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Cy Moritz started playing golf at age 7. By age 11, he was beating his dad.

Take that, pops.

"It didn't bother me at all," Chuck Moritz said with a smile. "If you've seen me play, it's a good thing he can beat me."

Don't feel bad, dad, for Cy can beat most everyone on the planet.

Moritz --- a University of Central Missouri (UCM) freshman and a graduate of Owensville High School --- carded a splendid 4-under par 68 on Wednesday to finish tied for second in the 108-player field and help the Mules win the Division II Midwest/South Central Regional Tournament at Jefferson City Country Club.

The Mules stomped the field in the three-day event with a team score of even-par 864, 12 shots clear of runner-up Washburn in the 20-team event. Next stop: The Division II National Tournament at the Cardinal Club in Louisville, Ky., on May 15-19.

"I'm excited about going to Kentucky," Cy Moritz said. "I wish we were going tomorrow, I want to keep playing."

That's understandable. When you're hot, you're hot.

The rail-thin but razor-sharp Moritz hit 16 of 18 greens Wednesday and the two greens he missed were shots on the fringe. He started with a flurry of four birdies in the first five holes.

* After driving into the trees on the first hole (par 4, 381 yards), he cut a 6-iron from 156 yards to 2 1/2 feet. Birdie.

* His third shot on the second hole (par 5, 574) hit the pin and stopped 5 feet away. Birdie.

* After parring the par-3 third, he hit a 3-wood and pitching wedge on the fourth (par 4, 410) to seven feet. Birdie.

* On the fifth (par 4, 389) Moritz proved what we already knew --- good players get good breaks. Luck is a residue of design.

"I hit a tree on the right and it kicked back into the fairway," he said. From 156 yards, he hit a 7-iron to 20 feet and: "I made a really good putt there." Birdie.

His round could have been even better. On the 12th (par 5, 535) he was 15 yards short of the green in two, but a bad chip rolled back off the green and led to a par.

"I would definitely like to have that one back," he said. "It should have been an easy birdie."

In the next five holes, Moritz had one bogey and a series of easy pars until the 18th (par 4, 407), when he hit a wedge to 12 feet and banged it home to finish his tournament at 3-under (75-70-68 --- 213) on the 7,112-yard layout.

Cy Moritz ... you might want to remember the name, because this guy is good.

"Our course in Owensville has very small greens, so his short game is about as good as anybody's," Chuck said. "He grew up hitting darts, basically."

Bullseye.

The tournament medalist was Central Oklahoma's Josh Creel (72-68-71 --- 211), who edged Moritz and his UCM teammate, senior Jared King (68-71-74), by two shots. Washburn, Central Oklahoma, and the University of Indianapolis also advanced to the national tournament for their top-four finish.

UCM junior Jason Vann (Fulton High School) had rounds of 78-77-74 for the winners, who are ranked 24th in the nation and we "predicted" to finish sixth in this regional.

"It feels great," Vann said. "We played real solid this week, just outstanding.

"Personally, I really struggled the first two days, but I played better today. I hit it better, kept it in play and I didn't make any stupid mistakes."

Kentucky is known for its horses. Look out, for here come the Mules.

"I think we can win it," Vann said. "We can play with anybody in the nation if we play this way."