Platte County finished second out of seven teams in the season-opening Dottie Drukker Memorial Two-Person Scramble on Tuesday at Tiffany Greens Golf Course in Kansas City.
Each team entered up to three two-player teams to play in the scramble format, which allows each person to play a shot from the same designated best spot. The Pirates put up a team total of 164 with senior all-stater Ella Green and junior Grace Handke combining to shoot a 1-under 71 to place second.
Smithville’s top two teams finished first and third to give the Warriors a winning team score of 143.
Platte County senior Izzie Grell and junior Emma Mizell rounded out the Pirates’ team total with the duo tying for eighth (21-over 93). The top five players in the lineup all have returning experience, but senior Danika Stephenson received a varsity debut with fellow senior Macie Garland. The third duo posted a 96 and finished alone in 11th out of 19 teams.
“It was a great tournament to get the ball rolling and get some competition under our belts,” Short said. “We were mainly focusing on how we hit the ball and the transitions from each portion of the game. Having someone there to help bounce ideas off of never hurts, and it allowed them to get a different perspective of certain parts of the game.”
Liberty North 168, Park Hill South 183, Platte County 197
Green came up just one shot away from tying for medalist honors after firing an impressive 1-under 35 on Thursday in a triangular at WinterStone Golf Course in Independence.
Liberty North’s Gabby Vineyard shot a 2-under to lead the 15 golfers and push the Eagles to the team victory. The Eagles and Park Hill South both posted 4 scores of 51 or under.
Outside of Green, Platte County’s four other returners were all in the 50s or 60s. Handke posted a 50, while Green (53) and Garland (59) rounded out the Pirates’ team score. Mizell shot a 62.
This marked the first look at a traditional five-person lineup. Only Green has prior state experience, while Handke represented Platte County in last year’s Suburban Conference White Division and Class 3 District 4 tournaments. Garland also played at conference.
