KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. – The Navy women's golf team finished its first tournament of the spring with a 22nd-place finish at the Kiawah Island Classic, where 49 teams competed at the Kiawah Island Resort in the largest collegiate golf tournament of the season.
The Midshipmen finished with a three-round total 49-over par 913. The tournament was played over three days on two different courses at the resort. Navy played the first and third rounds on Osprey Point (par 72, 5,964 yards) and the second round on Oak Point (par 72, 5,941 yards).
"We played well during our first tournament of the spring," head coach
Nadia Ste-Marie said after the tournament. It was a difficult tournament playing on two different courses and only getting one practice round on one of the courses. We improved on the final day with some low scores to finish the tournament. Overall, we played well and we are going to keep improving. For the first tournament of the spring and with the limited practice we played well this week."
Navy started the tournament with a 15-over par 303 on Sunday to sit in a tie for 17th. Then with the split line on Monday deciding whether the Midshipmen would make the cut line for the top 24 to play on Osprey Point or play on Oak Point with teams 24-49, they ended day two tied for 23rd after firing a 23-over par 311 on Monday. Navy shot its best round of the tournament on Tuesday to finish out the event with an 11-over par 299 to break the 300 mark for the first time in 2019. In the 49-team field, the Midshipmen placed 22nd overall to finish in the top half of the largest collegiate golf tournament of the season.
Christine McDonnell (So., Suwanee, Ga.) led the Midshipmen throughout the tournament and she finished tied for 45th with a total score of 7-over par 223 (72-78-73). Her even-par 72 in the opening round on Sunday was the lowest round of the tournament for the Midshipmen. She posted an eagle in the tournament and tied for sixth in par five scoring at 4-under par.
In the field of 254 golfers,
Amelia Root (Fr., Jacksonville, Fla.) was the final individual for Navy to finish inside the top 100 after placing tied for 86th. The freshman carded a three-round total of 11-over par 227 (74-80-73) and notched her best round of the tournament on Tuesday at 1-over par 73. Root finished with her two lowest rounds of her career with a 1-over par 73 in the final round and 2-over par 74 on Sunday.
Navy's pair of
Shannon Gould (Fr., O'Fallon, Mo.) and
Morgan Frazier (Jr., Mechanicsburg, Pa.) both recorded a pair of top 150 finishes for the Midshipmen. Gould compiled a score of 18-over 234 (79-77-78) to complete the tournament in a tie for 142nd and Frazier placed tied for 149th with a 19-over par 235 (78-82-75).
Katie Um (So., Chesapeake, Va.) rounded out Navy's starting five at 24-over par 240 (79-76-85) to finish in a tie for 184th. Um was sitting in the top 125, but slipped following the final round.
On Sunday, Navy had all five golfers shoot in the 70s, while four individuals shot in the 70s on Tuesday, highlighted by three scores of 75 or better.
Among Patriot League teams, the Midshipmen finished second only to Boston University who was in 20th overall with at 42-over par 906. Lehigh placed 35th with a score of 66-over par 930 and Richmond was two spots back in 37th after a three-day score of 69-over par 933. Bucknell rounded out Patriot League teams in the field with a 39th-place finish at 75-over par 939.
Coastal Carolina and North Florida tied for the top spot in the field at 1-over par 865. North Florida's Sydney Shrader won medalist honors after compiling a score of 9-under par 207. The top 16 individuals all scored even-par or better throughout the tournament with the top 10 shooting under par.
Navy returns to action on March 16 and 17 at the Wofford's Low Country Intercollegiate at Moss Creek Golf Club in Hilton Head, S.C.
