Goedeken takes 2nd at state amateurs

Dodge City amateur golfer Tara Goedeken placed second in the Kansas Women's Amateur Championship Thursday, finishing just one shot out of first after bogeying the final two holes.
    She took a four-shot lead into the last round of play at Leavenworth Country Club in Lansing but missed two key putts at the end that helped Jennifer Clark win the title.
    "I didn't make a birdie putt all day," said Goedeken, whose father, Frank, caddied for her.
    Frank said, "We would've really liked to bring that trophy back to [Dodge City] Country Club. It wasn't the best day out there."
    On the 17th green, Tara missed a short putt that put her into a tie with Clark heading into the last hole. When both members of the final group got onto the par-four 18th green in three shots, Tara missed her putt.
    Clark made hers to give the Kansas Jayhawk, going into her sophomore season, the win.
    "I'm really disappointed that I didn't get it done with a four-stroke lead going into today," Tara said. "My coach (Randy Keck) in Tulsa tells us that second isn't good enough, so that's kind of the mind frame I have now."
    She said her ball striking played a major role in her lackluster performance in the third round and that luck, as it always does in the game of golf, had its place as well.
    "The course is quirky," Tara said. "It's really short, and I got a couple bad lies in some bunkers."
    Tara, who drives the ball 260 to 280 yards, also said the shorter course at Leavenworth did not suit her style of play as well as some of the other courses she has recently played in competition.
    "I think I only used my driver once on the front nine," Tara said.
    She added that she was impressed, however, with how her putting and chipping are coming along.
    "Second place is good when you're looking at the big picture," Tara said. "I know I really shouldn't be beating myself up so hard."
    She'll need all her faculties about her when she tees it up Aug. 4 at the U.S. Amateur Championships at the Eugene Country Club in Oregon. She qualified to play in the tournament with her qualification for the U.S. Women's Open, which she played in June.
    "It plays a little longer and probably suits my game a little better," Tara said.