Ella Green started the first round of the Class 3 MSHSAA State Championships on Monday morning with a double bogey. She didn’t have another over the next two days and 35 holes at Crown Pointe Golf Club in Farmington.
In fact, Platte County’s star junior No. 1 recorded the best two 18-hole rounds in program history — continuing to lower her own mark — on the way to a sixth-place finish. She became the Pirates’ second all-state golfer, joining 2023 graduate Bailey Silcott after she achieved the feat just last fall.
Green didn’t experience the same dramatics as Silcott, who held on to the 15th and final spot a year earlier.
On a course receptive to low scores, Green carded nine birdies across her two rounds on the way to a 76-71—147. Nevada’s Emree Cameron claimed the individual state title with back-to-back 5-under rounds. Three players shot under par and the two players tied for fourth in front of Green both finished even-par.
“Ella Green stuck with her plan and executed it well,” Platte County coach Trevor Short said. “It was an amazing display of discipline and focus.”
Now a three-time state qualifier, Green held an all-state position after the first round as a sophomore but faded back to a tie for 30th. She finished 25th as a freshman.
Green’s first round did start with the double-bogey six on No. 10 after teeing off on the back side. She went to 3-over after a bogey at No. 12 and then maintained that score after alternating birdies and bogeys on the final four holes of her first nine and the first two holes of her second nine.
Ending up at 4-over with four birdies, Green’s first round put her in seventh overall and gave her the lowest round in program history. She first set that record as a sophomore and lowered that to 78 during the home Pirate Invitational earlier this season.
The best ended up yet to come.
Green made five birdies in the second round to go with nine pars and four bogeys for the first under-par round in Platte County’s 25-year history, which dates to 1998. Prior to this season, the Pirates did not have an 18-hole score in the 70s, and she now owns the best state finish, as well, with one more year to grow her list of accomplishments.
For the second straight year, Platte County took three golfers to state with senior Lily Ricketts becoming the first four-time qualifier in program history, while fellow senior Mackenzie Borland made her debut.
Borland ended up in a three-way tie for 48th (92-89—181) in one of the best performances of her career. She played in Platte County’s top five the majority of the past three seasons and missed a state berth as a junior by a single stroke.
Making the most of the opportunity, Borland recorded one birdie in each of her two rounds, while carding just seven pars total — only one in a rocky first round.
“We had a couple of hiccups, but Mac was able to adjust techniques to get back on track,” Short said of her 17-over 89 second round.
Ricketts earned her best placement in four tries, tying for 57th out out of 92 golfers with an 89-94—183. She went to state as part of Platte County’s Class 3 qualifying teams in 2020 and 2021 before earning an individual spot each of the past two seasons.
In three previous trips, Ricketts has placed 68th, 82nd and 62nd but had not posted a score lower than 98 until bettering that in both rounds this season.
“Lily Ricketts showed off some of her skills … on day 1, but ran into a few situations during Day 2 that didn’t help her score,” Short said.
Ricketts became the final holdover from Platte County’s 2020 state team, which missed a top-four finish and team trophy by a single stroke in the best overall season in program history. The Pirates heavily leaned on the experience of Green and the two seniors this fall, while rotating between a group of sophomores and juniors for the final two lineup spots to build competitive opportunities for others on the roster.
Borland and Ricketts helped Platte County finish third in the Class 3 District 4 tournament but 14 shots back of an automatic team berth but easily qualified as individuals.
“These two seniors have played a very integral part of our team for the last four years,” Short said. “Their leadership and work ethics have brushed off on our other players, and they see what it takes to get to the highest level in high school golf.”
