NEVADA -- Fort Scott High School's girls' golf team opened its season at Nevada Friday in a tournament with several different formats.

Two golfers from each team played as normal, two played as a team in an 18-hole "shamble" format and the other two played as a team in a nine-hole scramble.

Morgan Morasch and Katie Bristley played the scramble, winning that division in a scorecard playoff with Joplin's team of Marnie Kersey and Krystal Beecher after both teams shot 55.

"They were very excited to place and win a medal at the first tournament of the season," Fort Scott head coach Karen Curran said. "Too bad this was the only tournament where they get to play a scramble because I think they had some really good strategies going into the day and they would certainly keep getting better together. They definitely have their own individual strengths which led them to be great partners."

Kacie Brown and Shelby Blackburn teamed up to play the shamble and finished with a score of 54-50--104, fourth best in this division.

"Kacie and Shelby did a really nice job," Curran said. "They only finished a couple of strokes out of the top three places. Again, it was a new adventure for them, but they enjoyed having a teammate right there with them on each hole to give support and encouragement."

Cassie Ogran and Dana Ballou played as individuals. Ogran shot a 64-70--134 while Ballou finished at 76-72--148.

"We've never started a season with an 18-hole tournament and there were a lot of factors that played into their scores," Curran said. "They teed off around 9 a.m. and didn't finish until around 3:30, so endurance, concentration, and weather were huge factors."

Kacie Brown and Shelby Blackburn played the scramble, winning that division in a scorecard playoff with Joplin's team of Marnie Kersey and Krystal Beecher.

"All the girls had ups and downs throughout the day in their first competition," Curran noted. "But I think they have a renewed commitment to practicing hard and are looking forward to playing at home this Tuesday and hopefully winning their home tournament."

All the scores were combined into team scores. The Tigers placed third out of the schools that had complete teams with a score of 441. Joplin won the team title at 334 followed by Pleasant Hill, Mo. at 402.

Junior varsity players Haley Kruse, Reanda Simmons-Mims, and Riley Wunderly will go to Moran today for Uniontown's JV tournament. The Tigers will host their annual invitational Tuesday at Fort Scott Country Club beginning at 3 p.m.