Story by Keith Jaco
Staff writer
rjaco@murraystate.edu
Murray State and Jacksonville State led the way at the Chris Bannister Classic as the Racers secured a second-place finish on Tuesday afternoon.
The host team, Jacksonville State, was a tough opponent. Murray State got a chance to face three other OVC teams. The Racers finished better than two, but could not top the Gamecocks this time around.
Murray State finished just three strokes behind Jacksonville State, finishing the tournament with a total score of 907. Murray State and Jacksonville State dominated the competition as each team finished around 40 strokes ahead of the rest of the pack.
Senior Linette Holmslykke, from Vejle, Denmark, led the way for the Racers, finishing in second place on Tuesday with scores of 74-72-75?221. Holmslykke would finish just six shots behind the winner, Jacksonville State senior Paula Vega, who finished with a three-day total of 215.
Murray, Kentucky, native Sarah McDowell, a freshman at Murray State, had a solid tournament in her first time in the starting lineup for the Racers. McDowell shot rounds of 76-77-71?224, finishing on Tuesday in fourth place, moving up three spots on the final day of play.
Sophomore Lucila Puente Rodriguez de Austria, from Sevilla, Spain, rounded out the Top 10 for Murray State, shooting three rounds of 77 and earning herself a spot in ninth place.
With two tournaments in the books for the fall season, Head Coach Velvet Milkman is pleased with where her team is.
“We played OK, but I don’t think we played our best golf,” Milkman said. “It’s encouraging we were still in the tournament and lost by just three shots. Even though we didn’t play our best, I’m still encouraged by the potential that we have.”
Milkman and her team will spend the remainder of the week resting and rejuvenating before their next tournament on Monday morning.
“We’re going to get some rest tomorrow and come back and work on our approach shots,” Milkman said. “I don’t think they were very good this week. We’ve got to get it closer in order to make more putts, so our iron play will be the focus this week.”
The Racers will head to Clarksville, Tennessee, on Monday to compete in the APSU Intercollegiate at Clarksville Country Club.