Platte County sophomore Braden Hendee hits an iron shot during the Klint Andrews Memorial Tournament on Monday at Fred Arbanas Golf Course in Kansas City.
With the postseason down to days away, Platte County put up an encouraging performance in the rescheduled Clint Andrews Memorial Tournament even while debuting the ninth player used in the varsity lineup this season. The Pirates finished 18th out of 24 teams — mostly from Class 5 — but lowered the team score down to 348, playing on the par 72 setup at Fred Arbanas Golf Course in Kansas City.
While comparing courses and conditions across days does not provide the best indicator, Platte County’s most recent 18-hole tournament resulted in a season-high 380 with just one player in the 80s. While sophomore Braden Hendee again posted the Pirates’ low score (83), the Pirates received solid efforts from juniors Josh Gentilia (87), Josh Knickman (88) and Evan Sedlacek (90).
Hendee finished in a tie for 48th.
“We like seeing more of our scores near the 80 range this tournament,” Platte County coach Trevor Short said. “We are steadily increasing our percentage of quality shots and managing the courses better. It is a long process to acquire the knowledge of how to play golf courses, and it takes some practice at understanding how the hole should be played.
Platte County junior Evan Sedlacek hits a chip shot during the Klint Andrews Memorial Tournament on Monday at Fred Arbanas Golf Course in Kansas City.
“When we start to visualize the best routes to get to the hole, we start to make better shots.”
Short’s assessment speaks to the general inexperience of this year’s lineup. Hendee earned a starting spot midway through last spring, while Knickman, Gentilia and junior Ben Gillilan also spent time in the top five last season and this season.
However, Sedlacek, and four others have all made their first contributions during a rebuilding season for Platte County, which lost three-year No. 1 and two-time state qualifier Parker Amos to graduation. The Pirates have shown flashes of strong play, and on Monday, they were just 18 shots back of 11th-place Smithville — the top Class 4 finisher.
Platte County junior Brody Harmon played varsity for the first time and shot a 99 but did not factor into the team score.
Park Hill 157, Platte County 176
The Pirates were unable to keep pace in their final dual of the season Wednesday at Tiffany Greens Golf Course in Kansas City.
Platte County junior Josh Gentilia hits a putt during the Klint Andrews Memorial Tournament on Monday at Fred Arbanas Golf Course in Kansas City.
Hendee and Knickman posted dual 42s to lead Platte County, while Sedlacek posted a 45. The Pirates also went back to freshman Brayden Renno in the lineup, and he responded with a 47 to round out the team score.
Gentilia shot a 52.
“We are very pleased with how we are progressing at this point in the season,” Short said. “We knew that there were going to be some growing pains and that it would take some time to settle into the season, but we are excited about the efforts by the players. They are putting a lot of hard work into improving every day and making the necessary adjustments to get better.”
Platte County plans to essentially host a practice round Monday at Paradise Pointe Golf Complex ahead of playing on the same course Wednesday in the Highway 92 Showdown against Kearney, Smithville and Excelsior Springs. That essentially closes the regular season with the Suburban Conference White Division Championships, Class 4 District 4 and Class 4 MSHSAA Golf Championships following in the final three weeks.
Conference will be at Hoots Hollow Golf Course in Pleasant Hill, while districts will also be in Smithville at Paradise Pointe. The state rotation sends Class 4 to Dalhousie Golf Club in Cape Girardeau.
