COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – While competing on the second and final day of the Bent Tree Showcase in Council Bluffs, Iowa, the Concordia University women’s golf team cut six strokes off its score from Sunday by shooting a 361 on Monday. Individually, senior Amy Ahlers carded a two-day total of 78-81–159 and placed eighth out of 74 golfers in the field at Bent Tree Golf Club.
As a team, head coach Brett Muller’s squad placed ninth (367-361–728) in its second official event of the spring season. The Bulldogs managed to place above GPAC rivals College of Saint Mary (10th) and Doane (11th).
“Lauren Sperry shot a 97, which was a personal best for her,” said assistant coach Shawn Rodehorst. “She was pretty pumped. She knows she can do better. Murphy (Sears) actually shot a 37, but she followed it up with a 45. Everyone is showing glimpses. We need more practice. We haven’t been able to get outside too much. With more practice we can put it all together.”
Ahlers has yet to finish outside the top 10 of any of the six tournaments she’s played at in 2016-17. She now has 29 career top-10 finishes in 36 events during her run as a Bulldog. Since the beginning of her sophomore campaign, she’s missed out on the top 10 only twice in 26 outings. Ahlers, who hails from Albion, Neb., also has nine career tournament wins.
“She was fairly solid,” Rodehorst said of Ahlers. “She struggled like everyone else on the greens. With not mowing the greens, they were very wet and had a lot of sand on them. That caused some problems, but she’s hitting the ball about as well as she has. We just have to get the putter going a little bit.”
Five teammates joined Ahlers at the Bent Tree Showcase: Murphy Sears (90-92–182), Payton DeMers-Sahling (97-101–198), Lauren Sperry (102-97–199), Madison Pitsch (118-113–231) and Paigton Barbre (125-115–240). Barbre made the biggest improvement from the first round to the second, shaving a full 10 strokes off her total. Meanwhile, Sears, a freshman from Crete, Neb., has been the team’s No. 2 golfer behind Ahlers all season.
Next up for Concordia women’s golf is the Morningside College Invite on Wednesday, April 12. The meet is slated to begin at 11 a.m. CT from Whispering Creek Golf Club in Sioux City, Iowa.