OMAHA, Neb. – Amy Ahlers put together her best performances of the season over the two days of action at the College of Saint Mary/Midland Fall Classic. A model of consistency since arriving at Concordia, Ahlers topped the field of 76 golfers at the event held Tuesday at Fremont Golf Club and Wednesday at Miracle Hill Golf Course in Omaha. It marked Ahlers’ first tournament win of the season and ninth of her career.
As a whole, the Concordia University women’s golf team finished in ninth place out of 12 teams with a two-day total of 397-376–773. Three of the six Bulldogs who competed in the tournament improved their scores on day two, including freshman Payton DeMers-Sahling, who carded a personal best of 97 on Wednesday.
“We kind of got off to a slow start today, but our last seven to nine holes we played very well,” said head coach Brett Muller. “Murphy (Sears) was another one that did a great job bouncing back from yesterday. Another worth mentioning is Payton. She struggled yesterday, but got it going late in the round today.”
A native of Albion, Neb., Ahlers has been a top performer for Muller’s program since day one. The three-time all-conference performer shot a six-over-par 79 on Tuesday and then an eight-over par 80 on Wednesday. She held off second-place finisher Jessica Weickert of Peru State College by two strokes.
“The last two days Amy’s played with much more confidence,” Muller said. “She put in some extra time at the driving range and with her chipping and putting. It’s nice to see her put it all together for a complete tournament.”
Sears followed Ahlers with a 91-83–174, tying the Crete freshman for 14th place. The rest of the lineup included DeMers-Sahling (115-97–212), junior Lauren Sperry (112-109–221), sophomore Madison Pitsch (112-117–229) and freshman Paighton Barbre (115-116–231).
Ahlers entered the week with a season average of 83.75. The team’s 376 on Wednesday was 10 strokes lower than its season average.
The Bulldogs will finish the fall season at the GPAC Fall Tournament, Oct. 3-4, in Dakota Dunes, S.D. This season the conference has shifted to a new format in which 36 holes of action are grouped in back-to-back days in instead of having four isolated GPAC dates. Another two-round GPAC tournament will be held this coming spring.