Kasydie Shipp played her final rounds as a Platte County Pirate in less than ideal conditions for a few reasons.
The senior, like everyone else at the Missouri State High School Girls Golf Class 2 Championship, battled weather issues both days of the event on Monday, Oct. 15 and Tuesday, Oct. 16. A two-hour delay started the opening round at Swope Memorial Park Golf Course in Kansas City and the final round had a 1 hour, 15-minute frost delay as wind chills hovered in the low 30s for tee times.
On top of that, she was battling bronchitis.
She shot an opening round 92, but closed with an 84 and finished with a two-day total of 176. That put her in a six-way tie for 34th place, her highest in three trips to state. She was 55th last year and 79th as a sophomore
Coach Trevor Short informed Shipp she had broken the one-day low round total school record which was held by her sister, Jessalyn.
The other local state qualifier was Park Hill South’s Madelyn Hill, who shot a two-day total of 195. Like Shipp, Hill got better on Day 2. She opened with 103 on Monday, but shot 92 on day two for the Panthers and finished in a tie for 70th place.
A state qualifier last year, she not only improved her score (219), she also moved up more than 20 spots in the standings this year.
Class 2 Sectional 4
To punch the ticket to the state finals, Shipp and Hill became two of the 15 qualifiers to come out of the Class 2 Sectional 4 meet held on Wednesday, Oct. 10 in Blue Springs.
Originally scheduled to be played on Monday, Oct. 8 at Adams Pointe Golf Course in Blue Springs, rain washed out that tournament and put the tournament in limbo. After a makeup date at that course couldn’t be found, the location shifted to Lakewood Oaks Country Club, also in Blue Springs.
A cold, raining morning saw 50 golfers vying for a spot to advance and only two of the local golfers — out of eight — punched a ticket to move on.
Shipp shot 93, while battling a temperature of 102, to placed 17th overall to move on, while Hill shot 96 and was part of a three-way tie for 20th for the final berth at state from non-team qualifying scores.
Notre Dame de Sion’s Megan Propeck shot a 3-under 69 to win the sectional crown and less than a week later she won the Class 2 championship.
Platte County senior Jessalyn Shipp shot 98, sitting two shots off the final state qualifying spot, while Eden Shipp, a freshman, took 39th after shooting 107.
“The ladies battled tough conditions, the top players in both districts and it got the best of them,” Short said. “All three Shipps had a great season and were regulars in the top positions in most tournaments, but at this point, it is play well or you are done.”
Both of the elder Shipp sisters hope to play collegiate golf.
Park Hill South had four players at sectionals and qualified in the team standings, taking seventh with a 426.
Returning state qualifier Sadie Frankling took 36th place by shooting 105. Leah McFee was 40th (108) and Abigail Ervin placed 48th (117) for the Panthers.
The lone Park Hill representative was Ishika Akula, who shot 111 and finished in a tie for 44th.