Courtney Musgrave Sinks One

 The hope will be that playing on a very tough course will help the Peru State Bobcat golf team to prepare for their upcoming Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) conference tournament.

Playing in the Baker Invitational, held at the Alvamar Golf Course, in Lawrence, Kan., the Bobcats did not fare quite as well as they had hoped, but held their own as they finished fifth in the meet with two individuals medaling.

It was a tough first day of the tournament. At the end of the first round, the hosts had a comfortable 19-shot lead over the second place team, Graceland University.  As a team, Baker had shot a 376, while Graceland came in with a 395 total. The other teams in order were third – Central Methodist University – 399, fourth – Avila University - 416, fifth – Peru State – 446, and sixth – Missouri Valley College – 510.

The Bobcat golfers' first-day results were Jordan Schaardt (Humboldt) – tie for sixth- 96, Katie Potter (Omaha) – 14th – 100, Courtney Musgrave (Omaha) – 16th – 102, and Elizabeth Huls (Beatrice) – 27th – 148.

Scores improved on the second day of the competition. The Bobcats improved on their first day total, but finished sixth with no changes in the final team standings.  Baker went on to win their own tournament with a two-day total of 769.

The other finishes included:  second – Graceland – 784, third – Central Methodist – 789, fourth – Avila – 829, fifth – Peru State – 857, and sixth Missouri Valley – 970.

Three of the four Bobcats shot better the second day with Schaardt shooting a 92 for a two-day of 188 – good enough for a third place finish.  Musgrave shot a 90 for a two-day total of 192 and finished in a tie for fifth.   Potter shot a 104 and finished in a tie for 18th with a two-day total of 204.  Huls cut 23 strokes off her first-day finish to shoot a 125 for a two-day total of 273 and finished 28th.

Bobcat golf coach Bret Hahn was pleased with the way his team responded the second day.  Hahn said, “This was a very tough course, probably one of the toughest we will see.  The girls responded on the second day and improved upon their team total.  We should be fine going into the conference tournament.”

The Bobcats' next action will be the HAAC Tournament which is scheduled for May 6 and 7 at the Spring Lake Golf Course in Quincy, Ill.  The tournament is being hosted by Culver-Stockton College.  The medalist and top team will advance to the national tournament later in May.