The FGCU women's golf team wrapped up the final round of the Johnie Imes Invitational on Wednesday with a third place finish overall with an 876 (+12) and fired a 306 (+18). As a result, the Eagles set up a new program team-low for a 54-hole tournament, shattering the old record of 887 (+23) from the 2013 A-SUN Championship. Host Missouri was the overall winner of the tournament.
"Overall this was a good tournament for us, FGCU head coach Sarah Trew said. "Today was a struggle for everyone as the wind was gusting up to 35 miles per hour. We had a few holes that tripped us up but I️ think we can take away a lot of positives from this event. Before our next event, we need to work on knock downs, wedges, short game and much more. We have a couple weeks to put in some hard work."
FGCU was led by freshman Laura Edmonds. Edmonds missed tying the program's individual 54-hole record-low and first place by one stroke. Her final-round 74 (+2) gave her a 212 (-2) for the tournament as she finished in second behind Missouri's Emma Allen.
"I️ am so proud of Laura for her play," Trew said. "She is hands down the most composed freshman that I have ever seen. She is going to have a great career ahead of her."
Despite a tough day for the team, sophomore Natalia Nassar continued her consistent play with a 74 (+2). She shot either 73 or 74 in all three rounds and finished in a tie for 16th place with a 221 (+5).
Senior Kelsy Holbert shot an 80 (+8) on Wednesday but finished tied for 14th individually with a 220 (+4) behind her four-under over the first two rounds.
Fellow senior Madeline Marck-Sherk (223, +7) and junior Kate Williamson (235, +19) rounded out the lineup by finishing tied for 22nd and 58th, respectively.
This was the fifth consecutive season that the Green and Blue has competed in the Johnie Imes Invitational, and they've improved their placement every year.
2014– 13th of 15 (917, +53)
2015 – 16th of 18 (909, +45)
2016 – 11th of 15 (897, +33)
2017 – 8th of 14 (898, +34)
2018 – 3rd of 13 (876, +12)
Individual Standings
2. Laura Edmonds – 70-68-74---212 (-4)
T-14. Kelsy Holbert – 72-68-80---220 (+4)
T-16. Natalia Nassar – 74-73-74---221 (+5)
T-22. Madeline Marck-Sherk – 70-75-78---223 (+7)
T-58. Kate Williamson – 77-76-82---235 (+19)
Team Standings:
1. #52 Missouri – 282-282-289---853 (-11)
2. #81 Fresno State – 292-279-304---875 (+11)
3. #128 FGCU – 286-284-306---876 (+12)
4. #130 FIU– 287-296-302---885 (+21)
5. #78 Mercer – 290-286-313---889 (+25)
6. #132 Wichita State – 298-295-299---892 (+28)
7. #135 Northern Illinois – 306-292-298---896 (+32)
8. #163 Missouri State – 291-306-307---904 (+40)
9. #203 Illinois State – 297-301-311---909 (+45)
T-10. #145 Bradley – 307-297-307---911 (+47)
T-10. #149 Arkansas State – 300-302-309---911 (+47)
12. #193 UMKC – 306-298-310---914 (+50)
13. #183 University of Arkansas Little Rock – 306-303-308---917 (+53)
Quotes From Other Coaches:
Missouri: "It was a great win for us today in some downright tough, windy conditions," said Mizzou head coach Stephanie Priesmeyer. "We played with great patience and confidence through the day and did a nice job of avoiding big numbers, which has been something we were determined to do better at this week," she said.
"Emma's win was special because it was our home event and senior day and it was her first win," said Priesmeyer on Allen winning overall. "It was quite a battle between her and Jess and Laura (Edmonds of Florida Gulf Coast), they all played great golf this week. Jess had a chance to force a playoff at the end with her teammate, and that would have been fun to see, but she was really solid again this week and I know she'll get that first win soon," she said.
"I'm really pleased how we got great balance within the team and how everyone contributed to the team score over the three days," said Priesmeyer. "(Assistant Coach) Mindy (Coyle) and I are proud of how our team prepared in advance for this event and how they did everything we asked of them. Their work paid off with lower scores and fewer mistakes on the course, and my hope is that this is a great springboard heading into the final stretch of our fall season," she said.
Fresno State: "Despite some challenging windy conditions and a slow start, we finished strong and hung in there to move up the leaderboard," said head coach Emily Loftin about the team climbing into second after entering the final round in third. "To grab second place and build momentum for our quick turnaround trip to New Mexico next week, I could not happier."
"Certainly excited for not only Kristin (Simonsen) and Jess (Hall) leading the way for us, but for Brigitte as well," Loftin noted. "Having three in the top 15 is an accomplishment to be proud of and I'm looking forward to what's in store for them next time out."
Northern Illinois: "Today was just super-windy out there, so it was a test of who was the toughest and could handle it," said NIU Head Coach Kim Kester. "Kelly's two-under par in these conditions is fantastic and Lauren coming in at one-under par was extremely good to see."
"The first round got us pretty good," Kester said "It was definitely a great bounce back by the team, especially today with the way the winds were gusting. They finished strong and that's what we need."
"Sofia (Gomez Enriquez) put together some great rounds on the first two days and then fell off a little today, but overall it was a pretty good tournament for her," Kester said. "It was great to see Ahra have an even par round on Tuesday in her first tournament as a Huskie and Brielle battled today, she didn't hit many greens but she fought through it and that's what you want to see in your senior."
Up Next:
The Eagles wrap up the fall season as they return to the states and prepare for the 41st annual Pat Bradley Invitational at the Lakewood Ranch Golf and Country Club in Lakewood Ranch, Florida, and since I live in Bradenton, I don't live that far away from Lakewood Ranch (about 30 minutes to be exact), so hopefully I could see the team play if I can get a special pass of some sort. It would be so great to get an opportunity like that and see the women's golf team play.
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