University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Highlands Ranch Golf Course
Players Mentioned
Gophers Post Best Fall Finish in Colorado
10/7/2018 4:21:00 PM | Women's Golf
Two full days of competition didn't slow the Gophers down at the Ron Moore Intercollegiate. Instead, they saved their best for last.
Minnesota carded its best round of the tournament on Sunday with a 298, six strokes better than Saturday's score. It is the fourth-best round for the Gophers all fall, and the team finished with a 901, 37-over par and good for 10th place of 16. The finish is the team's best for the fall season and its first in the top 10.
After moving out of the top 20 following round two, sophomore Grace Kellar fought back on Sunday to post her best round of the tournament with an even par 72. Kellar had a consistent day with pars on her first eight holes of the day. She began the second half with a birdie, but gained the stroke back with a bogey six holes later. She finished the tournament with a 221, five-over par and in a tie for 17th. It is Kellar's second top-20 finish of the fall and she has now led the Gophers in each of their fall outings so far.
Senior Muyu Wu, Minnesota's Saturday leader, helped her to finish at nine-over par 225 and tied for 33rd.
Freshman Karen Zhang redeemed herself after a tough Saturday and matched her Friday score of 74. She tallied three birdies in her first nine to go one-under par, and shot even for the next five holes. She wrapped up her first lineup appearance of the year with a 16-over 232 and tied for 69th.
Sophomore Kate Lillie was Minnesota's only golfer to improve with each round over the weekend. She started the final round with a bogey, but remained steady to shoot over par just once more to finish with a two-over 74. Lillie shaved seven strokes between Friday and Sunday, and finished at 233, 17-over par. She jumped 11 spots on the leaderboard by the final round and finished tied for 72nd. Her Sunday 74 matches her best round for the season and the third-best in her career.
Sophomore Joanne Free matched her Saturday score of 79 on Sunday. She was up five strokes through her first nine, and a birdie helped gain one back. She finished the day at seven-over par. Her 234 for the tournament put her at 18-over par and tied for 75th.
Colorado State claimed the tournament crown with a four-under 860, and Ellen Secor of CSU reclaimed her Friday lead in the player field with a three-under 213.
The Gophers are back in action Oct. 22 for the Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown in Boulder City, Nev.