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The KSU women’s golf team began their spring season at the UCF Challenge hosted by the University of Central Florida on Sunday, Feb. 10. The tournament concluded on Tuesday, with KSU finishing tied for 13th.
Sophomore Ines Lescudier led KSU, finishing the tournament tied 12th with a two-over par total of 218. She was named the Atlantic Sun Conference Women’s Golfer of the Week on Wednesday.
“I played really good golf during the three rounds. I worked a lot on my putting the last few weeks, and it went very well on the greens,” Lescudier said. “Also, my long game was not the best I’ve ever played but it was consistent and I didn’t make a lot of mistakes. I am very happy with this result, it’s one of the best since I’ve been in the United States, and I’m looking forward to this spring season”.
Lescudier opened the tournament with an impressive showing. She finished first- round play on Sunday tied for fourth, shooting a three-under par 69. Through the first nine holes Lescudier was one-over par 37. Down the stretch, the sophomore recorded a four- under 32, shooting three birdies and an eagle.
“Ines’s (first) round was very impressive,” said KSU head coach Rhyll Brinsmead. “She putted very well and her ball striking put her in position to make birdies. She holed out from 83 yards for an eagle really took advantage of that momentum.” Lescudier and the Owls struggled during the second round, falling to 14th place after finishing Sunday in seventh place, eight shots off the lead. The Owls failed to execute and made poor decisions, posting a 26-over par 314, and head into the final round in 14th place with a 30-over par score of 606.
Lescudier carded a three- over par 75, struggling on the early holes. She recorded four bogeys on the front nine. Her second round performance dropped her from fourth to 12th. Teammates Ket and Kaew Preamchuen finished behind Lescudier tied for 45th and 48th respectively.
Kaew Preamchuen finished strong for the Owls, posting a two-under par 70, and KSU finished their final day of competition 14 strokes better than their second day performance. The Owls were able to move from 14th into 13th, holding that position until the finish of the final round in the 18-team field.
“We left too many shots out on the course. Again poor decision making and shot selection left us out of the top 10,” Brinsmead said. “Individually Ines and Kaew performed very well, and I’m proud of their tenacity on the course. Overall we have a lot of work to do prior to our next event and need to be more consistent
one through 5.”
The Owls will have two weeks off to prepare for the JMU/Eagle Landing Invitational in Orange Park, Fla. on March 8.
