Kewps earn beads but not victory

Despite making five pars and accumulating an impressive strand of “fun” beads, Payge Pleimann couldn’t best Hickman golf teammate Ashley Mansfield.

Unfortunately for the Kewpies, Pleimann and Mansfield’s play wasn’t enough to win the match. Rolla shot a 172 to defeat Hickman and Rock Bridge on Tuesday at L.A. Nickell Golf Course. Hickman finished three shots off the lead and Rock Bridge shot a 190.

Pleimann was pitted against both team’s No. 1 players in Rock Bridge’s Megan Bornhauser and Rolla’s Rody Long. Pleimann shot a 42, Bornhauser shot a 46 and Long scored a 45. Mansfield turned in the low round of the afternoon with a 39.

“My putting made the difference,” Mansfield said. “I made a 30-foot putt on hole No. 2; it was awesome.”

Her putt not only helped her score, but also netted her a bead. Hickman players receive beads for achievements on the golf course, such as making a long putt, chipping in, hitting a green in regulation or setting a personal best.

“It makes us get up for the matches,” Pleimann said. “We really want to do well just so we can get some fun beads.”

Bornhauser said inconsistency killed her chances of beating Pleimann and Long. After playing the first two holes at 1-over par, Bornhauser made a quadruple bogey 8 at the third.

“I’d hit one good shot, then a bad one,” she said. “That 8 on No. 3 killed me.”

Pleimann also struggled with her consistency. Her 7-over round included three double bogies.

“I felt like I was playing really well, and it surprised me that I doubled those holes,” she said.

Bornhauser said the rain of Labor Day weekend made L.A. Nickell play more easily than it had in recent weeks. She said the fairways were so dry and hard that making solid contact was difficult.