Nine of the team's 10 birdies on Tuesday come on the back nine

RIO GRANDE, P.R. – The Kent State women's golf team wrapped up its first tournament Tuesday with a 10^th place tie at the Lady Puerto Rico Classic.

In a tournament filled with highs and lows for the Golden Flashes, head coach Mike Morrow was optimistic the team will grow from its experiences against a field that featured 13 teams in the top 50 nationally.

"This was a great field, no question," said Morrow. "Sometimes you don't know what you're going to get in a first tournament after a break, but now we know where we need to fine tune.

"Where we are at, our good shots are great," continued Morrow. "But when we got into some trouble, we struggled. Now we know our strengths and weaknesses."

The Golden Flashes finished the 15-team tournament in a two-way tie for 10th place with SMU.

After a challenging round on Monday, senior Mercedes Germino (Necochea, Argentina) regrouped to shoot a one-over 73 to pace the team's effort on Tuesday. Germino finished the three-day tournament in 20^th place with a nine-over 225.

"The course was challenging today and was a great test for the field," coach Morrow said. "Mechy's scored well today on a tough course."

Senior Mandi Morrow (Kent, Ohio) tied for 21^st overall after shooting a five-over 77 on Tuesday. Morrow finished the tournament with just one double-bogey while scoring three birdies and an eagle for a 10-over 226. 

Freshman Jennifer Ha (Calgary, Alberta) again cut strokes off her score, posting a three-over 75 to move up to a tie for 48^th with a 235. Ha had a trio of birdies on the back nine on Tuesday, including two through her first four holes.

Senior Shamira Marshall (Macedonia, Ohio) and junior Jackie Yanch (Barrie, Ontario) concluded their tournaments with matching 85s, as both tied for 72^nd place overall. Playing as an individual, sophomore Erin Hawe (Walton, New Zealand) shot a 10-over 82 on Tuesday to tie for 66^th place.

LSU edged Georgia for the team title by two strokes, as the Tigers finished with a team score of 20-over 884. Georgia's Marta Silva Zamora took medalist honors with a three-under 213 to beat the field by two strokes.

Kent State will turn around quickly for its next tournament, the Central District Invitational Feb. 20-21 in Parrish, Fla. 

*played as an individual