Muleskinner Golf Tournament an all-around success

Poplar Bluff Junior High School teacher and eighth-grade football coach Justin Shell watches a drive during action Friday afternoon at the Muleskinner Golf Tournament at Westwood Hills Country Club.

DAR/Mike Buhler

A full field of 36 four-person teams and a chance to see friends old and new added up to a great day for golf Friday at the 16th annual Muleskinner Golf Tournament at Westwood Hills Country Club.

The Muleskinner is the biggest fundraiser each year for the Poplar Bluff Mules Booster Club, and this year did not disappoint, said Derek Rahlmann, the booster club president. Final totals from Friday's event have not been calculated, but the tournament usually raises between $20,000 and $25,000 for the booster club.

“We typically average about 36 four-man teams, so you've got 144 guys out here,” Rahlmann said. “The support that we get from the community on this is just — it's incredible. I play in so many different benefit golf tournaments and they're all great, but this is the most well-attended tournament in town. The generosity of a lot of the people in town, the businesses that support us, it's amazing.”

Kent Keith, the athletic director at Poplar Bluff High School, also was pleased with how Friday turned out.

“I'll give 99% the credit to the booster club — they put this together,” Keith said. “Derek has done a really good job with it and been a good leader, as far as getting sponsors and people coming out, (like) vendors and so forth. He's really done a good job in taking ownership with it. Everybody likes working for him. … It's been a good day.”

This year's tournament featured a hole prize for each of the tournament's 18 holes, plus a putting contest.

“There (were) a lot of different things going on,” Keith said.

Another aspect of Friday's tournament which stands out is the number of former PBHS athletes who made an appearance at the tournament. Among those seen on the links at WHCC were former Mules football players James Hayes (Class of 1995), Joe Martin (Class of 1994), Travis Tinsley (Class of 2001), Justin Shell (Class of 1996), Joe Clark (Class of 1994) and Todd Tinsley (Class of 2005), former PBHS soccer player Matt Schindler (Class of 2003), plus former Mules baseball players Steven Edwards (Class of 1996) and Dylan Bratcher (Class of 2024).

“We're pretty lucky,” Rahlmann said. “A lot of times, we have former athletes and former students that come in from out of town just to play in this tournament. I love seeing them come back every year. One of my classmates from '95 comes back and plays in this every year, so it's kind of cool. I see him once a year and see him at this golf tournament.”

Notes: The team of Josh Goodnight, Matt Goodnight, Zac Hardin and Matt Gunter won the tournament's championship flight. … The booster club has discussed having two Meet the Mules events — one in the fall and one in the spring — to introduce PBHS athletes to the community.