Due to an illness the day of the tournament, Platte County played shorthanded in the Wildcat Invitational on Monday in Blue Springs. The Pirates received a medalist performance from senior star Ella Green but struggled to a 14th-place team finish in a field of mostly Class 4 competition.
Platte County junior Grace Handke hits a putt during the Wildcat Invitational on Monday at Adams Pointe Golf Course in Blue Springs.
All four golfers to play 18 holes counted toward Platte County’s team score with one player unexpectedly unavailable.
Green shot an 11-over 83 and tied for eighth with the top 10 plus ties earning a medal. There were 68 players overall.
Platte County junior Grace Handke shot a 110, while senior Macie Garland carded a 118 and senior Izzie Grell added a 135. The Pirates were in their first 18-hole tournament of the season played under traditional rules after competing in a season-opening scramble earlier this month but were without junior Emma Mizell.
An all-state performer in Class 3 last season, Green continues her fourth year as a starter for Platte County, while the next four have various levels of varsity experience with Handke the most seasoned. The Pirates were able to use six players in the Dottie Drukker Memorial Invitational under the scramble format, and senior Danika Stephenson made her debut in that event when Platte County placed second.
Platte County sent three to the Class 3 MSHSAA Golf Championships each of the past two years after sending full teams in 2021 and 2020 but only has Green back from those groups.
