The No. 23 women’s golf team got its first win of the 2014-2015 season Tuesday at the Alamo Invitational in San Antonio. The Lady Tigers took the trophy at the Briggs Ranch Golf Club’s 6428- yard layout where they came up one spot short a year ago.
The LSU team posted a 23-under-par tournament score of 841 (279-284-278) to finish seven strokes ahead of No. 7 Arkansas’ 16-under-par, 848 (275-292-281). The Lady Tigers took the lead in the second round from Arkansas and No. 19 Auburn, who were tied for the lead after the first round, and never gave it up.
While the Lady Tigers were able to overcome the second-place team finish a year ago, they were unable to defend the individual title that former LSU golfer Lindsay Gahm earned at the 2013 Alamo Invitational.
The Lady Tigers were led by sophomore Caroline Nistrup, who sat in first place after the second round and did not give up the top spot on the leaderboard until Auburn’s Sophia Schubert dropped one stroke below Nistrup on the 16th hole of the final round and barely prevented a Lady Tiger title sweep.
Nistrup finished the three-day tournament in second place with an 11-under-par, 205 (66-70-69). Nistrup led the Lady Tigers in birdies scored with 16 and finished tied for second overall in that stat.
Senior Madelene Sagstrom led the entire field in eagles scored with two. Sagstrom carded a 2-under-par, three on the par-5 13th hole each of the first two times she encountered it.
Sagstrom and junior Elise Bradley each put up a final round 2-under-par score of 70 to finish in a four-way tie for fourth place with Texas A&M’s No. 16 Maddie Szeryk and No. 19 Marijosse Navarro with three-round scores of 210.
Sagstrom finished her tournament with 210 (69-71-70), while Bradley’s final score was 210 (71-69-70).
Sophomore Carly Ray Goldstein’s 12-over-par 228 (73-74-81) produced two qualifying scores in the first two rounds that left her tied for the 64th position after three rounds. Goldstein scored eight birdies for the week but was unable to avoid dropping shots on 17 of the contest’s 54 holes.
LSU’s final golfer, junior Nadine Dreher, posted a final round 3-under-par 69 to qualify for the team’s final round score. Dreher’s final round matched Nistrup’s final round 69 to lead the Lady Tigers in the last round and prevent the team from turning in any third-round scores above par.
Dreher finished in a tie for the 74th position with a final 20-over-par 236 (86-81-69).
The Alamo Invitational marks the final tournament of the fall for the LSU women’s golf team. The Lady Tigers will pick up their season in February at the Rio Mar Golf Club in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, for the Lady Puerto Rico Classic.