Placke battles wind, places sixth; Bulldogs finish fourth as a team

By Jacob Knabel on Mar. 29, 2022 in Women's Golf

WINFIELD, Kan. – Blustery conditions made scores rise on the second and final day of the Southwestern College Moundbuilder Invitational. The Concordia University Women’s Golf team capped the tournament by shooting a score of 365 on Tuesday (March 29) while placing fourth in a small field that took to the Quail Ridge Golf Course in Winfield, Kan. Individually, Kendra Placke paced the Bulldogs by placing in a tie for sixth out of 27 golfers.

The Moundbuilder Invite served as the opener to the spring portion of the season for Head Coach Brett Muller’s squad. Concordia wound up shooting a two-round team score of 353-365–718 on the par 72 course. Muller noted that consistent winds of 25-30 miles per hour and gusts of up to 50 miles per hour resulted in adverse conditions for every competitor on the course.

The Bulldogs hope this outing will help knock off the rust – this was the first official tournament since the Nebraska Intercollegiate way back in October. The team’s No. 1 golfer her entire career, Placke nearly equaled her total from Monday while carding a two-round total of 84-85–169. The Seward High School alum ended up eight strokes behind the tournament champion. Placke’s average round during the fall season was a 79.1.

The next closest in line for Concordia at the Moundbuilder Invite were Mya Nurse (87-94–181) and Emily Jensen (90-93–183), who placed 14th and 17th, respectively. The team’s top five was rounded out by Logan Eschliman (97-93–190; T-21st) and Lauren Havlat (92-98–190; T-21st). Two other Bulldogs also competed: Sarah Wilson (105-95–200; 24th) and Ashley Gerczynski (117-106–223; 27th).

Placke is a perfect 7-for-7 this 2021-22 season in terms of placing in the top 10 of every event. This past September, Placke claimed the tournament title at the Matthew Goette Fall Classic.

Concordia will expect to post lower scores next week when it hosts the Concordia Bulldogs Invite on April 5-6. Action is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. CT from Highlands Golf Course in Lincoln, Neb., on both days.