Women's Golf Opens Play at Mason Rudolph
9/20/2019 4:47:00 PM | Women's Golf
Freshman Sophia Yoemans Leads the Way with Even-Par 72 on Friday
FRANKLIN, TENN. – The Mizzou Women's Golf Team opened play Friday in the 2019 Mason Rudolph Challenge with a team score of 301 that put them in 12th place overall in the three-day tournament. The event, hosted by Vanderbilt, and played on the Vanderbilt Legends Club North Course, continues with single rounds on Saturday and Sunday. The host Commodores are tied for the team lead after day one, along with Houston, with identical scores of 287. Mizzou is just seven shots out of the top 10 (Auburn stands 10th at 294).
The Tigers, starting on the back nine, were led by freshman Sophia Yoemans (Red Wing, Minn.), who shot an even-par 72 on Friday for her first round of par as a collegian. Yoemans, who stands tied for 12th after Friday, finished with a flurry, as she carded three birdies in her final six holes for a three-under 33 on the front side. Yoemans had five birdies in all on the day, and recovered nicely from a start that saw her go four-over through her first seven holes.
"I had a rough start today but was able to get it going the rest of the way," Yoemans said. "My putting was the best part of my game today, I felt real comfortable with the speed of the greens. I started hitting fairways on the second nine and that put me in good position like we'd game-planned, so that was definitely a key," she said.
Fellow freshman Bri Bolden (Mokena, Ill.) was right behind her fellow rookie, firing a two-over 74 to put her in a tie for 32nd individually heading into Saturday. Bolden shot identical 37s on the back and front sides, collecting a trio of birdies along the way, including a beautiful 40-foot birdie putt that she sank to end her day on the par-four ninth hole.
"Bri was steady all day for us," said Priesmeyer. "Hopefully that birdie putt to end things will give her some big momentum going into the weekend," she said.
Junior Noelle Beijer (Assendelft, The Netherlands) was one shot back of Bolden, in a tie for 42nd place after a three-over 75 on Friday. Beijer had a pair of birdies on the day, while making no worse than bogey Friday, and in three rounds as a Tiger, has yet to record worse than bogey.
"Noelle had an interesting day," said Priesmeyer. "She didn't have the greatest of starts, but then when she got it dialed in, she had legitimate birdie opportunities on seven of her last nine holes, but there was a lid on the hole for her today, it seemed like. She'll be ready to attack over the weekend though," she said.
Rounding out the Tiger lineup were senior Cherise Otter (Bloomington, Ind.) and sophomore Julia Bower (Columbia, Mo.), who both shot eight-over scores of 80 on Friday. The duo stands tied for 72nd place overall heading into the weekend.
Play resumes Saturday morning from the Legends Club North Course, as the Tigers get underway beginning at 8:45 a.m. central time. Live scoring for the tournament is available on www.golfstat.com.
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
