Finn, Panthong Reflect Back on Their Week in Augusta
4/10/2019 11:56:00 AM | Women's Golf
KENT, Ohio- It was a historic week for women's amateur golf and for the Kent State women's golf program as senior Michaela Finn and junior Pimnipa Panthong represented the Golden Flashes in the national spotlight.
For the first time in the history of one of the most admired golf courses in the world, women competed for a title. Augusta National Golf Club, the acclaimed site of the Master's hosted the Augusta National Women's Amateur last weekend.
In a field of 72 competitors, Finn and Panthong played their first two rounds at Champion Retreat Wednesday and Thursday. Finn finished Wednesday's round with a 4-over 76 score and improved in the second round with a 2-over 74 score. The senior missed the cut to advance to Saturday's final round and finished with a 6-over 150 score.
"The atmosphere was just amazing," said Finn. "Everyone had such great sportsmanship in cheering each other on, I've never seen that in women's golf before. You could really feel how great of a tournament it was with how the players acted and how the tournament was set up. It was a great test for all the players and It prepared me for the remainder of the season and for the future."
Panthong was one of the 30 women's players who qualified for the final round of the inaugural Augusta National Women's Amateur tournament, held Saturday afternoon at Augusta National. She entered Saturday tied for third after shooting 3-under during a two-round qualifier at the Champions Retreat Golf Club in Evans, Ga.
"I played really well my first two rounds," said Panthong. "I finished at 3-under and went into Saturday's round tied for third and felt confident going into the final round on Saturday."
On a course where female golfers had never before played an event, Augusta was challenging but an experience to never forget. The junior carded a 6-over 78 score that left her tied for 17th at 3-under for the tournament.
"(Augusta) itself was tough," Panthong said. " The greens were pretty fast and I just didn't score well. I played bad on the first hole and struggled on the greens. You need to putt well there, or you aren't going to play well. The crowd was amazing and I've never played in front of so many people before. It was a great experience and an honor to play in that tournament."
The two Flashes will be back in action this weekend as Kent State competes in the Lady Buckeye Invitational April 13-14 in Columbus, Ohio.
Players Mentioned
