2008 Woodie Awards
SectionsGolf teams battling through fall season
Preparing for spring
Kevin Price
Issue date: 10/9/08 Section: Sports
While the action doesn't really get going until the spring season, it currently appears that the Missouri State women's golf team is closer to where it wants to be than the men's squad is.
The men's golf team played well in its first tournament of the season, finishing fifth out of 12 teams.
They were led by Jay McBride, who shot a 143 in the tournament which was shortened to 36 holes due to bad weather. This finish led the team to finish with 594, just 14 out of the lead.
Since then, the team has run into a few speed bumps. The Bears went to the Jim Colbert Intercollegiate in Manhattan, Kan. There, they finished eighth out of nine teams.
McBride finished 15th overall with a score of 228 in three rounds on the 72-par course.
"Overall, I would say I've played OK," McBride said. "I have had some good rounds, but I'm still trying to find ways to put together three great rounds at a tournament."
Two weeks ago, the team went to Tulsa to play in the Oral Roberts Shootout. They finished 11th out of 12, behind teams such as Texas State (first), Oral Roberts (tied for seventh) and UMKC (fifth).
As a team, the Bears shot a 957 in a total of 54 holes. Someone new led them this time. Freshman Jordan McLaurin finished tied for 27th, shooting 232.
"Our team will only get better as we progress through the year," McLaurin said. "I look forward to the spring season when our whole team will be healthy and looking for a conference title."
The team will continue to play tournaments until the end of October and then start again at the end of February. The Missouri Valley Conference Championship isn't until April so the team has plenty of time to prepare.
"We have had a few individual bright spots, but overall I would say we have underachieved up to this point," coach Neal Stafford said. "However this team has a tremendous amount of talent and potential."
The women's team has had more success so far this season.
Their first tournament was hosted by them in Springfield. They were able to finish in third out of 14 teams behind Oral Roberts and McNeese State.
They were led by freshman Catherine Dolan who finished third overall with a 147. She was one stroke away from first place.
In their second tournament, the Johnie Imes invitational, the women finished in 11th place out of 18 teams.
They were led again by Dolan who finished eighth overall with 222. The team shot a total of 944, missing the first place finisher, Mississippi, by 44 strokes.
The women finished their third tournament Tuesday in Tulsa at the ORU Shootout. The Bears finished in eighth place out of 16 teams, shooting a combined 941.
Freshman Kelsey Welber was the top finisher for the Bears shooting 227.
Next for the women's squad is the MVC Preview at Panora, Iowa, Oct. 20 to 21. The men's squad will compete at the D.A. Weibring Intercollegiate in Normal, Ill., Oct. 12 to 13.
The men's golf team played well in its first tournament of the season, finishing fifth out of 12 teams.
They were led by Jay McBride, who shot a 143 in the tournament which was shortened to 36 holes due to bad weather. This finish led the team to finish with 594, just 14 out of the lead.
Since then, the team has run into a few speed bumps. The Bears went to the Jim Colbert Intercollegiate in Manhattan, Kan. There, they finished eighth out of nine teams.
McBride finished 15th overall with a score of 228 in three rounds on the 72-par course.
"Overall, I would say I've played OK," McBride said. "I have had some good rounds, but I'm still trying to find ways to put together three great rounds at a tournament."
Two weeks ago, the team went to Tulsa to play in the Oral Roberts Shootout. They finished 11th out of 12, behind teams such as Texas State (first), Oral Roberts (tied for seventh) and UMKC (fifth).
As a team, the Bears shot a 957 in a total of 54 holes. Someone new led them this time. Freshman Jordan McLaurin finished tied for 27th, shooting 232.
"Our team will only get better as we progress through the year," McLaurin said. "I look forward to the spring season when our whole team will be healthy and looking for a conference title."
The team will continue to play tournaments until the end of October and then start again at the end of February. The Missouri Valley Conference Championship isn't until April so the team has plenty of time to prepare.
"We have had a few individual bright spots, but overall I would say we have underachieved up to this point," coach Neal Stafford said. "However this team has a tremendous amount of talent and potential."
The women's team has had more success so far this season.
Their first tournament was hosted by them in Springfield. They were able to finish in third out of 14 teams behind Oral Roberts and McNeese State.
They were led by freshman Catherine Dolan who finished third overall with a 147. She was one stroke away from first place.
In their second tournament, the Johnie Imes invitational, the women finished in 11th place out of 18 teams.
They were led again by Dolan who finished eighth overall with 222. The team shot a total of 944, missing the first place finisher, Mississippi, by 44 strokes.
The women finished their third tournament Tuesday in Tulsa at the ORU Shootout. The Bears finished in eighth place out of 16 teams, shooting a combined 941.
Freshman Kelsey Welber was the top finisher for the Bears shooting 227.
Next for the women's squad is the MVC Preview at Panora, Iowa, Oct. 20 to 21. The men's squad will compete at the D.A. Weibring Intercollegiate in Normal, Ill., Oct. 12 to 13.
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