Women's Golf Cruises to Sixth-Straight Johnie Imes Team Title
10/2/2019 2:32:00 PM | Women's Golf
Beijer, Otter Post Top-Five Individual Finishes to Lead the Way
Columbia, MO – For the sixth consecutive year and the seventh time in 12 years, Mizzou Women's Golf is the Johnie Imes Invitational Champion. The Tigers posted scores of 290, 289 and 289, respectively, to finish with a team score of 868 (4-over) at The Club at Old Hawthorne in Columbia, Mo. Mizzou's performance trumped second-place Oral Roberts by seven strokes.
Junior Noelle Beijer (Assendelft, The Netherlands) led the Tigers with a score of 211 (5-under), finishing third in the tournament. It is her second Top-10 finish of the season, the first of which came at the Minnesota Invitational (6th). Beijer also posted her top score of the year this week, with a 3-under 69 on Monday.
Beijer, who had two eagles this week, said the Imes was a boost of confidence for her and she is excited for the rest of the season. "It feels amazing. I was going for the win, but this shows that I'm competitive and I can be here and potentially even win a tournament in the upcoming two years," she said. "I'm just going to grind as hard as I can and be the best player I can be."
Head coach Stephanie Priesmeyer said that Noelle was instrumental to the Tigers' success this week. "She has been fantastic for us. She transferred into the program and with us losing Jess [Yuen] to a medical redshirt this year, we needed that experience and we needed that spark plug and her attitude and energy has been really great. We really needed her this week to win," she said.
Senior Cherise Otter (Bloomington, Ind.) also had a strong showing in her final Johnie Imes Invitational. Otter tied her career best on Tuesday, shooting a 3-under 69. Her impressive middle of the week round vaulted her to the top of the leaderboard- she was tied for first going into the final day. A 1-over 73 in the final day of the tournament resulted in a 3-day score of 213 (3-under), the best three-day score in her career. She finished tied for fourth place.
Otter was pleased with her performance in her final Johnie Imes Invitational. "It was really great. I played solid all week and it was great to have the team play well and keep the streak going," she said. "My overall energy and vibe I had for all three rounds was good. It's my last go-round so I want to make the best out of every moment I get."
Freshman Bri Bolden (Mokena, Ill.) tied the best round of her young career with a final day 1-over 73. Her three-day score of 218 (6-over) also marks the best tournament score of her career. She finished tied for 13th.
Freshman Sophia Yoemans (Red Wing, Minn.) finished off the week strong with an even-par 72 on Wednesday. She tied for 18th overall with a three-day score of 224 (8-over). The Johnie Imes is her second Top-20 finish in three events this year.
Sophomore Julia Bower (Columbia, Mo.) was consistent throughout the week, posting scores of 75, 75 and 76, respectively. Her 3-day score of 227 (11-over) ties her career best from the Johnie Imes Invitational last year. She finished tied for 35th – marking the best finish of her Tiger career to date.
Priesmeyer said that Bolden and Yoemans have improved significantly over the first three tournaments of the year. "Our freshman, Sophia and Bri, have learned a lot as far as letting bad shots go," she said. "They had been really hard on themselves, but we've noticed a ton more patience and they're not so quick to get angry. They let the bad shots go and move on."
Sophomore Keagan Dunn (Braselton, Ga.) finished off the tournament strong, with a birdie and a chip-in eagle in two of the final three holes. She carded a 4-over 76 in the final round to shoot a 235 (19-over) for the week. Dunn competed as an individual for the Tigers.
The team will be back in action Oct. 20-21 in San Marcos, Tex. for the Jim West Challenge. The Tigers finished seventh at the tournament last year.
Players Mentioned
