Third round improvement helps C-N Women’s Golf jump two spots in the standings
Carson-Newman was led by an under-par round from Emery Fisher and Madison Miller’s collegiate low round to overtake #23 LMU and #5 Grand Valley State.
MONROE, N.C. – Carson-Newman was led by an under-par round from Emery Fisher and Madison Miller's collegiate low round to overtake #23 LMU and #5 Grand Valley State.
That's not to discount the team, though. All five Eagles made vast improvement today, clocking in the 70's on each scorecard from C-N. This helped the women to a 10th-place finish after slotting in 12th yesterday, beating conference and regional foe LMU and GVSU. C-N was just 6 strokes back of #7 North Georgia.
"I thought they did a great job bouncing back today to secure a top ten finish and learned a lot from the course yesterday to have a much better day," said head coach Alyssa Montgomery.
The Eagles also landed three golfers in the top 50, with Miller and Rylee Tucker jumping eight and four spots, respectively. With her under par round, Emery Fisher improved 13 places to land inside the top 25.
Fisher's day began on the par-five 10th and cruised to back-to-back birdies on the 16th and 17th. She also birdied the par-four 4th and circled her final hole of the day to counteract three bogeys on the challenging front nine. Her final round of 71 (-1) gave her a three-day total of six-over and put her in 22nd.
"I felt calmer and more prepared because we got to see so much of the course on Monday. I felt like I knew what I was doing better," said Fisher.
Anaelle Picot wrapped up her great weekend with a 15th-place finish. Picot went up one early with a bogey at the 11th but rallied with a birdie at the par-four 14th and the par-five 16th.
"I was pretty calm and just knew where I needed to put the ball. I felt confident with the putting. There were a few spots where I could have dropped but it was a good week overall," said Picot. "I know that I am able to make birdies so I was just waiting for the moment and telling myself that I know how to play golf. Patience, that's the word."
A few bogeys on the front nine put the graduate student down for a 75 (+3). She was four-over on the week.
Madison Miller was a par machine in round three, carding 13 pars throughout the day and writing down a birdie on her final hole of the day. The freshman's 75 (+3) was her collegiate low round and was at least a five-stroke improvement from each of her previous rounds at Stonebridge. She finished +20 over the 54-holes, and landed 65th in the standings.
"It meant a lot, it shows that I am capable of more than those bad rounds. Plus, we got the win over LMU, which is great for the regional," said Miller.
Grace Lambert was consistent today, making 12 pars and and helping herself with a birdie at the par-five 16th. She was one of three eagles that helped the team score on that hole with a score below par. A few bogeys on the back would tally her third round up to a 76 (+4) and moved her to +14 on the weekend. She was 46th in the 96-player field.
"I hit more fairways today. I holed a lot of good par putts" said Lambert. The freshman also had her family watching, who came all the way from England, "It was so nice to have that support there and it makes me feel calm."
Rylee Tucker switched her luck today, making just four bogeys to go along with 13 pars for a final round of 79 (+7). Her final round in the 70's was three strokes better than round two, and a nine-stroke improvement from round one. The freshman finished +33 and was 83rd overall.
"I just had to have the mindset that a couple bad scores doesn't define me. I just enjoyed the beautiful weather," said Tucker.
The field this week was full of nationally ranked competitors; 13 of the 18 teams were at least top 35 in DII and eight of the top ten were present. Carson-Newman Women's Golf was #29 nationally before this event, and should jump a few spots in the rankings with their victory over the #23 Railsplitters and #5 Lakers.
"It's a big confidence booster. We beat all the teams we were ranked ahead of and surpassed a couple that we weren't. It was a successful weekend on the course and gives us a big confidence boost as we move into the busy part of our season for the conference tournament and the regional," said Montgomery.
The women move onto to next week when they travel to Okatie, South Carolina on March 16-17 for the Oldfield Intercollegiate, hosted by USC Beaufort. In this event, the Eagles beat the Sand Sharks 28 strokes.
