Indiana women’s golf tallied its second-consecutive top-five finish over the weekend, placing third at the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic at the University of Georgia Golf Course in Athens, Georgia. The Hoosiers finished the three-round competition with a 20-over-par final score of 884.
Indiana, which entered the tournament at No. 42 in clippd’s recent rankings, was the highest ranked and only top 50 team in the competition. No. 58 University of Georgia, the tournament’s host, was the second highest-ranked team in Athens.
There were zero under-par scores between the field of 16 teams and only three scores that were a single digit over par in the first round. High Point University led the way with a 2-over-par score of 290, followed by a 5-over-par 293 from Georgia and a 7-over-par 295 from Rutgers.
Georgia freshman Trinity Beth had the first round’s top individual score, shooting 6 under par for a total of 66 strokes.
Indiana experienced first-round struggles, leaving Saturday with a 15-over-par score of 303. Despite the crooked number, the Hoosiers ended the first day in a three-way tie for sixth place, joining James Maddison University and the University of Alabama.
No Hoosier who contributed to the team’s score shot under par in Round 1, with senior Madison Dabagia’s 1-over-par 73 being the team’s best. However, Indiana freshman Saia Rampersaud participated independently, and concluded her opening round with a score of 70 shooting 2-under-par.
Sunday’s round was headlined by the event’s first under-par score for a team. Georgia, backed by a 5-under-par 67 from redshirt junior Karoline Tuttle, propelled itself into first place after the second round with a 4-under-par team score of 284.
Tuttle’s second round score of 67 was the day’s best and included seven birdies with two bogeys.
Indiana fell to a tie for 10th place after the second round, combining for a 12-over-par score of 300, led by redshirt junior Sheridan Clancy with an even-par score of 72.
Rampersaud again boasted a below-par showing, conjuring a 1-under-par score of 71.
The Hoosiers came alive Monday, climbing seven spots in the standings on the final day by earning the lowest score of the entire tournament, a 7-under par 281. Indiana’s top-four golfers all finished with scores of even par or better, fronted by a six-birdie day from junior Katie Poots, who earned a 3-under-par score of 69, a standout performance by the Hoosier ranked No. 257 individually, as the Hoosiers took third place.
Clancy shot 2-under-par in round three for a score of 70, which resulted in an even-par final score of 216, the best among Indiana’s scoring lineup.
Georgia’s third round was just enough to maintain the top spot, as its 10-over-par third round score of 298 was sixth worst of the day. The Bulldog’s final score of 875 was 11 over par, three strokes better than second-place Rutgers.
Beth granted Georgia it’s second win of the tournament, earning the first-place individual title with a 10-under-par final score of 206, her first win of the season.
Rampersaud left Athens as the top-preforming Hoosier, despite her score not counting for her team. After an even-par 72 in the final round, Rampersaud earned a fourth-place individual title with a final score of 213, three strokes under par.
Indiana will conclude its regular season on April 17-18 with the Therese Hession Buckeye Invitational at Ohio State University Scarlet Course in Columbus, Ohio.
