October 7, 2019

Consistent rounds lead No. 24 C-N to fifth-place finish at Winthrop Invitational

ROCK HILL, S.C. – Three Eagles found themselves separated by a total of three shots within the top 20 to help No. 24 Carson-Newman to a fifth-place finish at the Winthrop Invitational on Monday.

"Top five is a good result with very consistent scores," Carson-Newman coach Suzanne Strudwick said. "This was a first-time event for the team and a brand new course. I'm very pleased with the consistency they all showed. Everybody really played a part in the team score today."

Through the first round, Carson-Newman was already sitting just seven shots out of the lead with a 15-over 303. It was one shot higher in the final round with a 16-over outing.

Of the six Eagles in the event, four saw their scores drop from the first to second round.

Jayla Sims (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.) reset her career-best 36-hole score with a 150, good enough to land her in a tie for 12^th. Her morning resulted in a 77 on five bogeys that came exclusively on par-4 holes. The junior made a four-shot improvement in the final round on four bogeys and three birdies, including a pair in her last three holes of the day.

One shot behind Sims was Matilda Frövenholt (Öjersjö, Sweden), holding down 15^th at seven-over. She matched her career-low single round of 73 in the morning on three bogeys with two birdies to lead the team in a tie for fifth. She was five shots higher to close the day despite starting the final round with back-to-back birdies. A pair of double-bogeys and three-straight bogeys in the homestretch left her with a 151 heading into the clubhouse, also marking a new career-best for 36 holes.

Maeve Cummins (Waringstown, Northern Ireland) was four strokes better from the first to second rounds, using an eight-over 152 to tie for 16^th. She matched her highest single round score of the season with a 78 in her first round where she shot for bogey four times and tacked on a double-bogey. In the second round, the sophomore added on six more bogeys but carded four birdies to keep her at two-over in the round. Three of her four birdies came on par-4 holes.

The next closest Eagle outside the top-20 in the field was Rachel Watts (Newport, Tenn.), tied for 27^th with a 12-over 156. The senior scored a 75 through the first 18 holes of the day on four bogeys and a single birdie on the par-4 12^th. Her second round came with seven bogeys and a double-bogey on the par-4 18^th for a nine-over round.

Tied for 36^th was Reagan Kinnie (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) with a 159, sitting 15-over. With four of her six bogeys coming on par-4s, an additional double bogey in the morning left her with an 80 heading into the final round. There she found three birdies late but they were overshadowed by six bogeys and back-to-back double-bogeys in the middle of the front nine for a 79 in the round.

Like Kinnie, Olivia Williams (Cleveland, Tenn.), C-N's individual for the event, also shot a 79 in the final round, moving her total to a 16-over 160 for 41^st. She was nine-over through the first round with an 81 before shaving two shots off of her score to close the day.

USC Upstate went wire-to-wire in the event with an eight-over 584. Wofford took second at 16-over while Gardner-Webb was third at 22-over.

Wofford's Becca Earl was the top medalist at three-under with a 141. USC Upstate rounded out the top-three in the field with Praew Nontarux and Pan Paksanont going one-under and even, respectively.

Carson-Newman hits the road again next week, this time staying in the Volunteer State with a trip to the Women's Music City Invitational. The two-day event begins Monday, Oct. 14 at the Old Fort Golf Club in Nashville, Tenn.

Carson-Newman	303	304	607	+31	5^th
Jayla Sims	77	73	150	+6	T-12^th
Matilda Frövenholt	73	78	151	+7	15^th
Maeve Cummins	78	74	152	+8	T-16^th
Rachel Watts	75	81	156	+12	T-27^th
Reagan Kinnie	80	79	159	+15	T-36^th
Olivia Williams*	81	79	160	+16	41^st