YANKTON, S.D. – Seward High School product Kendra Placke entered the Concordia University women’s golf program with much acclaim. She began to back up those expectations in Thursday (Aug. 30)’s opening round of the 2018-19 season. Her 76 paced the squad on day one of the Mount Marty College Invite in Yankton, S.D.
As a team, head coach Brett Muller’s group carded a 344, well below the 2017-18 team scoring average of 376.6. The addition of Placke and the return of junior Murphy Sears signal and improved new squad. Muller called it a “great first round” but noted that the team score could have been even lower with a better putting performance.
With 18 holes left to be played on Friday, the Bulldogs sit in a tie for third place amongst the field of 11 teams (exclusively GPAC schools) in Yankton. Placke sits tied for second place, two strokes out of first, on the individual leaderboard. Her day included an eagle on hole 3. Not too far behind is Sears, the squad’s top golfer in 2017-18. She shot an 80, positioning her in sixth place.
Concordia’s lineup also included newcomers in freshmen Britney Jepsen (91) and DJ Bokelman (97) as well as junior Paighton Barbre (97). Senior Madison Pitsch competed individually and shot a 106. A total of 65 golfers make up the Mount Marty Invite.
Thursday’s round took place at Fox Run Golf Course. On day two, action will shift to Hillcrest Country Club in Yankton.