Sophomore Natalia Nassar fired a career-low 69 (-3) to lead the FGCU women's golf team to a second-round 291 (+3) at the 41st Annual Pat Bradley Invitational on Monday, which positions the team in a tie for seventh place entering Tuesday's final round with a 593 (+17).
The Eagles are tied with Cincinnati and Gonzaga, just two strokes behind McNeese State and four behind Jacksonville. UTEP leads with a 577 (+1).
"We played very solid and more like ourselves today," FGCU head coach Sarah Trew said. "I️ really liked our attitudes out there and the way we bounced back today. It was a little more windy today, and I️ was pleased with the way the team kept their focus. Kelsy put up a nice round for us and Nat shot her FGCU career low. I️ am very proud of both of them. Laura struggled a little today but fought back and had a couple key birdies for us coming in. We are looking to put up another strong round on Tuesday and finish the tournament strong."
The Eagles bounced back in strong fashion from Sunday's 302 (+14) behind the play of Nassar and senior Kelsy Holbert, who had a 1-under 71.
Nassar opened on fire by shooting 3-under on the front nine. She bogeyed her 12th hole, but made it up on the 16th with her fourth birdie and is tied for 27th.
Holbert, meanwhile, picked up her 1-under on the front nine, finished even par on her back nine and sits in a tie for 30th individually with senior Madeline Marck-Sherk and freshman Laura Edmonds.
Marck-Sherk opened 3-over through her first 10 holes, but picked up her lone birdie on the 11th and finished even-par the rest of the way.
Edmonds finished strong with birdies on two of the final three holes to help push the team into a seventh-place tie overall.
Senior Jean Tyrrell rounded out the lineup with a 79 (+7). She is tied for 60th.
Live stats for Tuesday's final round will be available via BirdieFire.com here and posted at FGCUathletics.com.
Individual Standings
T-27. Natalia Nassar - 79-69---148 (+4)
T-30. Laura Edmonds - 73-76---149 (+5)
T-30. Kelsy Holbert - 78-71---149 (+5)
T-30. Madeline Marck-Sherk - 74-75---149 (+5)
T-60. Jean Tyrrell - 77-79---156 (+12)
Team Standings (#GolfStat ranking as of Oct. 16)
1. #76 UTEP - 290-287---577 (+1)
2. #150 Southern Mississippi - 286-295---581 (+5)
3. #94 USF - 288-294---582 (+6)
4. #104 FIU - 300-285---585 (+9)
5. #161 Jacksonville - 301-288---589 (+13)
6. #178 McNeese State - 286-305---591 (+15)
T-7. #116 FGCU - 302-291---593 (+17)
T-7. #139 Cincinnati - 294-299---593 (+17)
T-7. #155 Gonzaga - 300-293---593 (+17)
10. #160 Texas A&M Corpus Christi - 301-305---606 (+30)
T-11. #209 UMKC - 306-302---608 (+32)
T-11. #184 FAU - 309-299---608 (+32)
13. #141 Wyoming - 304-305---609 (+33)
T-14. #165 Georgia State - 307-305---612 (+36)
T-14. #213 Eastern Michigan - 301-311---612 (+36)
Quotes from Other Coaches:
McNeese State: "We had too much tension and wanting to play perfect today," said head coach Mike Fluty. "A few errant shots that resulted in penalty strokes combined with a tense mindset made for a challenging day. I'm proud of their effort, teamwork, and grit on the course. We will learn from every shot, every round, and apply those lessons to the next round. This is what we will do in tomorrow's final round."
USF: "Today was another solid day for us," said head coach Erika Brennan. "The wind was up and the girls stayed in the hunt. Jackie is so solid. She was one hole away from a bogey-free round and to post a red number today should give her a big boost for tomorrow. Natalia has made monumental strides on her mental game and it's awesome to see her being rewarded for that work. She is capable of taking it low on any given day. Sadie and Ramya continue to be steady and Haley battled to the finish as well. Tomorrow, we need to be steady and then aggressive when opportunities present themselves. It's awesome to be in the final group and in the hunt! These girls are poised for a great fall finish."
"Today we got off to a solid start only being 1-over through nine holes, said assistant coach Dalton Stevens. "We gave four shots away quickly on holes 10-11, which shows how well we finished to maintain our round. We got great performances out of Jackie and Natalia again today with rounds of 71 and 73. We are in a great position to do something special tomorrow. The ladies like where we are at, knowing that we can go out and play free and aggressive tomorrow to chase down the leaders."
Cincinnati: "It was somewhat of a frustrating day today," said head coach Janet Carol. "Coming down the stretch, we gave away too many shots. I'm still proud of the team for fighting through adversity. We just have to quit overthinking and overtrying. We still are in reach of our outcome and position goals and we have to go out and fight until the end tomorrow."
Gonzaga: "I am really proud of the fight in this team," head coach Brad Rickel said. "We learned some about the course yesterday, and while the conditions were a bit tougher, we played better. A bogey-free 67 for Quynn is just awesome. She played a great round of golf, and was very determined and focused. She does that again, and she will be tough to beat. I'm very happy with our team attitude and determination. We need to continue it tomorrow to maintain and move up."
JU: "We are really proud of the team for their comeback today," said Head Coach Jennifer Borocz. "The conditions were not easy out there. Both Louise and Maria rebounded well from yesterday's round."
Texas A&M-CC: "I was very pleased with the steady play again by Daniela and Brooklyn," said head coach Joni Stephens. "Our other players had difficulty out of the gate today, but I was proud of their effort to fight back to try to bring in good rounds. Unfortunately, it is difficult trying to play catch up. Kellsey made a valiant effort on her back nine, coming in with four birdies in her last seven holes. We have struggled getting off to a strong start during our last four competitive rounds. Tomorrow our goal is to start strong and to play with confidence from the first tee shot to the last putt."
Wyoming: "It was great to see individual improvement today and overall team consistency, head coach Josey Stender said. "We are close with a few teams and have a chance for a good finish if we can continue to give ourselves good looks on the greens. We've talked a lot about the hard work they have all put in so tomorrow is just about enjoying the last round of our fall season and playing to play great."
Georgia State: “We got off to a bit of a rough start today,” head coach Cathy Mant said. “The team kept fighting, but we just couldn’t make enough birdies to get it back. However, I know this team will continue to fight and on Tuesday we will see if we can climb the leaderboard a bit.”
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