Parker Amos spent the past three seasons trying to make the most of unfortunately limited time.
Platte County senior Parker Amos hits a chip shot during the Class 4 District 4 tournament Monday at Paradise Pointe Golf Complex in Smithville.
After COVID-19 canceled the spring 2020 athletic season, Platte County’s senior star entered the lineup at No. 1 with high expectations for a sophomore. He has done nothing but continuously lead the way from the belated start.
On Monday, Amos tied for 11th in the Class 4 District 4 tournament on The Posse Course at Paradise Pointe Golf Complex in Smithville. He finished four shots clear of the cut line for individual qualifiers to next week’s Class 4 Missouri state Championships — earning a second straight berth and one final chance to make history for the Pirates.
Amos led the way for sixth-place Platte County in the 12-team field. The top two teams automatically qualified their top four players to state, while the next 12 individuals plus ties, which could also include the No. 5 players from those teams, also earned the right to compete in the two-day state tournament Monday and Tuesday at Sedalia Country Club in Sedalia.
“We are very proud of how the team played today,” Platte County coach Trevor Short said. “We knew going into the tournament that we would have to be on our best game with the competition that we were facing. Parker Amos was able to punch his ticket.”
Platte County posted a team score of 353. Pembroke Hill claimed the district title (311), while Grain Valley (315) earned the second automatic team berth.
Platte County senior Jackson Gabbert watches a shot during the Class 4 District 4 tournament Monday at Paradise Pointe Golf Complex in Smithville.
Well back in the standings, Platte County’s individual players were left to fight for spots. Amos posted an 8-over 80 and finished in a three-way tie for 11th. Four players finished tied for first with 3-over 75s, and the final individual qualifier posted a 12-over 84.
For the second straight year, Platte County senior Jackson Gabbert made a strong push at qualification but came up just short. He ended up with a 16-over 88 and missed the cut line by four strokes, posting one of his best rounds of the season despite some recent struggles. He tied for 22nd in Class 4 District 4 each of his two seasons on varsity.
“Jackson Gabbert made a good run at the cutline and played well but fell just shy of the mark,” Short said. “He did make his last shot of his High School career very memorable with a long 25 foot putt made for a birdie on his last hole. Jackson has been a great member of our PC golf family. … He worked his way up into the Varsity positions and made a great impact on our team the last two years.”
Amos and Gabbert were the only returners from last year’s postseason lineup for Platte County with a strong group of sophomores plus freshman Braden Hendee competing all year to fill in the rest of the top five.
Hendee regularly showed promise after earning a spot midway through the season, and he closed with an 18-over 90 to tie for 28th. Josh Knickman (92, 32nd) and Josh Gentilia (93, tied for 35th) — two of the Pirates’ sophomores — finished back-to-back on either side of the top half of the 65-player field.
Platte County freshman Braden Hendee hits a chip shot toward the green during the Class 4 District 4 tournament Monday at Paradise Pointe Golf Complex in Smithville.
Knickman regularly performed as a No. 2 throughout the seasons, while Gentilia went back-and-forth with sophomore Ben Gillilan for the final spot in the lineup.
“Our young players may not have had their best rounds today, but they gained some very valuable lessons that will help motivate them to push even harder as they prepare for next season,” Short said. “We look forward to what the future may bring for the PC golf team with these gentlemen and the rest of our team.”
A year earlier, Amos finished third at Class 4 District 4 to earn his first state berth, but he also knows the challenges of postseason play. He missed the cut by one stroke as a sophomore after an off round at the wrong time.
Amos enters his final tournament as a three-time all-conference performer — twice in the Suburban Conference Blue Division and once in the White Division — and back-to-back all-district honoree. He shot 83-86—169 in his state debut last year at Meadow Lake Acres Country Club in New Bloomfield.
Amos ended up in a five-way tie for 54th after a tough start to his second round prevented him from making a push at the top 15 and potential all-state honors. Only two players in program history have achieved that distinction, and already cemented as one of the best players in program history, he could add to that legacy by becoming the first for the Pirates since 2002.
