The No. 7 LSU women’s golf team finished as runner-up in the 54-hole Darius Rucker Intercollegiate tournament in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, which ended Sunday.
The Lady Tigers claimed the lead in the three-day tournament midway through the final round but finished in a tie for second place with a team score of 15-under par, 867.
“We did very good,” said LSU coach Karen Bahnsen. “It was back and forth all day long. It was an unbelievably tough tournament for us. We went against seven of the nation’s top 10 teams. It was a great tournament for us.”
Senior Madelene Sagstrom shot a 71, 68 and 68 in three rounds, respectively.
Sagstrom finished her weekend at 6-under par, 207. She concluded with a playoff for the tournament’s individual title, competing against Duke freshman Leona Mcguire, who set the competitive course record for women with a second-round score of 65, 6-under par.
“Obviously she was great,” Bahnsen said. “It was really neat in the playoff. Madelene stepped up and hit a really tough shot. It was very competitive.”
Sophomore Caroline Nistrup joined Sagstrom in the top 10. Nistrup ended the tournament at 4-over par, 217, in a tie for seventh place.
Sophomore Carly Goldstein and junior Nadine Dreher each finished the top 30 in the tournament standings. Goldstein finished in a tie for 23rd at 10-over par, 223, and Dreher in 30th at 12-over, 225.
“Our team played great,” Bahnsen said. “I was really proud of them. We fought all the way until the end. They really played well. And in the end [Duke] just played the last few holes better than we did, but we fought until the end.”
The Lady Tigers head home to compete in their last home tournament of the season in the LSU Tiger Golf Classic beginning on March 27.
You can reach Christian Boutwell on Twitter @CBoutwell_TDR.