Platte County continued to shuffle the lineup and continued to make overall improvements — even if just by one stroke overall.
Surviving an off round from senior Lily Ricketts, Platte County posted a season-best 372 team score to finish second in the Central Invitational on Thursday at Moila Country Club in St. Joseph. The Pirates were one shot better on their previous best for 18-hole competitions by one stroke after posting a 373 at their home tournament.
Platte County junior Ella Green placed third, while senior Mackenzie Borland also earned a medal after finishing alone in sixth. The key ended up being a career-best 104 on the course’s par 72 setup from sophomore Grace Handke, who wound up in a three-way tie for 21st. Handke rounded out the team score behind Ricketts’ 98 that left her out of a five-way tie for 11th and a medal by just one stroke.
Liberty ended up as team champions by a comfortable margin with a 352, while Maryville wound up third with a 377.
Green shot an 83 a year after setting Platte County’s program record with a 9-over 80 on a par 71 setup and came in 10 shots back of tournament winner Ali Perry from host Central (St. Joseph). That mark stood until last week’s Pirate Invitational when she posted a 6-over 78 to lead a third-place team finish.
Borland posted an 87 in a second straight strong performance and came up just one shot out of the top five.
“We are starting to see some scores go lower and that is helping us climb up the leaderboard at the end of the tournaments,” Platte County coach Trevor Short said. “We will have a nice little break next week from the fast-paced start that we just went through in the first two weeks.”
Indeed, Platte County opened the season with a busy calendar, and Short used the opportunity to test the depth of his roster in an effort to find the top options behind three returning starters. Ricketts entered the season as a three-time Class 3 Missouri State Golf Championships qualifier as part of the Pirates’ three-straight team berths, while Green went each of her first two years and ascended to the clear No. 1 after the graduation of Bailey Silcott, who capped her senior year as the first all-state performer in program history.
However, behind Borland at No. 3, Platte County didn’t have much experience. Handke, juniors Izzie Grell and Macie Garland and sophomore Erin Anderson have all received looks in the top five with no definitive lineup yet to develop.
Grell played in the Central Invitational and shot a 121.
Liberty North 180, Platte County 193, Blue Springs 194, Park Hill South 209
The Pirates fared much better in a second look at WinterStone Golf Course in Independence, placing second in a quad Wednesday afternoon.
Green tied for third-best score out of 20 golfers with a 43, while Borland put up a 45 to help Platte County finish just one shot clear of Blue Springs. The Pirates struggled in a season-opening tournament at WinterStone but bounced back in this nine-hole competition with a par 36 setup.
“We held our own today during the match,” Short said. “As we progressed through the match, we had a few bumps in the road but stayed the course.
“This course has always been a tough challenge for lots of our players, and it is not just tough golf holes but the terrain can be daunting.”
Ricketts posted Platte County’s third score with a 45, while Handke rounded out the team score with a 54. Anderson rounded out the five competitors with a 67.
