Lady Eagles place fourth at Ulysses and home invitational

The Colby High School girls’ golf team earned a pair of fourth-place finishes during a busy eight-day stretch, competing at Ulysses on Sept. 14 before hosting the Colby Girls Varsity Invitational Monday at Meadow Lake Golf Course.

The Lady Eagles’ best individual performance came at home, where Cora DeGood remained near the top of the leaderboard throughout the day and tied for third with a 20-over-par 92.

DeGood opened the tournament with a strong 41 on the front nine. She recorded pars on Nos. 2, 3, 4 and 7 and held the tournament lead for much of the opening nine before bogeys on the final three holes slowed her momentum.

Her round began on No. 2, a short par 3 made difficult by the contours of its green. DeGood handled the challenge by making par on her first hole of the tournament.

She followed with another par on No. 3, a straight, 402-yard par 5 that plays west over relatively level terrain. DeGood also made par on the more than 300-yard fourth hole, where the fairway’s sharp left-to-right slope can make it difficult to find a level lie.

Her fourth par came on No. 7, another straight hole with a green that can create problems for less-experienced players.

DeGood encountered more difficulty on the back nine and came home with a 51. Despite the challenging finish, her strong start kept her among the leaders throughout the tournament. She finished tied with Goodland’s Sadie Sederstrom for third.

Thomas More Prep-Marian’s Brynn Schoepf won the individual championship with a 78. Goodland’s Natalie Cure placed second with an 83, followed by Sederstrom and DeGood at 92.

As a team, Colby posted a 398 on the par-72, 5,011-yard Meadow Lake layout.

Thomas More Prep won the team championship with a 379, five strokes ahead of Goodland’s 384. Cimarron placed third with a 392, Colby was fourth and Rawlins County completed the top five with a 503.

Alayna Hrnicek followed DeGood for the Lady Eagles, shooting a 98 to place eighth. Lakyn Sims carded a 100 and tied for 11th, while Landrie McKee’s 108 tied for 21st and completed Colby’s four-player team score.

Ali Cox finished one stroke behind McKee with a 109, tying for 23rd, while Morgan Hills shot a 114 and tied for 26th.

One week earlier, the Lady Eagles shot a 417 to finish fourth at the Ulysses Invitational at Bentwood Golf Course.

Bentwood is an 18-hole, par-72 layout measuring 5,031 yards from the orange tees. The front nine occupies the area around the clubhouse and Frazier Park, while the back nine extends east and southeast around Frazier Lake.

Syracuse won the eight-team tournament with a 376. Cimarron placed second at 391, Goodland was third at 402, Colby followed in fourth and host Ulysses rounded out the top five with a 432.

Sims, a senior, led the Lady Eagles with a 27-over-par 99. She remained consistent throughout the round, shooting a 50 on the front nine and a 49 on the back.

Sims recorded pars on Nos. 7, 13 and 16, three holes that present different challenges.

No. 7 is a relatively short par 5. Bunkers can influence both the drive and the approach, placing a premium on position. No. 13 is a short par 4 that plays near the water on the southwestern portion of the back nine.

The 269-yard 16th hole is a curved par 4 with sand and trees protecting the approach. Sims navigated all three holes successfully on her way to tying for 11th place.

Cox and Hrnicek each shot a 104 and tied for 14th. Cox went out in 53, came back in 51 and made par on the opening hole, a relatively straight par 5. Hrnicek posted matching nine-hole scores of 52.

DeGood and McKee both finished with 110s, tying for 22nd. DeGood shot 56 on the front and 54 on the back, making pars on Nos. 1 and 13. McKee was steady throughout the day with matching rounds of 55.

Hills completed Colby’s lineup with a 127, shooting 61 on the front nine and 66 on the back.

Sublette’s Adalyn Boone claimed the Ulysses individual championship with an 83. Cimarron’s Presley Glenn placed second with an 85, and Goodland’s Natalie Cure finished third at 87.

Colby lowered its team score by 19 strokes between the two tournaments. DeGood led that improvement by cutting 18 strokes from her Ulysses round, while Hrnicek improved by six. Sims remained steady with scores of 99 and 100 as the Lady Eagles finished among the top four teams in both tournaments.

The Lady Eagles will tee off for their next varsity tournament on September 24 in Scott City.