Park Hill’s Sam Paulak tied for the top spot in the Liberty North Invitational, and Park Hill South’s Miranda Steczak just missed the medal cut Monday, Aug. 29 at Cardinal Hill Golf Course in Liberty, Mo. Outside of those rounds, area players struggled on the par 72 course on a difficult day.
Paulak ended up sharing medalist honors with Lee’s Summit’s Skylar Brunk after both shot a 7-over 79 round.
Despite Paulak’s placement, Park Hill finished seventh out of 23 teams with a 388, just 12 shots back of third. The Trojans’ next best showing came from Kelbey Emerson, tied for 29th with a 100 along with Park Hill South’s Sadie Franklin.
Park Hill South came in one spot back of Park Hill in eighth with a 400.
Steczak’s 90 put her in a four way-tie for 12th, two shots back of the top 10 spots in a competitive field. Park Hill South’s Grace Cunningham shot a 104, part of a tie that also included Park Hill’s Lexi Grego.
Platte County placed 14th with a 451 after one of the Pirates’ five players withdrew.
Kasydie Shipp tied for 17th with a 92, while Jessalyn Shipp was one shot back in a tie for 19th with a 93. The rest of Platte County’s foursome finished well back in the field of more than 100 players, while Abby White didn’t finish her round.
Platte County returned to Cardinal Hill on Wednesday, Aug. 1 before another tournament opportunity in the St. Joseph Central Invitational on Thursday, Sept. 1 at Moila Country Club in St. Joseph, Mo.
Liberty Invitational
Park Hill just missed the championship in a tight three-team race at the Liberty Invitational on Tuesday, Aug. 23 at Shoal Creek Golf Course in Liberty, Mo.
Behind two-time Class 2 Missouri State Golf Championships qualifier Paulak, the Trojans posted a 342 score and finished two shots behind Liberty and two in front of third-place Pembroke Hill. Paulak placed third in the individual standings with a 2-over 74.
Pembroke Hill’s India Gaume won with a 4-under round.
Emerson also grabbed a medal for Park Hill, tying for seventh with an 80. The top 15 including ties were given medals at the 15-team tournament, and Grego ended up 17th, just one shot out of a four-way tie for 13th.
Park Hill South finished with a 416 in 11th overall while not playing all of its top players. Cunningham led the Panthers with a 93, which was part of a three-way tie for 19th.
Laker Invitational
Park Hill South finished in ninth place out of 17 teams in a trip to Camdenton, Mo. on Wednesday, Aug. 24. The Panthers didn’t have any individual medals and posted a team score of 399.
Steczak topped Park Hill South’s lineup with a 20-over 92 – five shots out of a top-15 showing.
Kearney 194, Platte County 198
The Pirates opened their season with a tight loss to Suburban Conference Blue Division rival Kearney on Wednesday, Aug. 24 at Shiloh Springs Golf Course.
Jessalyn Shipp shot a 41 and shared medalist honors with Kearney’s Anna Zech. Kasydie Shipp gave Platte County a solid 1-2 finish, shooting a 42 on the par-34 setup. However, the Pirates’ more inexperienced group struggled a bit and couldn’t hold close enough to the Bulldogs.
“The ladies showed that we have the ability to do great things this season,” Platte County coach Trevor Short said. “Jessalyn and Kasydie Shipp lead the team with two very good scores and helped us keep the final score close. We knew going into this match that it was going to be a battle with Kearney, and the ladies step up to the challenge.”