The Missouri women’s golf team started its second tournament of the season in Franklin, Tenn., without 2018 NCAA Championships Qualifier senior Jessica Yuen.
Despite the change in lineup, coach Stephanie Priesmeyer was excited about returning to the Mason Rudolph Championship.
“This is a great tournament to be part of, they always have great teams here so it is a fantastic opportunity to compete against the top players in the country,” Priesmeyer said in a press release.
The Mason Rudolph Championship marked the second start for junior Noelle Beijer who had the best performance for the Tigers at the Minnesota Invitational. There, Beijer led the team with a score of 141 and had a No. 6 finish.
Senior Cherise Otter made her return to the lineup on Friday. She started the tournament for the Tigers after being limited last season with wrist issues. Otter was the only player in the lineup who played the Mason Rudolph Championship in 2018.
Rounding out the lineup for the Tigers was redshirt sophomore Julia Bower and freshmen Sophia Yoemans and Bri Bolden.
Day one was highlighted by Yoemans. She started the round shooting 4-over in the first seven holes, but bounced back by shooting three birdies in her final six holes. Yoemans finished the first round with a even-par 72.
“I had a rough start today but was able to get it going the rest of the way,” she said in a press release. “I started hitting fairways on the second nine and that put me in good position like we’d game-planned, so that was definitely a key.”
Bolden and Beijer were not far behind, scoring 74 and 75 respectively.
Otter and Bower finished the first round with an 80.
Beijer shot 1-over par in the second round.
“It was a good out there overall for me, even though it felt like more of a grind today than yesterday. I made more putts today, so that was a definite positive, now I just have to be patient and eventually I’ll see more of them fall tomorrow,” she said in a press release.
Missouri scored a 603 combined in the first two rounds. The 302 that the Tigers shot on Saturday took them from 12th to 13th overall in the standings.
Yoemans was able to lead the way for the Tigers again in the third round, finishing 3-under par for a 69. She tied for the best round on Sunday and moved up to tie for No. 12 .
“It was a fun, high-energy day out on the course today,” said Yoemans in a press release. “My driver was very consistent the whole day and really for the tournament overall. I feel like I stepped up my short game today, putts were rolling well and my chipping was much improved. It was a very fun way to end the tournament.”
Beijer also had a solid finish to the tournament. She shot under par with the help of four birdies in the final round. Beijer ended the championship with a total score of 219 and tied for No. 19.
Bolden amassed four birdies on the back nine of her final round. She shot a 73 which gave her an overall score of 227. Bolden finished the tournament tied for No. 51 individually.
Otter shot a 234 in her return to the Missouri lineup. She ended the tournament No. 73.
Bower shot with a three-day score of 240 and ended No. 79 overall.
The effort from Missouri in round three was enough to raise them two spots in the team standings. The Tigers shot a season-best 292 on Sunday to make their total score 895. The team finished the tournament in 11th place.
“I thought today gave us a good glimpse of a promising future for this team,” said assistant coach Mindy Coyle in a press release. “We are still a very young squad all in all, so making a commitment to learn and grow with each and every round will be paramount to our success the rest of this season.”
Next up for the Tigers is the the Johnie Imes Invitational, which they will host. The invite will take place Sept. 30 at the Club at Old Hawthorne in Columbia.
_Edited by Emily Leiker | eleiker@themaneater.com_
