Versailles native No. 1 in NCAA D-II

Versailles native Justin Yoder set a goal to win a state high school golf championship.

Check. He won state outright as a sophomore and shared the title with two others as a junior. He earned top-10 finishes in his freshman and senior seasons.

The 2006 Versailles High School graduate wanted to play college golf.

Check. He signed with the University of Central Missouri and landed a spot in the top five right away.

“The first couple of tournaments of his freshman year, he knew he was a good player and that he belonged. He tried too hard early on. He had to let it come to him,” UCM golf coach Tim Poe said. “Once he realized that after the second tournament. ... He’s matured so much on the  golf course, knowing what it takes to play at college.”

The junior wanted to win a college tournament.

Check. He won his first tournament — the Arkansas Tech Collegiate Classic — in the spring of his freshman season. He has won eight tournaments overall and six outright.

“It was a real confidence booster,” Yoder said of his first victory. “It got things rolling from there.”

Yoder sought to be the No. 1 golfer in the country.

Check. He sits atop the NCAA Division II rankings in the latest poll, according to GolfStat.com.

What’s next for Yoder? A national championship and a card for the PGA?

“I would like to (turn pro)  very much,” Yoder said. “Hopefully, right after I get done graduating, that’s the plan.”

Poe thinks Yoder’s chances for a pro career are good.

“He’s got all the tools. When you read and talk to people who have experienced the tour, he’s got the length and short game. He’s a great putter. His drive and work ethic — that’s never going to be a problem for him.”

Yoder leads the Mules with his 74.1 stroke average this spring. He placed second in the Mustang Intercollegiate March 17 in Albuquerque, N.M., with a three-day total of 207.

He tied for 24th on March 24 at the Drury Invitational in Springfield with a two-day total of 166. He tied for fourth March 31 in the North Alabama Classic with a two-day total of 146.

“I beat a lot of ranked players down there,” Yoder said of the North Alabama tournament. “That might have had something to do with” going to No. 1 in the rankings.

Yoder led the Mules in stroke average in the 2008 fall season, the 2008 spring season, the 2007 fall season and the 2007 spring season. He was second in the fall of his freshman year.

After winning several college tournaments, Yoder said there is no comparison to his prep state championships.

“At the time, the state championship was the big tournament. That was the one to win,” Yoder said. “Here in college, any tourney win is a great win. The competition level is so much higher. Any player who can go out and shoot a low number can win it.”

Yoder said that his game has improved mentally and physically. The team’s strength program has been a big help with endurance, and his putting has improved.

The junior has competed in summer nonscholastic tournaments since he was a child. However, he didn’t play last summer because he married his wife, Sierra.

Yoder plans to catch up this summer. He wants to participate in a U.S. Open qualifier, a U.S. Amateur qualifier and the U.S. Amateur Public Links tournament.

He also plans to compete in the Nationwide tournament in Springfield.