Sam Paulak turned in easily the lowest round of the St. Joseph Central Invitational and played one of the best rounds in program history, too.
Winning medalist honors by 12 strokes, Paulak fired a 4-under 70 on Thursday, Sept. 1 with Moila Country Club in St. Joseph, Mo. playing as a unique par 74. The lowest 18-hole round in state history, according to the Missouri State High School Activities Association, was a 66 with no indication given for the course’s par total.
Paulak went to the final hole at 5-under before dropping a stroke with a bogey.
Liberty put three golfers in second through fourth, but Paulak beat Katie Parrot by 12 strokes to make the team chase interesting. The Blue Jays won with a 346 total, while Park Hill came in second at 357, 32 shots in front of third-place Staley.
In addition to Paulak, Kelbey Emerson grabbed a medal — given to the top 15 players. She shot a 19-over 93 to tie with Savannah’s Maddie Kovarik for ninth.
Platte County came in seventh out of 17 teams and showed individual progress, according to coach Trevor Short.
Kasydie Shipp led the Pirates with an 89 — good for sixth — while Jessalyn Shipp was one shot back of her sister in a two-way tie for seventh with a 90. Platte County shot a team 426 and finished 16 shots in front of rival Kearney in eighth.
Park Hill South was ninth with a 450 and didn’t have a medalist. Izzy Nitzel shot a 98 for the Panthers to miss the top 15 by three strokes, and she tied with Park Hill’s Lexi Grego.
Pembroke Hill 174, Park Hill 181, Park Hill South 192, Raymore-Peculiar 211
Park Hill’s foursome couldn’t quite keep pace with Missouri’s premier small-school power Wednesday, Aug. 31.
Pembroke Hill’s India Gaume took medalist honors with a 4-over 39 at The Deuce in Kansas City, Mo., while PPaulak and Park Hill South’s Miranda Steczak were tied for second in the quad. Park Hill’s Shea Hoover shot a 44, and Grego added a 45 to come in sixth and seventh out of 19 golfers.
Liberty North 183, Platte County 214
The Pirates had a second straight rough day at Cardinal Hill Golf Course in Liberty, Mo. Kasydie Shipp (45) and Jessalyn Shipp (46) again led Platte County, but the Pirates didn’t fare much better after also struggling in the Liberty North Invitational earlier in the week.