Kent State Finishes 10th at SunTrust Gator Women's Invite
3/7/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Kent State women's golf team moved back up the leader board during Tuesday's final round of the SunTrust Gator Women's Invitational with steady and consistent play against a challenging course and stiff competition.
After finishing Monday's second round in 13th place, Kent State moved up the board on Tuesday by limiting high scores on their cards. The challenging par-70 course gave up few birdies throughout the tournament, and Kent State's ability to play steady helped recover from a tough second round.
The course average score was 77.16 for the tournament's three rounds of play, giving up just three eagles; only one player scored even par for the tournament.
"We were better today, but not quite what we were expecting overall," said head coach Mike Morrow. "We played on a very challenging course this week, but we were hoping for a much better performance as a team.
"We got off to a slow start, and we really struggled through the second round yesterday," continued Morrow. "Shamira (Marshall) had a great round on Monday and Mandi (Morrow) had a great round today as well. But we needed more in order to be competitive."
Three Golden Flashes carded a five-over 75 on Tuesday: senior Martina Gavier (Cordoba, Argentina), senior Sarah Bradley (Cambridge, New Zealand) and junior Mercedes Germino (Necochea, Argentina). Despite being over par for their rounds, all three golfers moved up the board.
Gavier finished tied for 23rd overall, moving up five spots in the standings. Gavier started with five straight pars and benefitted from a birdie on the par-3 No. 11 on Tuesday.
Bradley was among the tournament's most steady golfers, finishing with 36 pars through 54 holes, which was tied for fourth-best in the 89-golfer field. She finished tied for 35th with a 225 after her five-over 75 in the third round.
Germino settled down from a challenging second round and regrouped with a five-over 75, trimming six strokes from her previous round. Germino also birdied No. 11 to help her cause, as she finished tied for 58th.
Junior Shamira Marshall (Macedonia, Ohio) faltered in her final round with an 82, but still finished tied for 41st overall.
Freshman Erin Hawe (Walton, New Zealand) tied with Germino for 58th place after posting an eight over 78 on Tuesday. Hawe
Junior Mandi Morrow (Kent, Ohio), who played the tournament as an individual, turned in a one-over 71 on Tuesday to move up to a tie for 19th and finish as the top unattached golfer in the field. Morrow birdied twice on the front nine, including the par-3 No. 8, which was Tuesday's toughest hole scoring-wise.
Host Florida finished with an 18-stroke victory over Florida State. Hannah Thomson of FSU was the medalist after shooting a one-under 69 on Tuesday to finish at even par.
Kent State is back in action Tuesday, March 22 with a dual meet at Baylor.
Team Leader Board
SunTrust Gator Women's Golf Invite Par 70 - 6002 yards
1. Florida 280-292-293=865
2. Florida State 295-294-294=883
3. Ohio State 299-300-296=895
4. Colorado 300-296-300=896
5. Arkansas 298-296-305=899
T6. Iowa State 302-294-305=901
T6. Coastal Carolina 290-306-305=901
T6. Chattanooga 297-304-300=901
9. Augusta State 307-302-302=911
10. Kent State 296-314-303=913
11. Texas Tech 304-303-307=914
12. UCF 298-310-311=919
13. Georgia State 308-294-326=928
14. James Madison 307-312-318=937
15. UNCG 308-317-315=940
16. Stetson 320-321-305=946
17. Missouri 315-313-319=947
Kent State 296-314-303=913
T23 Martina Gavier 76-75-75=226
T35 Sarah Bradley 75-79-75=229
T41 Shamira Marshall 69-79-82=230
T58 Mercedes Germino 79-81-75=235
T58 Erin Hawe 76-81-78=235
T19 Mandi Morrow * 75-78-71=224
* Played as an individual
