The University of Memphis men and women’s golf teams both finished second in their respective tournaments on Tuesday afternoon.
The women’s team, in their second tournament of the year, competed in the Cardinal Cup hosted by the University of Louisville. The Lady Tigers finished as the tournament runner-up for the second time this season, shooting 30-over par through three rounds. The men’s squad, who hosted their season opening Memphis Intercollegiate tournament at Colonial Country Club, also came in second, falling behind Louisiana Tech by two strokes. The men finished nine-over par for the tournament.
First-year men’s head coach Blake Smart explained that this is a great way for his team to start the season and see where they need to improve.
“Overall, the week was a success because I believe the guys know where they need to improve,” Smart said in a release. “We competed hard and fought until the event was over. I’m proud of the effort the guys put out and we will work on the areas that need improvement over the course of the fall and spring to prepare for a successful postseason.”
On both teams, there was some very impressive individual play throughout the tournaments.
For the women, three underclassmen finished in the top seven in individual scoring. Michaela Fletcher, a freshman, led the team and finished second in the tournament, shooting one-over par. Fletcher’s performance ties for sixth place in school record books, which equals Marissa Steen’s 54-hole mark.
Freshman Emily Goldstein finished the tournament in fifth place, at five over par and sophomore Leighann Cabush finished in seventh place at six over par.
Sophomore Eithel McGowen led the men’s team, shooting one-under par and finished the tournament in fourth place. Redshirt junior John Luke Tyner finished the tournament in sixth place, shooting one-over par.
Tyner, who shot a hole-in-one on hole 12 in the second round, believes this was a great way to start season for him and his team.
“It was a good start to the year,” he said. “I could have played better the last round, but I’m pretty happy with the start to the season. I made a few sloppy mistakes here and there, but that will come with time. The team did well the first two rounds and definitely struggled yesterday (Tuesday). But overall lots of positives to draw from.”
On his hole-in-one, Tyner said the shot was 195 yards and never left the pin.
Tyner went on to explain how he is very proud of his teammates and believes they are moving in the right direction going forward.
“It was a good tournament to build on and hopefully give the team confidence moving forward,” he said. “I’m most proud of Eithel McGowen for his finish. He finished fourth and has really improved. So lots of positives moving on.”
The men’s team will travel to Ohio to play in the Iverness Golf Club Invitational on Monday.
Tyner said they have a difficult task ahead of them, but looks forward to the challenge.
“It’s going to be a great opportunity for us to show what we are made of on a very difficult course,” he said.
The women take the course again on Oct. 6 at the two-day Cincinnati Fall Invitational.
