Four months separate the Mississippi State women’s golf team from the start of its spring season and the beginning of its push to make the NCAA tournament.
With one more tournament remaining in the fall season, MSU coach Ginger Brown-Lemm has a better feel of what to expect from her team.
“What I’ve known all along is their profusely talented, just incredibly young,” Brown-Lemm said.
The three days of the inaugural Magnolia Invitational at Old Waverly Golf Club confirmed Brown-Lemm’s thoughts. On Monday, MSU carded a 1-under 287 that, if it had been maintained for the duration of the event, would have put it in contention for second place.
Unfortunately, the first and third rounds didn’t go as well. On Tuesday, MSU shot a final-round, 6-over-par 294 to finish in a tie with Auburn for fourth at 13-over 877.
Ole Miss, which served as co-host of the event with MSU, earned medalist honors with a seven-stroke victory at 10-under 854 in the 10-team field.
The tournament victory is the first for Ole Miss under coaches Kory Henkes and Drew Belt. It also is the program’s first team tournament win since the 2015 Samford Intercollegiate.
At 278-289-287–854, the Rebels finished one stroke off the lowest three-round score in program history. They also set a new school record for the lowest score in a tournament victory, besting the previous mark of 885 set in 2001.
“It’s pretty unbelievable. It still hasn’t all sunk in,” Henkes said. “It hasn’t happened in a couple of years now. … It’s not only going to help recruiting wise, but it’s going to help the girls on the team now. It’s going to show them they can do this, that winning isn’t unrealistic anymore. It’s something they’re going to strive for each and every week and be disappointed if they don’t get. I think this is just the kick start they needed to keep on a good roll.”
MSU leaves the tournament confident it is on pace for its spring schedule.
“We knew all along we were doing the right things in practice. We’re working on all the mechanical and mental aspects of the game,” Brown-Lemm said. “It was good to see us under pressure in tough conditions to see what we need to work on.”
Katie Holt shined in those conditions. On a third day with high winds, Holt shot her second-straight 72 to finish tied for eighth at 1-over-par 217. After back-to-back bogeys, she parred the final five holes to finish the round even par.
Brown-Lemm was pleased with the best individual finish of Holt’s career given she missed MSU’s previous event, the Schooner Classic in Oklahoma.
“I was patient with myself and just allowed myself to play golf,” Holt said. “There was a lot of consistency in my routines and my process, knowing I’ve played this golf course a thousand times. There’s nothing different about this round than the round last week or last year, it’s just another round at Old Waverly, this beautiful golf course.”
Kendall Wisenbacker finished tied for 12th at 3-over. She shook off a 2-over Sunday to play the final two rounds at a combined 1-over.
“She’s healthy, and she’s just now back to what the talent level was before,” Brown-Lemm said. “I really expected what we got, which was solid play. She challenged herself mentally. She stuck with the plan we worked on and she got a good result.”
Clara Moyano, Aubree Jones, and Athena Yang finished in the top 30. Moyano tied for 21st (5-over), Jones tied for 23rd (6-over), and Yang tied for 27th (8-over).
The finish serves as a launching point for a team that has three underclassmen in that group — sophomore Moyano, sophomore Yang, and freshman Jones — and no seniors.
“We’re just living and learning like we’re supposed to. With the youth we have, I’m really happy with where we’re going,” Brown-Lemm said. “Only the good Lord knows (how the team is going to do in the spring), but we’re doing all the right things right now, and at the end of the day that’s all you can expect. They’re dedicated. They’re hard working. They get there before I call practice and most of them stay after. You just hope that it’s all about timing and peak.”
Playing as individuals, Blair Stockett shot a final-round 75 to finish tied for 25th (223). Teri Doss carded a 76 Tuesday and tied for 39th (228). Ela Grimwood shot a 74 and tied for 41st (229), while Blaise Carabello shot an 80 and tied for 52nd (233).
Ole Miss dominated from the start to take the team title. Julie Johnson won the individual crown at 7-under par. Conner Beth Ball tied for fifth (her second top-five finish in a collegiate tournament), while Pi-Lillebi Hermansson tied for 12th, which was her best finish as a collegian.
Johnson edged Memphis sophomore Abby Herrmann in a two-hole playoff. She became the 20th individual champion in Ole Miss history, and the first since Katy Harris won the Palmetto Intercollegiate last fall.
The native of St. Gabriel, Louisiana, is the third freshman to win a tournament in school history.
Johnson is the first freshman to win a 54-hole tournament in program history. Her score of 68-69-72–209 marked the best score in a medalist performance in school history, edging Abby Newton’s mark of 210 at the 2014 Memphis FedEx Intercollegiate. It was four strokes shy of LPGA Rebel Dori Carter’s all-time mark of 205, set in 2008.
Johnson endured a surge by Herrmann, who birdied Nos. 14, 15, and 16 to cut the lead to two strokes with two to play. A double-bogey by Johnson on No. 17 erased that cushion. Both players bogeyed No. 18 to set up a playoff on the same hole. After trading pars on that hole, Johnson took advantage of an errant second shot by Herrmann in the second playoff, again on 18, to seal the win with a par.
“I’m exhausted. I had to play 18 three times in a row, and that’s always hard,” Johnson said. “But I’m really happy.”
n MSU men’s tennis team closes qualifying at ITA All-American: At Tulsa, Oklahoma, Mississippi State sophomore Giovanni Oradini won two three-set matches Tuesday at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-American Championships singles qualifying draw to earn a spot in the singles main draw.
Oradini moved to 6-0 this fall against ranked opponents by defeating East Tennessee State’s No. 113 Robert Herrera 1-6, 6-2, 6-2. He then beat Michigan’s Myles Schalet, ranked 91st, 7-6 (4), 6-7 (7), 6-4 in the final round of qualifying competition.
Junior Niclas Braun also earned another victory Tuesday, taking a 6-3, 6-2 decision against Miami’s Bojan Jankulovski before dropping a 6-2, 6-2 decision to No. 75 Logan Staggs, of UCLA, in the third round. Braun received a Lucky Loser bid into the main draw late Tuesday night.
Trevor Foshey saw his singles qualifying run end Tuesday with a 6-1, 6-2 decision to 83rd-ranked Felix Corwin of Minnesota. No. 67 Bulldog Strahinja Rakic’s consolation match against David Micevski of Utah was canceled due to rain.
In qualifying doubles action, Nuno Borges and Rakic lost to Florida’s Andy Andrade and Chase Perez-Blanco, 7-6, 6-7, 1-0 (8).
The All-American Borges, ranked No. 2 nationally, is entered in the 64-player singles main draw. Braun and Oradini will join him Thursday in Tulsa. Braun and Foshey, No. 7-ranked as a doubles tandem, also are entered in that 32-team field.
Staff Reports were included in this story.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brett Hudson on Twitter @Brett_Hudson
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