After beginning the opening round in 11th before moving up to 7th, the FGCU women's golf team finished the final round with a 5th place finish among 15 teams as they wrapped up day three of the 41st Pat Bradley Invitational at the Lakewood Ranch Country Club in Bradenton, Florida, hosted by FIU.
The eventual winner of the overall invitational was the University of Texas-El Paso (UTEP). The Miners finished with a final score of 862.
The overall individual winner was USF's Natalia Villavicencio, who shot a seven-under and final score of 209 while her fellow teammate Jacqueline Twitty finished third with four-under and a final score of 212.
The Eagles shot 283 (-5) as a team in the round, which sets a new 18-hole team program-low, topping the 284 (-4) they recorded just three weeks ago in the second round of the Johnie Imes Invitational. They also matched the 54-hole program-low set in that same tournament. Furthermore, Tuesday's round also represented the team's seventh sub-300 round of the fall season and its second consecutive top-5 finish.
"I am really proud of the way we finished today," FGCU head coach Sarah Trew said of her team's final fall event. "We really came back over the last two days, and I️ am so pleased. We had some really strong efforts from Laura, Natalia and Madeline today all shooting under par and helping us break another record. This is a big momentum push for us going into the spring, breaking the 18-hole record for the fourth time this season and tying the 54-hole record. We need to maintain our focus and work hard over the break, and I think big things are ahead of us."
Freshman Laura Edmonds shot a final-round 68 (-4) to lead a trio of under-par performances. The Argentinian would finish tied for 14th place with UTEP's Abbie Anghelescu and JU's Amanda Detmer with a final score of 217 (-1).
Sophomore Natalia Nassar (70, -2) and senior Madeline Marck-Sherk (71, -1) also finished below par.
Senior Kelsy Holbert shot a 74 (+2) to give the Eagles a second-consecutive tournament at a program-low 54-hole 876.
Senior Jean Tyrrell rounded out the lineup with a 234 (+18), which included a final-round 78.
Nassar sank a pair of birdies in each half of the round. The trio who went under par each had a team-high four birdies, while Edmonds played bogey-free. The Colombian native began the tournament.
Individual Standings
T-14. Laura Edmonds - 73-76-68---217 (+1)
T-17. Natalia Nassar - 79-69-70---218 (+2)
T-24. Madeline Marck-Sherk - 74-75-71---220 (+4)
T-33. Kelsy Holbert - 78-71-74---223 (+7)
T-68. Jean Tyrrell - 77-79-78---234 (+18)
Team Standings (#GolfStat ranking as of Oct. 16)
1. #76 UTEP - 290-287-285---862 (-2)
2. #94 USF - 288-294-283---865 (+1)
3. #104 FIU - 300-285-283---868 (+4)
4. #150 Southern Mississippi - 286-295-292---873 (+9)
5. #116 FGCU - 302-291-283---876 (+12)
T-6. #161 Jacksonville - 301-288-293---882 (+18)
T-6. #155 Gonzaga - 300-293-289---882 (+18)
8. #178 McNeese State - 286-305-293---884 (+20)
9. #139 Cincinnati - 294-299-294---887 (+23)
10. #184 FAU - 309-299-291---899 (+35)
11. #160 Texas A&M Corpus Christi - 301-305-296---902 (+38)
12. #209 UMKC - 306-302-296---904 (+40)
13. #141 Wyoming - 304-305-296---905 (+41)
14. #213 Eastern Michigan - 301-311-295---907 (+43)
15. #165 Georgia State - 307-305-299---911 (+47)
Quotes from Other Coaches:
McNeese State: "This is a great event that is loaded with quality teams," said head coach Mike Fluty. "I'm extremely proud of my team for showing we can hang with these strong team. We got out of our own way today and played relaxed but with a focused mindset."
"Our ball striking was excellent and it saved us two or three errant shots. Our most challenging issue continues to be putting, we are leaving a lot out on the greens every round. When the putts start dropping, we have the potential to really post low scores. I love our competitive grit and I can't be more proud of their performance this fall," said Fluty.
USF: "What a way to finish the fall. The girls were so high energy today. It was so lighthearted, the vibe was amazing and they just poured it on," said head coach Erika Brennan. "We got off to an awesome start, were slightly sluggish through the middle and gave a few back, but coming down the stretch they were just all heart and hustle. We me made some birdies late and really hung in there. To finish the fall with 18-hole school records and new 54-hole school records, that is such a testament to what these girls have done all fall. They are an absolute joy to coach and every day is just so fun. I think we're beginning to see some of those results that we know we're capable of."
"Nati was rock solid all tournament," said Brennan on Natalia Villavicencio's one-shot win. "She's grown so much this semester and it thrills us to no end to see that hard work paying off. A final-round 68 is strong and to get the medalist honors is so well-deserved for her. This will be a great catalyst heading into our offseason and will give her that extra boost heading into her final spring as a Bull."
Cincinnati: ""We are very proud of the ladies today," said head coach Janet Carol. "We started off on a tough side, but were able to get through those groups of holes and capitalize on some birdies on the back nine. Alyssa finished off a good three days with a 7th-place finish. The ladies are very close to breaking through with not just a good round, but a great round. We accomplished our outcome goals and can focus on that and prepare for our next event in 10 days."
Gonzaga: "Quynn (Duong) continues to impress with her ball striking and her competitive spirit," head coach Brad Rickel said. "She played great again today and had another great finish. I'm really proud of our team shooting 289 today on the final round with four great scores. Everyone competed to their fullest, and it was fun to be a part of such a great way to end the fall season."
JU: "It was a good tournament to end our fall season," said Head Coach Jennifer Borocz. "There was improvement from start to finish and that gives us good momentum going into the spring.
"We know what we need to work on in the offseason to get ready."
Texas A&M-CC: "Our goal today was to get off to a better start and we did that," said head coach Joni Stephens. "Good solid play by Daniela, Brooklyn and Autumn in today's round. Kellsey and Alex started out steady, but had some big numbers on the back side that kept them from finishing well. As a team, we hit a lot of greens and made more birdies today. Unfortunately, we had a lot of missed birdie opportunities; we were close all day but struggled to get the putts to drop. So that was a little disapointing. Moving forward, we have to continue to work on the mental side of the game, controlling the things we can and maintaining our focus and intensity throughout the entire round. I am excited about this team We have the ability to do some great things."
Wyoming: "I'm very proud of Sam (Hui) and her career low round today," head coach Josey Stender said. "She had great course management all week and really just had fun competing."
"As a team, we showed a lot of improvement—both individually and as a team. I know we are all looking forward to a productive offseason on the course and in the classroom."
Georgia State: “I’m proud that we shot our best score of the tournament today, but also disappointed that we didn’t finish higher up the leaderboard,” head coach Cathy Mant said. “I thought we did some good things this week, but there are areas that we have to become more consistent. We have a short turnaround but hopefully, we can get that going on Friday."
Up Next:
The 41st Pat Bradley Invitational would be the last tournament of the fall season, so the Eagles won't be competing until February 4, 2019 in the Mid-American Match Play Challenge at the Lakewood Ranch Country Club in Bradenton, Florida, co-hosted by FGCU and Bowling Green.
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