Oklahoma Christian wins NSU Invite in record fashion, Choi claims individual crown
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. (Sept. 11, 2018) – Oklahoma Christian now has reached double digits in overall program wins in women’s golf.
With sophomore Shaley Goad and senior Kate Goodwin leading the way, the Lady Eagles pulled away for a 10-shot win in the Northeastern State Women’s Classic, which ended Tuesday at Cherokee Springs Golf Club. OC had begun the day with a five-shot lead over Southwestern Oklahoma State and Central Oklahoma.
The win was the 10th in the history of OC women’s golf, which began competing in fall 2011.
OC’s final-day team score of 300 gave the Lady Eagles a two-day total of 594, while Southwestern closed at 604 and Central Oklahoma at 607. OC finished ahead of five teams – Southwestern, UCO, Lindenwood (Mo.), Henderson State (Ark.) and Northeastern State – that received votes in the Women’s Golf Coaches Association’s NCAA Division II preseason poll.
OC also broke the tournament record for a team score by three shots – besting Northeastern’s 597 total in 2011 – and won the 18-team NSU event for the second time, having also prevailed in 2015. Goodwin and Goad, who tied for third place in the 95-woman field at 3-over-par 147, both were named to the all-tournament team.
Goad’s 1-over-par 73 on Tuesday – which included 15 pars, including 11 straight in one stretch – was the second-best round of the day and matched the second-best round of her collegiate career. Her previous best finish in any tournament was a 12th-place showing last spring in Rogers State’s Hillcat Classic at Bailey Ranch Golf Club in Owasso, which also happened to be OC’s most recent team win.
Goodwin carried her momentum from a sizzling summer – in which she won three tournaments – into the OC fall-season opener. She shot a 76 in the final round on the 5,964-yard course after a 71 on Monday. Goodwin and Goad finished four shots behind individual winner, Gloria Choi of Southwestern, and two behind runner-up Shi Qing Ong of Missouri Western.
OC junior Abigail Rigsby, who led the tournament after a first-round 70, shot an 83 on Tuesday but still finished 17th at 153.
Helping OC’s cause considerably Tuesday were solid performances by the team’s No. 4 and No. 5 players, freshman Alexandria Bennett and senior Elizabeth Freeman. Bennett posted a final-round 75, a four-shot improvement over her first round, and tied for 10th at 154, while Freeman tied for 23rd at 155 after shooting a 76, three shots better than on Monday.
Southwestern OSU finished in second place and Gloria Choi won the event, shooting 1-under for the tournament.
Choi would lead the charge for the Bulldogs on day two as she posted an even par round of 72 putting her in first place for the tournament. Veronika de Bochdanovits would finish the tournament with a round of 78 placing her in eighth. Eliin Wahlin and Chloe Thackeray would finish two spots apart from each other, as Wahlin shot a final round of 75 placing her in a tie for 25th and Thackeray shot 82 and tied for 27th. Mikaela Rindermann would finish tied 57th for the tournament posting a final round 75.
Madison O’Dell shot a final-round 74 to lead Central Oklahoma to a third-place finish. The Bronchos shot a final-round 308 and finished with a 607 total. O’Dell had the low round of the day for Central with her 2-over 74, while Sydney Roberts came in with a 76. Makena Mucciaccio shot 78, with Yuna Sato contributed an 80 and Faith Stewart an 84.
O’Dell had two birdies and two bogeys in shooting even-par 36 on the front nine before coming back with seven pars and two bogeys in a closing 38. She finished with a 151 total, tying for 11th in the individual standings.
Roberts tied for third in the medalist race at 147 after her final-round 76. The Junior standout went out in 40 before rebounding with an even-par 36 on the closing nine.
Northeastern State retreated two spots to finish in fourth. The RiverHawks’ Ebba Moberg claimed a team best seventh place tie scoring a 149 (72-77). Freshman Aitana Hernandez was just outside of the top-10 in eleventh place carding 151 (74-77).
After two straight weeks in-action, NSU will be off until Sept. 23 where they will travel to Texas for Dallas Baptist’s Match Play Championship.