LSU junior Melissa Eaton broke a course record Saturday to help the Lady Tigers finish second in the LSU/Cleveland Golf Classic at University Club course in Baton Rouge.
The women’s golf team shot a 1-under 287 on the final day of play to finish the event with a team score of 11-over 875.
“After a slow start to the day, we fought back in the end to put ourselves in contention,” LSU coach Karen Bahnsen said. “We shot extremely well in the end, and I am very pleased with our play.”
No. 5 Auburn finished two strokes ahead of LSU with a 9-over 873 for the three-day tournament.
“We had a very strong tournament,” Auburn coach Kim Evans said in a news release. “This was a big team victory.”
Bahnsen said she was not disappointed with the second place finish.
“We played great and made Auburn earn the win,” Bahnsen said. “There is no shame in coming up short against the No. 5 team in the country.”
Eaton, sophomore Rebecca Kuhn and freshman Caroline Martens led the Lady Tigers to the second place finish with their three top-10 finishes.
Eaton’s course record 66 on Saturday helped her finish second in the event with a 5-under 211. The 5-under 211 was also the second lowest 54-hole tournament total in LSU women’s golf history.
Kuhn and Martens tied for 8th place after shooting a 2-over 218 for the tournament.
“The girls have been working very hard to prepare for this tournament,” Bahnsen said. “They have really worked to improve their short game for this week. I am very proud of all of them.”
Although Vanderbilt University finished third, freshman Jacqui Concolino won the individual medalist title. This marks the second consecutive year a Vanderbilt player has won the individual title.
Bahnsen said the team will build off the match in the upcoming weeks of practice.
“We shot great today,” Bahnsen said. “It is very difficult to shoot under par. It makes us feel good that we took the No. 5 team in the country to the last hole.”
 
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