Sydney Paulak could not improve on her finish from a year ago and it was younger sister Sam who carded the low round for the Park Hill pair Tuesday at Twin Hills Country Club in Joplin, Mo.The younger Paulak shot a 15-over 87 in the rain-shortened, one-day Class 2 Missouri State Golf Championships. She finished in a tie for 17th-place — one stroke over the top-15 all-state cutoff.
A sophomore, Sam Pauluk just missed a state berth last season but played well in her first state tournament. Tuesday’s round — scheduled for two days but cut to one after heavy rains flooded areas of the course Monday, forcing the cancelation of the first round — began with a shotgun start to help get all players on the course.
Sam Paulak started on the par-4 12th hole and ended with a triple-bogey six on the par-3 11th to finish her round. The sophomore overshot the green and ended up out of bounds before three putting, a costly hole in her pursuit of all-state honors.
“I kept a strong mindset throughout the round,” she said. “I knew I had the ability to play well. I just kept a good mindset and played the best I could. I am extremly fueled to do better because there are so many stroks out there I could take back.
“I just have to stay focused and compete to the very end.”
Sydney Paulak finished 66th with a 30-over 102 on the 5,473-yard course. She was 41st last year at Meadow Lake Acres Country Club in New Bloomfield, Mo.