Women’s Golf Finishes Sixth of 21 in Season Opener

The Jeffs were up against stiff competition in their season opener facing four teams ranked nationally in the top 10 of the Golf World/ NGCA Golf Coaches’ Poll.

Eleven-time defending NCAA champion Methodist University claimed first place by a margin of more than 20 points. The Jeffs finished only 12 strokes behind runner-up Birmingham-Southern College.

Every one of the Jeffs scored in the top 50 out of a field of 120 golfers. Liz Monty ’13 and Elaine Lin ’12 tied for 25th and 41st, respectively, both with consistent scores across the three days. Monty shot 83, 85 and 81 while Lin was close behind with scores of 85, 87 and 84.

Kristen Lee ’14 and Laura Monty ’12 tied for 48th, each shooting for a score of 258. Rookie Lee improved over the course of the tournament, shooting the team-best on Sunday with a 79.

Captain Milbourn started off the tournament last Friday with a 71, the lowest score of the opening round. She shot a 76 and 83 on the following two days, tying with Centre’s Emily Bachert and trailing behind Methodist’s Kelsie Carralero by just a single stroke. Milbourn’s final score of 230 was 14 over par.

The Jeffs are currently ranked ninth in the Golf World/ NGCA Golf Coaches’ Poll. They will head back to the green on Saturday Apr. 9th for a two-day tournament at Vassar College.