GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Penn State women's golf team fired the third lowest round of the day on Sunday morning carding 9-over, 289, to move up one spot and finish tied for fourth at the 47th annual Lady Gator Invitational at the Mark Bostick Golf Course.
The Nittany Lions improved each round over the weekend finishing with their best round on Sunday registering their first top-5 finish this spring and their third of the season with a final score of 39-over, 879. The host and ninth-ranked Gators closed out their fifth-straight Gator Invitational Championship with an even-par final round finishing the tournament 10-over, 850. No. 26 Virginia Tech (28-over) and No. 44 Michigan (29-over) each finished ahead of Penn State while No. 43 UCF (39-over) tied the Nittany Lions to round out the top-5.
Senior Maddy Herr (New Hope, Pa.) was the biggest mover for Penn State climbing 17 spots finishing tied for 23rd following a final round 1-over, 71, on Sunday morning. Herr opened with a double-bogey and was 5-over through her first five holes before settling in with five birdies over her next ten holes. The senior finished the tournament tied for 23rd at 14-over, 224.
"Starting with a double isn't ideal, but I knew I still had plenty of holes to play," said Herr. "My first birdie was a long putt and my second was a chip in that allowed me to relax and focus in. After that I started sticking shots close and making putts to close out my round."
Senior Megan McLean (Lebanon, N.J.) also saved her best round for the final day mixing in three birdies with three bogeys for an even-par, 70. The senior jumped eight spots during the final round for her best finish of the season, tied for 11th at 8-over, 218.
"I was pretty consistent all day," mentioned McLean. "I hit a lot of greens and was sticking all my wedges within ten feet."
Sophomore Sarah Willis (Eaton, Ohio) also had her best round of the weekend with a 2-over, 72, on the final day finishing the tournament tied for 19th at 10-over, 220.
Freshman Mathilde Delavallade (Royan, France) got off to a rocky start to open her final round with a pair of double-bogeys over her first six holes, but continued to battle through the round finishing 6-over, 76, for the day. The rookie slipped just five spots in the standings tying for seventh securing her third top-10 finish this season with a 7-over, 217.
Freshman Isha Dhruva (Katy, Texas) and junior Olivia Zambruno (Mt. Pleasant, Pa.) rounded out the day at 8-over, 78, and 10-over, 80, respectively.
"The team did a great job with their course management today and they kept their poise throughout while capitalizing on their birdie opportunities," commented head coach Denise St. Pierre.
The Nittany Lions had 14 total birdies on the day giving them 268 for the year. Herr led the way with five while McLean and Willis each had three on the day.
Penn State will remain in Florida for a few more days to get more practice rounds in before traveling to the Briar's Creek Invitational next Monday and Tuesday.
FINAL RESULTS
