Kent State University
Lady Puerto Rico Classic
No. 15 Women's Golf Finishes Second At Lady Puerto Rico Classic
2/14/2017 1:20:00 PM | Women's Golf
RIO GRANDE, Puerto Rico – The No. 15 Kent State women's golf team hung with an elite level of competition this week and tied for second overall at the Lady Puerto Rico Classic at the Rio Mar Country Club River Course.
The Golden Flashes finished the three day tournament with a score of 14-over par 878 (293-293-292) to tie No. 8 Furman for second place. The Flashes finished one stroke behind North Carolina State for the championship. The field was among the toughest in the nation and Kent State hung with the best. The Flashes finished tied with the nation's eighth ranked team and ahead of four top-25 teams, including No. 5 Georgia and No. 9 Arkansas.
"Even though we came up a shot short in the end, we were happy with the way they performed and the way they competed," said head coach Greg Robertson. "We saw a lot of good things this week that we can build on as we get further into the schedule, and I thing we can learn a lot from this tournament. We have about a week and a half to get some rest and get some good practice before heading to Houston, where we'll see another strong field."
Kent State earned a second-place finish with steady play throughout the lineup. They were the only school in the tournament to have all five golfers finish in the top-30. Leading the way were Pimnipa Panthong and Wad Phaewchimplee, who each finished tied for 12th at 3-over par 219. Panthong had the top round for the Flashes Tuesday, shooting an even par 72. Phaewchimplee carded a 73 in round three, her eighth straight round of 74 or better dating back to the fall.
Karoline Stormo matched Phaewchimplee's 73, finishing tied for 20th with a score of 6-over par 222. It is the best finish of her career and her first top-30 showing. Michaela Finn shot a 74 to finish her tournament at 7-over par 223. Finn finished tied for 24th, and has now finished in the top 25 of all but one tournament during the 2016-17 season. Rounding out the roster was Marissa Kirkwood, who registered a 75 Tuesday to bring her score to 9-over par 225. She tied for 30th overall, the second best finish of her collegiate career.
The Flashes will compete in The Dickson next at The Woodlands, Texas from Feb. 27-28.
Players Mentioned
