Women's Golf Makes Biggest Move of Day at Florida State Match Up
3/1/2020 5:05:00 PM | Women's Golf
Tigers jump to sixth-place finish; Bolden leads way individually
Panama City Beach, Fla. – The Mizzou Women's Golf Team finished in sixth place at the 2020 Florida State Match Up, which wrapped up Sunday with 18 holes of play at Bay Point Golf Club – The Nicklaus Course. The Tigers began the day in eighth place, but turned in the fourth-best round of the day (301) to make the biggest improvement of any team in the final round. Mizzou's final 54-hole score of 933 (320-312-301) was one shot better than their designated playing partner, Coastal Carolina, which finished in eighth place at 934 (318-310-306).
For the second-straight week, freshman Bri Bolden (Mokena, Ill.) led the way for Head Coach Stephanie Priesmeyer's team, as she tied for 12th place overall with a 229 total (82-76-71) that included a one-under par 71 on Sunday. She was one of only two competitors in the 56-player field to shoot under par on Sunday – joining medalist Ingrid Lindblad of LSU with that distinction (69 on Sunday). Last week at the Westbrook Invitational in Peoria, Ariz., Bolden tied for ninth place, becoming the first Tiger freshman since 2016 to post a top-10 tournament finish.
"I had a really good warm-up today and a really good mindset going into the round," said Bolden. "I struck my irons well and set myself up for easy birdie opportunities. The holes that I had a hard time with yesterday, I attacked with a great attitude today, so I feel like letting go of a difficult first round allowed me to play my game much better," she said.
Junior Noelle Beijer (Assendelft, The Netherlands) finished three shots back of Bolden, in a tie for 22nd place overall, with a three-round 232 total (75-77-80). Senior Cherise Otter (Bloomington, Ind.) posted her best finish since taking fourth at the Johnie Imes Invitational in the fall, as she tied for 30th with a 235 total (82-78-75).
Freshman Sophia Yoemans (Red Wing, Minn.) and sophomore Keagan Dunn (Braselton, Ga.) were separated by just one shot over 54 holes, as Yoemans tied for 42nd place with a 241 total (81-84-76) with Dunn right behind her in 45th place at 242 overall (82-81-79). The four Tigers who scored Sunday for the team improved their scores from Saturday's second round by a collective 18 strokes, with Yoemans leading the way with her eight-shot improvement. Dunn's finish marked the best of her 2019-20 season, 14 spots better than her previous best this year – a tie for 59th at the Johnie Imes.
"It was nice to see the improvement in today's round as a team," said Priesmeyer. "Bri was fantastic and played with great poise. She has really matured a lot on the course from the fall season in regards to her ability to bounce back after a tough hole, or just adversity in general. Cherise was consistent today and had some good looks, as well as Sophia. Yesterday we had too many missed opportunities with our wedges and we will need to continue to focus on that part of everyone's game moving forward this spring," she said.
After playing two weeks in a row on opposite sides of the country, the Tigers return home for a three-week break before heading back to Arizona for the MountainView Collegiate, to be held March 20-22 in Tucson, Ariz.
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
