Missouri women’s golf continued its strong start to the season with a win at the Johnie Imes Invitational on Monday, Sept. 22. The Tigers secured the team title after severe weather canceled the final round of their home tournament. The team totaled a 14-under par performance through two rounds for their second straight victory.

Senior Melanie Walker led Missouri with a second-place finish at 6-under par. Her opening round included four birdies on the back nine alone, and after steady play in the second, she finished just one shot off of Kentucky’s Cathryn Brown, who took the individual lead.
Freshman Ebba Liljeberg followed close behind, taking third place at 5-under. She finished the second round with birdies on her final three holes to solidify her spot on the leaderboard.

Two more Tigers finished inside the top five, as senior Addie Dobson took fourth with a 4-under par opening round, and junior Fleur van Beek secured fifth after carding an eagle on the back nine in Round 2.

The Tigers’ dominance was clear on the team leaderboard, finishing nine strokes ahead of the runner-up, Kentucky. Their margin only grew from there, as Missouri held a 27-stroke lead over third-place Wichita State.

This win marks the first time since 1997 that Missouri has opened a season with back-to-back tournament titles. It also marks the program’s 10th Johnie Imes title.

The Tigers will head to the Arkansas-hosted Blessings Invitational next Monday, Sept. 29, aiming to carry their momentum into a potential third straight win.

Edited by Colin Simmons l [email protected]
Copy edited by Ava Mohror | [email protected]
Edited by Chase Pray | [email protected]