Park Hill decided to go all out for the neon theme of the Platte County Invitational on Sept. 11 at Shiloh Springs Golf Club. The Trojans’ results in their unique attire were not bad either.
Behind sophomore Sam Paulak’s third-place showing, Park Hill finished third in the 10-team field with a 402 total — 43 shots behind team champion Smithville. Trojans senior Sydney Paulak also grabbed a medal with a sixth-place showing.
Park Hill’s other players finished with scores more than 100.
“I think that we can get some more people under 100, and we have a decent chance of doing well in (the postseason),” Paulak said.
Sam Paulak — a Class 2 Sectional 4 qualifier last year — made seven pars total and shot matching 44s on the front and back of the par-71 course, carding a 17-over 88 that placed her 12 shots back of overall medalist Ana Doval of Staley. She expressed frustration with her overall play and said she likes to stay within 10 shots of par during tournament play.
“I struggled in a lot of areas in the game today,” Sam Paulak said. “It still feels pretty good, but I’m still expecting more for myself. And I know I can do better, so I’ll just work on improving.”
Sydney Paulak — a senior and qualifier for the Class 2 Missouri State Golf Championships last season — started on No. 18 and made her lone par in the opening half of her round at No. 3. She added pars on holes 12-14 to close strong on a 22-over 93.
Pirates senior Ashleigh Beamer came in two shots back of the elder Paulak with the Pirates’ lone medal.
A two-time state qualifier, Beamer also shot 24-over at the previous week’s St. Joseph Invitational at Fairview Golf Course where she also placed 14th and also medaled. She made a quadruple bogey on the par-5 fourth hole and a triple bogey on the par-3 eighth to hurt her round.
Beamer closed par-bogey-par-bogey on 10-13 to finish solidly in the top 10.
“If I could have just started like I ended, then it would have been perfectly fine, but I didn’t start (that way),” said Beamer, who missed the state cut last year by four strokes.
Platte County wound up sixth with a 450 total. No. 2 player Avree Sealey shot a 112 — tied for 21st and two shots back of Park Hill’s Chloe Daniels and one behind the Trojans’ No. 3 Shea Hoover.
Park Hill South finished 10th with a 523 and did not have a golfer in the top 25.