Golf teams open spring season

Story by Keith Jaco, contributing writer

Women’s golf opens spring season with second-place finish

Murray State’s women’s golf team opened up their spring schedule at the Loyola Intercollegiate at the Kiawah Island Resort in Kiawah Island, South Carolina.

The Racers found themselves in third place out of the 43-team field after day one, posting a score of 290. Murray State managed to come within two shots of the lead, held by the host team College of Charleston, an impressive feat in one of the largest events in all of NCAA golf.

Murray State sophomore Lucila Puente Rodriguez de Austria, from Sevilla, Spain, and senior Anna Moore, from Hopkinsville, Kentucky, each shot 2-under-par for a score of 70, sharing fifth place among the field of 217.

In round two on Sunday, the Racers scored a 288, bringing their two-day total to 578 to earn second place heading into the final round.

Junior Jane Watt, from Versailles, Kentucky, played as an individual for the Racers and sat at 144th place after shooting 80-77 for a score of 157.

Moore finished the second round with a score of 71, earning her a seventh-place finish while Rodriguez de Austria shot a 73 for 11th-place. The Racers managed to finish in the top-22 teams that qualified for championship play on Tuesday.

In third round play, Murray State shot 13-over-par, coming up seven shots off the team winner in the College of Charleston.

While the team finished second, Puente Rodriguez de Austria shot four-under-par, scoring a 68 and finishing in a three-way tie with sophomore Valentina Giraldo of Jacksonville State and junior Lyberty Anderson of UNC-Wilmington for first place in individuals.

Murray State’s women’s golf team continues play March 5-6 against North Florida in the North Florida Collegiate at Jacksonville Golf and Country Club.

Inconsistency plagues men’s golf in first tourney of spring

Murray State’s men’s golf team traveled to Goodyear, Arizona over the weekend to participate in the Loyola Intercollegiate at Palm Valley Golf Club where they finished 18th.

The team was led by junior Gabe Wheeler, from Sikeston, Missouri, who shot scores of 70-74-73 for a total of 217, which earned him a 55th-place finish.

Sophomore Austin Knight from Hopkinsville, Kentucky and junior Lance Davis from Mayfield, Kentucky finished tied for 58th place with scores of 218. Freshman Connor Coombs from Central City, Kentucky placed 93rd with a score of 227.

The Racers were without their top player, sophomore Avery Edwards from Paducah, Kentucky. Edwards was forced to withdraw in the second round after experiencing extreme discomfort in his side.

Head Coach Eddie Hunt was disappointed in his team’s results following the third round.

“We weren’t very consistent and had a bad 3rd round,” Hunt said. “Lot of things to work on; pretty much everything.”

The Racers ended day one on a high note with a score of 284, but hit a rough patch in rounds two and three finishing with a total score of 972. College of Charleston was the team winner, posting a score of 816.

Murray State will face off in the USF Invitational March 12-13 in Tampa, Florida at the Tampa Palms Golf and Country Club.

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