Oct. 4, 2009
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Freshman Emily Ransone (Hilliard, Ohio) led the women's golf team as she finished the tournament in first place. Out of sixteen teams competing in the tournament, Ransone took the crown as she put up impressive numbers in the Nittany Lion Invitational hosted by Penn State on Saturday and Sunday, October 3 and 4.
In the first round, Ransone recorded her single best round of her young Penn State career with a 71 on Saturday. This is also the best single round on the team so far this season. Ransone returned in the second round on Saturday afternoon to notch a score of 74. This put her in a tie for second place after the first day of play with a two round score of 145.
On Sunday, Ransone finished strong as she birdied two of her last four holes. She capped off the tournament with a third round score of 73, good for a final score of 218, edging out Rollins College golfer Joanna Coe by two strokes.
"It was great to play at home," said Ransone. "I feel kind of in shock to be honest because I didn't really expect to go out and play as well as I did. It's exciting."
Ransone also credits some of her success to head coach Denise St. Pierre and assistant coach Sara Doell. They kept her focused throughout the tournament.
"They were definitely really helpful this weekend," said Ransone of her coaches. "A big part of it is keeping us relaxed and calm."
Ransone's score helped lead the Nittany Lions to a second place finish in the tournament held at Penn State's Blue Course. The team will continue play on Monday and Tuesday, October 12 and 13 at the Spider Invitational hosted by the University of Richmond.