DAKOTA DUNES, S.D. – Round one of the 2020-21 GPAC Women’s Golf Championship finished up as darkness set upon Dakota Dunes Country Club in Dakota Dunes, S.D., on Monday (Oct. 5). With 18 holes in the books, the Bulldogs are in fourth place and just seven strokes out of second in the GPAC standings. The vast majority of the field of 59 golfers carded scores 90 and above on a challenging course.
Head Coach Brett Muller’s squad shot a team score of 368 on Monday. Concordia hopes to move up a peg from its third-place GPAC finish from 2019-20.
Kendra Placke had been on a roll this fall having shot in the 70s in four of the season’s first six rounds. She would have expected better than the 90 (+17) she turned in Monday, but will have a chance to quickly turn things around on Tuesday. Placke has placed fifth and sixth, respectively, in the GPAC over the previous two seasons. She currently is tied for 11th place.
The next three Bulldogs to count towards the team score were Emily Jensen (92; T-17th), Logan Eschliman (93; T-21st) and Andrea Peterson (93; T-21st). In other words, Concordia has four players knocking on the door of the top 15 on the individual leaderboard. Lauren Havlat resides in 53rd place (110).
Placke (sixth place in 2019-20), Peterson (18th place) and Havlat (39th place) were also part of the GPAC lineup a year ago. Meanwhile, Eschliman and Jensen made their first career appearances at a conference event.
It would likely be a surprise for anyone to catch first-place Morningside (316 on Monday) this season, but there will be a battle for second place. Concordia will attempt to leapfrog Dakota Wesleyan (361) and Jamestown (363) before wrapping things up this fall.
The conference championships will pick back up for round two on Tuesday from Dakota Dunes. The first tee time for the Bulldogs is scheduled for 10:40 a.m. CT.