No. 39 Indiana women’s golf joined nine other top-50 teams for the Chevron Collegiate on Sunday and Monday at the Golf Club of Houston in Humble, Texas. The Hoosiers placed ninth out of the 17-team field with a 9-over-par score of 873 after three rounds.
The Hoosiers finished the first of two rounds Monday in 11th place. Indiana combined for a 6-over-par score, fronted by junior Katie Poots, who shot an even-par 72 for the round. No. 50 senior Madison Dabagia, Indiana’s highest-ranked golfer, struggled in the first round, sinking to the bottom of the Hoosiers’ scorecard with a 5-over-par 77.
All of No. 20 Baylor University’s players were under par in the first round, which put the Bears atop the scoreboard with a 9-under-par team score of 279. Junior Yurang Li was the lowest-scoring Bear in round one, shooting a 3-under-par 69. Baylor was one of four teams that scored under par in the opening round.
Indiana slowly began to climb the leaderboard in the second round. Dabagia, redshirt junior Sheridan Clancy and freshman Saia Rampersaud all notched 1-under-par scores, combining for 10 birdies in the round. The Hoosiers finished the second round with a team score of 2 under par, tied for fourth best of the round. After one day and two rounds, Indiana rested in ninth place with a 4-over-par score.
The second round belonged to two teams: No. 16 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and No. 31 Southern Methodist University. The two notched scores of 11 under par and 10 under par, respectively, as the Tar Heels slid into first place following a 4-under-par round for sophomore Helen Yeung. Yeung’s individual score of 6 under par through two rounds put her in third place. After Monday, SMU tied No. 3 Oregon for third place, just two strokes behind Baylor. SMU’s freshman Kirra St-Laurent's 5-under-par score was tied for second lowest in round two.
The Hoosiers stayed afloat in the third round, shooting a 5-over-par 293, maintaining their ninth-place spot. A 2-under-par score featuring two birdies and no bogies for Dabagia was the best round of any Hoosier in Humble. Dabagia led the Hoosiers with a 2-over-par final score of 218, which placed her 33rd individually.
A 3-under-par score on the final day lifted North Carolina to a first-place finish at the Chevron Collegiate. After shooting 1 under par in round three, Yeung finished the tournament with a second-place individual title, sporting a 7-under-par final score after Tuesday’s round.
Oregon junior Kiara Romero, who is currently ranked No. 4 by clippd and No. 1 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, won the individual title with a final score of 11 under par, four strokes better than second place. It was Romero’s first win of the season in a stroke-play event this season.
Indiana will resume competition with the Valspar Augusta Invitational on March 14-15 at Forest Hills Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia.
