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Didn't matter to the MICDS senior that he literally had his back to the wall, trying to hit the ball out of the fringe and onto the green.

His coach, Changa Bey, couldn't say the same.

"I really wasn't nervous," Gelven said. "I didn't have the best lie, so I was more focused on my shot, and not the outcome, which was important."

Gelven chipped his way onto the green with a picture-perfect shot before making birdie on the final hole.

It was icing on the cake as Gelven won the Class 4 District 2 medalist title with a 2-under par 69 at the Golf Club of Wentzville.

"I've played here the past three years, and just won conference and winning this, it's really awesome," Gelven said. "Definitely for senior year. To end it like this, to go to state, it's awesome."

He advanced to play May 19-20 in the Class 4 boys golf state tournament at Silo Ridge Country Club in Bolivar.

Gelven is a three-time state qualifier for MICDS, finishing ninth as a sophomore and 17th last season.

He was the only golfer to go below par, edging out Westminster junior Charlie Kruse (even-par 71) for the title.

While he wasn't sweating the situation, Kruse was making a strong push for the individual title. The junior birdied back-to-back holes before the final hole Wednesday.

Then Gelven smashed a shot that landed next to a tree on the fringe.

"I knew Charlie was even or one stroke behind me, we were talking about it as we walked up the to the green," Gelven said. "I just knew I had to get it on the green to get at least myself a shot at a two-putt."

Bey admitted he was nervous when he saw where his senior's shot landed on the par 5 18th hole.

"Right then, I know how creative he is around the greens and how good his short game is, but I thought he was in a rough spot — especially against that tree as a lefty," Bey said.

Gelven chipped it high and the idea of a two-putt disappeared as the ball landed next to the hole before he birdied the final hole to wrap up the round.

"When he got up and down from there, that was a professional level up and down," Bey said. "He earned his score with that shot. We called that his security round right there. I was nervous, but I wasn't surprised when he pulled it off."

It was the third birdie of the round, all on par 5s.

"Two of those par 5s, I was a little more green side," Gelven said. "It was a little easier to get up and down."

Gelven said he has learned a lot going into his final state tournament.

"Just being patient," Gelven said. "You get caught up a lot in the moment and you miss a birdie putt and have to realize that you just have to be patient. They will drop. Just got to give yourself a chance later in the round."

Bey is ready for one last state tournament with his senior standout before Gelven heads to Illinois Wesleyan.

"State is going to be fun, relaxed," Bey said. "We'll have a good time out there. It's awesome to walk up that last fairway with him. Will definitely miss him. Illinois Wesleyan is getting a great golfer and an awesome kid. We're going to enjoy it."

Gelven will be joined by teammate sophomore Chase Segal, who qualified for state with a 6-over 77. The cutoff to qualify for the state tournament was 9-over 80.

Parkway North junior Shivom Korgaonkar (73), St. Dominic junior Dominic Saputo (74), Parkway Central sophomore Mukt Patel (74), Parkway West freshman Isaah Kandula (75) and Hannibal junior Kyle Locke (75) rounded out the top 10 golfers who qualified as individuals.

Fort Zumwalt South seniors Alex Bresler (78) and Alec Wilson (78), Fort Zumwalt East junior Luke Skinner (78), Parkway West senior Savyasaachi Kandula (78) and Fort Zumwalt East sophomore Tyson Miller (79) made the individual qualifying list.

Fort Zumwalt East senior Nick Lubiewski, Parkway Central sophomore Jackson Bober, North Point junior Nick Compton, Holt senior Boston Howard and St. Dominic junior Niko Bezzole rounded out the final state qualifiers at 9-over 80.