Hawkins registers second top-10 finish as Eagles place 14th at Lady Moc Classic
LAKELAND, Fla. – Carson-Newman senior Meridith Hawkins (Powell, Tenn.) finished off her second top-10 finish during the 2015-16 season with a final round 78 on Tuesday to finish the 18th-annual Lady Mocs’ Classic tied for eighth as the Eagles placed 14th in a field that was filled with the nation’s best teams.
Lady Moc Classic Final Results
LAKELAND, Fla. – Carson-Newman senior Meridith Hawkins (Powell, Tenn.) finished off her second top-10 finish during the 2015-16 season with a final round 78 on Tuesday to finish the 18th-annual Lady Mocs' Classic tied for eighth as the Eagles placed 14th in a field that was filled with the nation's best teams.
Hawkins followed up rounds of 74 and 75 on with a six-over 78 to finish the three-round event at 11-over 227, which is her best score on the year. It is the third time in the senior's career that she has at least two top-10 finishes during the season.
"Overall, this was a good week but I feel we made some basic mistake around the greens," coach Suzanne Strudwick said. "We are as good as most of the top-20 teams but the difference is the short game. They scramble better around the greens where as our short game actually costs us shots. We have to improve this area to break into the top-30.
"I'm very pleased with Meridith's second top-10 finish this year. She is peaking at the right time."
Hawkins has three-straight rounds in the 70s for the first time during her senior campaign and the first time in a season; the last time she did so was the first three rounds of the 2015 spring season where she opened with rounds of 77, 76 and 78. Hawkins now has eight career top-10 finishes in her playing career in the Blue and Orange.
Sophomore Elizabeth England (Oakland, Tenn.) shot her second-consecutive score in the 70s with a final round seven-over 79 and finished in a tie for 54th. England finished the tournament at 22-over 238. The Lady Moc Classic is the first time the sophomore has finished outside the top-20 this season.
Freshman Taylor Hayes (Lake Ozark, Mo.) finished a round in the 70s for the first time during the week with a final round 77. The five-over 77 is the lowest score for the freshman since the second round of the Lady Flames Shootout in October when she scored a 76. Hayes finished the tournament at 29-over 245 and tied for 68th.
Senior Kelli Pemberton (Knoxville, Tenn.) shot a final round 91 and finished in 79th-place, while fellow senior Rebekah Pruett (Niceville, Fla.) shot her lowest round of the event with an 13-over 85 and climbed to 85th on the leaderboard.
Lynn won the team competition by via a tiebreaker with Rollins as both teams finished at 44-over 908; the Fighting Knights picked up the win by virtue of the fifth golfer's score in the final round. Florida Southern placed third, Barry finished in fourth and Seminole State, Flagler and West Florida finished in a three-way tie for fifth.
Lynn's Jenny Ayala picked up individual medalist honors with a one-over 217 and finished a shot off the tournament record set in 2014. Ayala won by five strokes over Rollins's Lexie Toth; the Tars' Annie Dulman and Barry's Nicole Ferre finished in a tie for third at seven-over.
The Eagles will have nearly a month off before competing again at the Bobby Nichols Intercollegiate at the Sevierville Golf Club's Highlands Course hosted by Tennessee Tech. The Sevierville Golf Club is C-N's home course.
14 Carson-Newman 337-311-317 957 (+93)
T8 Meridith Hawkins 74-75-78 227 (+11)
T54 Elizabeth England 82-77-79 238 (+22)
T68 Taylor Hayes 86-82-77 245 (+29)
79 Kelli Pemberton 85-77-91 253 (+37)
85 Rebekah Pruett 91-88-85 262 (+46)
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