The University of Memphis women’s golf team walked away with their first tournament title of the spring Tuesday, at the University of South Alabama Women’s invitational.
The Lady Tigers ended with a score of 915 (+ 51) through three rounds of play, 10 strokes ahead of second place Western Kentucky. Their best round came by a score of 302 in the first round, while scoring 306 in round two and 307 in the third round.
Tough weather conditions made it difficult for every team participating in the tournament. Memphis coach Beth Harrelson explained how proud she was of her squad for not letting the weather affect them.
“You cannot fully appreciate how well they played today in those conditions,” Harrelson said. “It was 39 degrees with misty rain and they played incredibly well and hung in despite the rough conditions. It was definitely not good scoring conditions, so it’s pretty amazing that they turned in the scores they did. They were all just tough out there this tournament.”
Freshman Michaela Fletcher led the way for the Lady Tigers, finishing with a total score of 225 or nine over par for the tournament. Fletcher finished second in individual scores and was also named the American Athletic Conference Women’s Golfer of the Week.
Fletcher was not the only Lady Tiger to perform well in the 13th annual tournament though. All five Lady Tigers to compete finished in the top 20 overall.
Sophomore Leighann Cabush ended the tournament in fourth with a score of 227 or (+11). Freshman Emily Goldenstein finished tied eighth at 231 (+15).
The other two Lady Tigers to place in the top 20 were Ashley Kees (234 or +18) who finished tied for 16th place, and Natalie Turk (236 or +20) who finished tied for no. 20 overall in the individual scores.
University of Arkansas Little Rock (UALR) golfer, Stina Resen finished the tournament with the best individual score at 221 (+5). UALR finished the tournament third overall.
Not only is this the Lady Tigers’ second tournament title of the year, but it is also their second straight, winning the FIU Pat Bradley Classic to cap off fall play.
Coach Harrelson hopes this win will carry momentum throughout the spring.
“This was a good start to hopefully a great spring,” coach Harrelson said.
The Lady Tigers will look to extend their winning streak to three when they compete in the Southern Miss Lady Eagle Invitation on March 9-10.
