FGCU W. Golf: Johnie Imes Invitational Day Two Recap

Continuing their run, the FGCU women's golf team wrapped up round two remaining in second place in the Johnie Imes Invitational at The Club at Old Hawthorne in Columbia, Missouri.

The Eagles set another record-breaking performance (284, -4) and are currently six strokes behind host Missouri with four of the five Eagles reaching the top 25 and one stroke ahead of Fresno State.

"I can't say enough about how the team is playing," FGCU head coach Sarah Trew said. "We started out pretty rough and were actually seven over through eight holes but refocused and put together a 284, which is very impressive."

After beginning day one of the invitational tied for first, freshman Laura Edmonds jumped to being tied for first place with a six under and score of 68 with senior Emma Allen of Missouri and senior Mary Janiga of Mercer. Edmonds set a new personal record in just her second collegiate tournament.

Not too far behind, senior Kelsy Holbert, who began day one tied for 13th, also shot a 68 with a four under and jumped nine spots for a tie for fourth place with freshman Jessica Hall of Fresno State and sophomore Carolina Andrade of FIU. Holbert's 18-hole score tied her career-low set in the second round of the Golfweek Program Championship on Sept. 10.

Both Edmonds and Holbert's finished one stroke shy of the program's single-round low, but broke the previous 36-hole individual-low of 141 (-3) held by Megan Blonien, which was coincidentally set at the Johnie Imes Invitational in 2016, and both had a team-high six birdies

"I am so proud of the way they played today," Trew said. "Both are hitting it so solid and making the most of their birdie opportunities."

The Eagles recorded a new program-low in three consecutive rounds after getting off to a disastrous start as each player bogeyed the second hole, which led to 11 bogeys and two double-bogeys through the first seven holes, but the Eagles started turning around on the ninth hole, where four of the five players in the lineup recorded a birdie. In fact, over the final 10 holes, the team sank an astounding 18 birdies. Eliminating the low score, they fired a 9-under on the back nine.

Aside from Edmonds and Holbert, senior Madeline Marck-Sherk fired a 75 (+3) and sits in a tie for 15th. She has a two-round total of 145, which is just one over par.

Sophomore Natalia Nassar is tied for 23rd place with a 147 (+3). She fired a 1-over 73 on Tuesday, which was the third best score on the team.

Junior Kate Williamson rounded out the lineup with a 76 (+4), and is tied for 53rd with a 153 (+9). Willamson had four birdies in the tournament.

Team Standings:
1. #52 Missouri – 282-282---564 (-12)
2. #128 FGCU – 286-284---570 (-6)
3. #81 Fresno State – 292-279---571 (-5)
4. #78 Mercer – 290-286---576 (E)
5. #130 Florida International – 287-296---583 (+7)
6. #132 Wichita State – 298-295---593 (+17)
7. #163 Missouri State – 291-306---597 (+21)
T-8. #135 Northern Illinois – 306-292---598 (+22)
T-8. #203 Illinois State – 297-301---598 (+22)
10. #149 Arkansas State – 300-302---602 (+26)
T-11. #145 Bradley – 307-297---604 (+28)
T-11. #193 UMKC – 306-298---604 (+28)
13. #183 University of Arkansas Little Rock – 306-303---609 (+33)

Up Next:
The Eagles wrap up day three of the Johnie Imes Invitational with the following groups for tee time at 8 A.M.:
Edmonds (Group 1)
Marc-Sherk (Group 2A)
Holbert (Group 2B)
Nassar (Group 3)
Williamson (Group 4B)

"Tomorrow, it looks like quite a bit of wind is forecasted," Trew said. "We are going to have to play smart, stay patient and take advantage of birdie opportunities when they present themselves if we want to win."