Platte County continued to battle not just high-level competition but also consistently difficult weather conditions in a short week of competition.
However, the winds subsided, and the sun came out for a brief reprieve in Monday’s Oak Park Invitational. The Pirates took advantage with a season-low team score of 350 to finish in second place on The Posse Course at Paradise Pointe Golf Complex in Smithville.
Lee’s Summit won the team title with a 348, while Platte County was next in a bunched top five that also included Rockhurst (351), Smithville (353) and Park Hill (354). The Pirates previously shot a low of 354 in the Winnetonka Invitational two weeks earlier.
“We took advantage of finally having some decent weather to play in today and put together scores that drove us into 2nd place,” Platte County coach Trevor Short said. “We are starting to be a little more consistent with our scoring and are getting better as the season is progressing.”
Platte County continued to benefit from the stellar play of junior No. 1 Parker Amos, who shot a 7-over 79 as the runnerup to medalist Andrew Conard of Smithville (70). Amos medaled again but also received support from senior Jake Kingery, who tied for 16th with a season-low round of 89. The Pirates’ team score also included matching 91s for senior Dylan Mitchell and junior Jackson Gabbert, who has been the No. 2 much of the season.
The top five remained consistent for Platte County with junior Carson Childers shooting a 100. The Pirates have also looked at senior Connor Harmon in larger events during recent weeks but have not strayed from the regular lineup when limited to five players.
Staley 189, Platte County 191
Playing in nearly constant gusting winds, the Pirates came in just two strokes behind host Staley on Tuesday at Staley Farms Golf Course in Kansas City.
Platte County dropped to 1-2 in triangulars/duals this season with Amos shooting a team-low 43 on the par 36 setup for the nine-hole competition. The Pirates’ more consistent finishes showed up behind him with Gabbert and Mitchell both with 49s and Kingery and Childers right behind them with a pair of 50s.
“It was another tough day out on the course with the extremely windy conditions,” Short said. “Staley Farms is challenging enough without the 30 MPH steady winds. The team still managed to stay within reach of Staley and were very close to another victory.”
Platte County will now take a break in the schedule with the next competition not until a week from Thursday when the Pirates host Park Hill in a dual at Shiloh Springs Golf Course in what has become an annual Battle of Bragging Rights Trophy matchup.
