COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Penn State women's golf team registered their best finish all-time at the Lady Buckeye Invitational concluding the week in third place at even-par, 864, following a final round score of 9-over, 297, on Sunday afternoon.
The even par score and third place finish are both program bests in Columbus and came in Penn State's 19th appearance at the Lady Buckeye Invitational.
"Scores were higher today across the board due to a tougher setup and stronger winds," commented head coach Denise St. Pierre. "I believe our success this week will set us up in a good way for the Big Ten Championships next weekend. The last few tournaments we have continued to get increasingly better and we are excited to continue this run in Pittsburgh next week."
The host Buckeyes took home the championship with a weekend score of 10-under while Michigan State secured second with a 1-under score just one shot clear of the Nittany Lions while Maryland (3-over) and Purdue (7-over) round out the top five.
The wind really picked up as the round progressed into Sunday afternoon and no one in the 14-team field registered red numbers over the final 18 holes. Penn State's 9-over was the fifth lowest score of the day.
Sophomore Michelle Cox (Allentown, Pa.) was one of just seven players in the 87-player field to register even par or better on Sunday as she climbed 14 spots following her even par, 72, finishing the week tied for 27th at 5-over, 221, marking her second-best finish of the season and of her career.
"I felt like I managed the golf course well today," mentioned Cox. "I was really focusing on where I wanted to leave my next shot and I put myself in much better positions today while also putting a lot better which I was really happy with."
Senior classmates Mathilde Delavallade (Royan, France) and Sarah Willis (Eaton, Ohio) each finished the week tied for fourth a 4-under, 212, following final round scores of 73 (1-over) and 77 (5-over), respectively. This marks the fifth career top-5 finish for both Willis and Delavallade and the second and third this season, respectively.
Senior Isha Dhruva (Katy, Texas) and sophomore Drew Nienhaus (St. Louis, Mo.) rounded out the countable team scores on Sunday with identical rounds of 76 (4-over). Dhruva finished the week 6-over and in a tie for 31st.
Senior Taylor Waller (Canonsburg, Pa.) wrapped up the day for Penn State with a 7-over, 79.
Penn State is back on the course next weekend for the Big Ten Championships in Pittsburgh.
Complete results for the Lady Buckeye Invitational can be seen HERE.
