LINCOLN, Neb. – In her final official home meet, Kendra Placke went out in style. One of the all-time greats for Concordia University Women’s Golf, Placke carded a three-over-par 75 in rainy and windy conditions at Highlands Golf Course in Lincoln, Neb., on Tuesday (April 5). She beat out a field of 82 golfers at the 2022 Concordia Bulldog Invite. Fourteen colleges/universities were represented in an event that was shortened to one day due to strong winds in the forecast for Wednesday.
Head Coach Brett Muller’s squad placed fourth while shooting a 342. Iowa Western Community College came away with the team championship by way of a 315 team score.
“Every time we play on our home course it seems like there’s a little anxiety – we want to play really well,” Muller said. “Some of our girls didn’t get off to the best start, but I was proud of our finish. The 342 was one of our lowest team scores of the season and our lowest score of the spring. I’m very proud of the way Kendra played. She was just solid all day. That really helped our team score. It was great to see her pick up another tournament victory.”
The Seward High School product Placke kept out of trouble on Tuesday and led the tournament field with 13 pars. She also birdied once while coming up one stroke shy of a season low. Placke was one of eight golfers to shoot in the 70s at Highlands and held off Briar Cliff’s Helene Getz Bergmo (77) and Bellevue University’s Allison Temple (77) atop the individual leaderboard.
Below is a listing of Placke’s five career collegiate tournament championships.
· 2019 Nebraska Wesleyan Fall Classic – 79 (+8)
· 2020 Lila Frommelt Fall Classic – 72-77–149 (+7)
· 2020 Buena Vista Fall Invite – 77 (+5)
· 2021 Matthew Goette Fall Classic – 84 (+12)
· 2022 Concordia Bulldog Invite – 75 (+3)
Said Placke, “It feels really good. I’ve played the course for the last four years so I know it like the back of my hand. I knew where to miss and where to place the ball. That experience helped … I just tried to keep the ball low. We had some wind today. I was trying to do some pitch and runs and hit some good putts that helped me out. I’m a big hitter. I was able to power through the wind a little bit. I made some clutch putts – that was my biggest help today.”
Added Muller, “Kendra’s had a little bit different spring with her student teaching. She’s not around as much for practice, but she practices more on her own and had a great mindset coming into today knowing it was her last home invite. Her ball-striking was pretty strong today, especially off the tee. She gave herself some opportunities for birdies and stayed away from the big numbers.”
Next in line for the Bulldogs at the home invite was Mya Nurse with an 87, which put her in a tie for 24th place. The rest of Concordia’s group of five featured Lauren Havlat (90; T-35th), Emily Jensen (90; T-35th) and Logan Eschliman (92; T-45th). Two Bulldogs also competed as individuals: Ashley Gerczynski (98; T-61st) and Sarah Wilson (100; T-69th).
The 342 team score was tied for Concordia’s third best throughout the 2021-22 season. The top two low rounds of 334 and 336 were carded back in the fall. Placke has carded eight rounds (out of 14) in the 70s this season.
The season will continue next Monday and Tuesday (April 11-12) with the Hastings Bronco Invite at Lochland Country Club in Hastings, Neb. The tournament is set for a shotgun start at 10 a.m. CT on both days.