golf Club pro Jeff Ketterman manages to stay competitive on the course as well.

Ketterman, a member of the PGA of America's Gateway Section, finished ninth in the senior players' point standings for the 2005 season.

The Gateway Section, headquartered in Chesterfield, Mo., is comprised of about 450 area golf professionals. Sixty seniors, in addition to 125 junior pros (under 50), from more than 200 facilities around Missouri compete on a weekly basis in approximately 25 one-day tournaments, held primarily in the St. Louis area.

By virtue of his top-10 finish over the course of the summer's tourneys, Ketterman qualified for several special events, including the club professional's version of the Ryder Cup, the District 7 Challenge Cup.

"That's one of the dividends of finishing in the top 10, the opportunity to play other events," said Ketterman.

The District 7 Challenge Cup, featuring PGA Section teams from around the Midwest, was contested at Ledgestone and Branson Creek Golf Course in Branson, Mo., on April 3-5.

The Gateway team finished third in the three-team competition against the Midwest and South Central Sections, but Ketterman and playing partner Jim Knott carded one of the better scores, a 3-under-par 69 in the senior alternate-shot format.

Ketterman and the Gateway team will also compete in another Ryder Cup format-event at Prairie Dunes Golf Course in Hutchinson, Kan., the site of this year's Senior Open.