Story by Keith Jaco
Staff writer
Following a dismal start to its spring season, Murray State women’s golf finished the third round of the Kiawah Island Intercollegiate on a high note, shooting a 306 to finish in 38th place at Osprey Point Golf Club.
The Racers took a step back with their finish at Kiawah Island, falling behind early and failing to come close to their second-place finish from a year ago.
Coastal Carolina and North Florida each finished with a three-round total of 865, taking home a share of first place in the field of 49 teams. North Florida junior Sydney Shrader edged South Florida freshman Ramya Meenakshisundaram by one stroke to receive first place.
Murray State shot 308 as a team in the first round but failed to remain consistent, falling off pace and finishing the second round with a score of 320, landing themselves in 38th-place.
Head Coach Velvet Milkman credited her team’s struggles to their short game.
“I thought we struggled on the greens all weekend,” Milkman said. “We made a few more putts yesterday but struggled reading the greens and making our putts.”
Senior Linette Holmslykke, from Vejle, Denmark, was Murray State’s top finisher, earning a share of 45th place with scores of 75-76-72?223. Graduate student Anna Moore, from Hopkinsville, Kentucky, tied for 149th place with scores of 75-83-77?235.
Junior Raeysha Surendran, from Selangor, Malaysia, participated as an individual in the tournament, placing in 85th place on scores of 76-74-77?227.
Despite shortcomings in the first weekend of the season, Milkman believes Holmslykke and company are ready for the season ahead.
“I expect Holmslykke to play the same way she’s been playing,” Milkman said. “She’s gotten better everyday and they all did. With it being the first tournament of the season it’s always a little more difficult as far as committing to your shot and trusting yourself.”
The Racers will work on their short game before hitting the road for another tournament over the weekend.
“We’ll get out on the putting green tomorrow,” Milkman said. “It is a quick turnaround but we talked about that and we’re excited. It’s time to get into the tournament groove. The more you play the better off you are. We’ll work a lot on short game tomorrow and get back in the van on Friday.”
Murray State will compete in the North Florida Collegiate March 4-5, in Jacksonville, Florida, at Jacksonville Golf and Country Club.