LSU women’s golf coach Karen Bahnsen said it would be difficult for the Lady Tigers to repeat last season’s results at the Mason Rudolph tournament, where they posted a record-setting 21-under par victory in Franklin, Tenn.
Her prediction proved correct as the Lady Tigers posted a 32-over par combined three day score and finished 11th at the tournament Sunday.
Changes to the course terrain and the inexperience of some players took some adjusting, according to Bahnsen.
“You couldn’t get as close to the hole as easily because the greens were firmer and the course was very wet,” Bahnsen said.
The first round concluded with the Lady Tigers posting a 15-over par, putting them in a 4-way tie for eighth place.
Though none of the players made even par in the first round, freshman Madelene Sagstrom and senior Tessa Teachman led the pack with 3-over pars for the day.
The end of the second round showed a drop to 12th place for the Lady Tigers, who ended the day with a tournament total of 27-over par.
Sophomore Lindsay Gahm led the team in the second round, posting an even par and tying for 26th place. Sagstrom finished with a 7-over par, followed by Teachman, who posted an 8-over par in the round.
Sagstrom’s 2-under par finish in the third round brought the team to 11th place with a 32-over par total for the tournament. Ernst added to the team total with a 1-under par in the third round.
Coach Bahnsen said Sagstrom’s score in the final round helped the team total.
“I think she did great in the third round, and she helped the team a tremendous amount,” Bahnsen said.
Sagstrom tied for 20th place with a 5-over par tournament total and Ernst placed in a three-way tie for 30th place with an 8-over par total.
Bahnsen said the Lady Tigers performed well despite the challenges they faced this weekend.
“It was a tough tournament, but they didn’t let the frustration get to them. Everyone contributed and everyone fought,” Bahnsen said.
UCLA, last year’s NCAA Champion, placed first overall with a 9-over par total. UCLA had four players place in the top 20 for the tournament.
Lindy Duncan of Duke and Jennifer Kirby of Alabama tied for first place individually with an overall score of 4-under par.
 
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Contact Morgan Wampold at [email protected]