There’s no explanation for why at this point, but Sam Paulak continues to seek her Class 2 Missouri State Golf Championships breakthrough.
A two-time qualifier, the Park Hill senior continues to be one of Kansas City’s top players but has yet to earn a state medal for a top-15 finish. She has tied for 18th each of the past two seasons, both times coming up exactly one stroke shy an all-state performance.
In 2014, Paulak shot a disappointing 87 in her only round with weather canceling the scheduled first round. Last season, she recovered from an opening round 84 to shoot a 78 and vault back into medal contention only to finish agonizingly close.
Paulak leads a roster that returns the top five players from a year ago. Four of them will be seniors.
Lexi Grego, Shea Hoover and Victoria Vo all earned All-Suburban Conference Red Division honors, while junior Kelbey Emerson fills out the returning five. Paulak won last year’s Red Division individual championship but will have a new league challenge with the Trojans moving up to the Gold Division.
Paulak and Grego advanced to sectional play last season after Park Hill placed fifth as a team in Class 5 District 8 play. Grego missed the state cut by two strokes in Sectional 4 play.