Women’s Golf Rallies in Strong Day Two Showing at MountainView Collegiate
3/24/2019 4:40:00 AM | Women's Golf
Three Upperclassmen Tigers Post Saturday Comebacks in Tucson
TUCSON, ARIZ. – After firing a 292 total team score at the first round of the MountainView Collegiate on Friday, the University of Missouri Women's Golf team rebounded with a 285 cumulative score on Saturday in the tournament's second round. The Tigers posted a three-under-par total score on the day, improving to one over par for the competition. Mizzou rose from eighth to seventh place in the tournament standings with the final round of the MountainView Collegiate still to come on Sunday.
"I'm very happy with today's comeback for the team," head coach Stephanie Priesmeyer said. "We still left shots out there – each player had one swing they would probably want back, but that's just golf."
Following a stellar first round outing in which she shot a two-under-par 70, senior Amanda Kim (O'Fallon, Mo.) turned in another solid performance with the same score in the second round. Kim now sits in a five-way tie for fifth place with a four-under-par 140, which ranks as the best 36-hole score of her career.
Seniors Emma Allen (Southampton, England) and Cayce Hendrickson (Benton, Ky.) and junior Jess Yuen (Bolingbrook, Ill.) all mounted impressive comebacks in round two of tournament play.
Allen, who shot a four-over-par 76 on the first day, recovered on day two with a spectacular one-under-par 71 score, thanks in large part to her three birdies and one eagle. Allen's five-stroke improvement skyrocketed the senior up the tournament ladder from tied-54th to tied-38th.
"I really just built off my ball striking yesterday and was more aggressive on the par-fives today," Allen said. "I still left a lot out there, so I am looking forward to a good final round tomorrow."
Fellow senior Cayce Hendrickson also climbed in the competition's rankings from tied-37th to tied-28th after carding a one-under-par 71 in the second round, which matches her best 18-hole score on the season. The Kentucky native credited her impressive showing on Saturday to her focused mindset.
"I definitely felt like I had something to prove today after my poor finish yesterday," Hendrickson said. "My short game was on point, and my mental game was consistent and strong. I just had a lot of fun out there today."
Yuen, the Tiger with the greatest first-to-second round score improvement, was a birdie-generating machine on Saturday. With five birdies on the day, the senior carded a one-over-par 73 – a solid upgrade from her day one score of 79 and enough to move her from tied-74th to tied-61st in the tournament rankings.
"Yesterday was a pretty tough day, but my coaches encouraged me to stay focused on what's important and not let one bad shot affect my round," Yuen said. "I was more confident in my tee shots and that boosted my confidence to make putts. I'm looking forward to keeping it going for tomorrow's round."
Freshman Keagan Dunn (Braselton, Ga.) sits tied-31st with a 36-hole score of 146 after shooting a two-over-par 74 on Friday. Though the MountainView Collegiate is just the fourth tournament of her young Mizzou career, Dunn has continued to impress throughout the weekend, as she has registered a pair each of eagles and birdies at the Preserve Golf Club.
Seeking to earn a top-five finish at the MountainView Collegiate, the Tigers will tee off on Sunday at 8 a.m. via a shotgun start to wrap up the tournament. Mizzou is grouped with eighth-place SMU and ninth-place Houston in the competition's final round.
For all the latest on Mizzou Women's Golf, stay tuned to www.MUTigers.com and follow the team on Twitter (@MUWomensGolf) and on Facebook at MizzouWomensGolf.
Players Mentioned
