With the dry deserts and cacti of Rio Verde, Ariz. surrounding the course, the Bobcats caught a glimpse of amelioration in their 11th place finish at the Rio Verde Collegiate Invitational.
After starting 13th out of 18th following the first round, the Bobcats improved to ninth place after the second round, which coach Kelly Ovington took pride in.
“I was very impressed with how we finished. It was one of the first times almost all of our golfers got under 300,” Ovington said. “It’s probably the best finish we’ve had since I’ve been here.”
Sophomore Angela Codian was a medalist for Ohio, as she barely missed out on a top-20 finish and ended the tournament with a three-round score of 230.
Senior Kara Brinkmann accumulated three bogeys in the third round to finish 28th out of 90 golfers, which was the second-best finish for Ohio.
Freshman Hailey Hrynewich also putted well for the Bobcats and posted a score of 78 in the second round.
“I felt the team did a great job,” senior Kristen Helmsdoerfer said. “We fought some tough conditions at times, but we put up some awesome birdies and I know we have confidence coming out of this tournament.”
Helmsdoerfer said the team battled high winds Saturday, but the chance to compete against out-of-state teams was beneficial.
“It was great to go against some teams we’re not used to,” Helmsdoerfer said. “For an example, we played Arizona State and it was really nice to see new competition and styles of play.”
Xavier, Montana and Toledo secured the top three spots, respectively, as Xavier outpaced Montana with a three round score of 900. Ohio garnered a score of 929.
Ovington and the Bobcats travelled to Arizona a day prior to the event, as the team was able to soak in the warm climate and practice early during the players’ spring break.
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Fast Facts:
- Sophomore Angela Codian has been the Bobcats’ medalist for the past two tournaments
- Ohio went up against out of state teams including Montana, Wichita State, Arizona State and Texas A&M for the first time.
- Last time Ohio played in state was the Rocket Classic on Oct. 15
