Freshman Sydney Trimble follows through on a swing in a practice last semester.
The women’s golf team returned from Ole Miss’ Rebel Intercollegiate finishing 16th out of a field of 18 competitors. The Racers finished 67 over par with a score of 931. Georgia Regents University-Augusta took the tournament’s top spot at seven over par with a score of 871.
Murray State was the only OVC team to compete at Ole Miss in the 54-hole tournament. The competition included schools such as Tulane, Texas State, the University of Tennessee, the University of Kentucky and Notre Dame.
Head Coach Velvet Milkman and senior Delaney Howson said the tough competition was huge in preparing for the quickly approaching OVC championship.
“I don’t think it was our best of the year, but you always learn stuff when you don’t do your best,” Howson said. “I think even though it wasn’t our best effort, it’ll help us going into this weekend and then conference. It makes you better to play against good players. You can learn from what they’re doing.”
Milkman said the Racers need to work on one aspect of their game in particular.
“Putting,” she said, “It’s very simple. About 12 feet and in, we need to be making more of those putts.”
Heavy rain disrupted the Racers’ schedule just as snow affected much of their early season. Originally scheduled for three days of 18 holes, the Racers played 18 holes Friday and 36 Saturday in order to beat the rain.
“Usually if we play that way it’s 36 (holes) the first day,” Milkman said. “Thirty-six the second day is a little more physically demanding, but we shot our best round. Mentally we were tired, and we let some shots get away at the end.”
The change of rounds wasn’t the only unusual element in the Rebel Intercollegiate. The tournament was played with four golfers playing a hole at a time, as opposed to the usual three.
“The biggest thing was playing in foursomes – I mean that was weird,” Howson said. “I’ve never done that.”
The Racers have a long weekend ahead of them, first traveling to Highlands Golf Course in Huntsville, Ala., for a tri-match with Austin Peay State and Belmont before heading to the Dalhousie Golf Club in Cape Girardeau, Mo., to face Southern Illinois. Milkman is excited to play these courses in order to prepare for the OVC Championship.
“Really, the main reason we’re doing it is for the golf course – it’s the same design as we’ll play at the OVC Championship,” Milkman said. “We had the opportunity to go down and play one, and it’s good to take advantage of.”
Story by Mallory Tucker, Staff writer