University of Montana’s consistency achieves second place at LPGA Xavier International 2010
The LPGA Xavier International ended on 10th of October 2010. The tournament ended Sunday and was held at the International Legends course.
The event at Daytona Beach, Florida ended with the University of Montana women’s golf team as the runner up. A total of 14 teams participated in the event with the host team ending their play at the third place.
Team Montana recorded the total score of 298 at Xavier Invitational’s final round. The team collected a total score of 907 which is marked as the third best score to be recorded in the Universities history. This score is tied for the third best UM single.
Team Montana had been the leader at the first round of the event but their effort was soon taken over by the Daytona State at the second round of the event.
Daytona State won the first place after scoring an 894 securing a 13 shot lead over University of Montana. The team was led by Mitsuki Katahira, who scored a 6 under and held an 8 stroke advantage over the second in number.
Team Montana also known as the Grizzlies, played a tough match against the host team Xavier and needed to end their game in a consistent manner. The solid approach thus strived for, promised to place the team at second place after the team lost their lead
at R1.
Team Montana carded a 299 in the first round and then a 310 at the second round of the LPGA Xavier International. Their consistency showed at the third round of the event with the lowest score thus achieving a 298.
This tournament is the first event after the 2009 event since September when the 12 individuals in the team have been able to score below the 80 line. The leader board of the 54-hole 3 round event showed Carissa Simmons and Lauren Howell tied at fifth and
fourth place.
Xavier International is the last event of the fall. Simmons played as a Grizzly. According to Simmons, she loves the feeling of being one of the leaders. She believes that her team holds a certain depth that they realized this time and is actually one of their
strengths.
Simmons said that the team has learned to work together with the events that unfolded and teamwork has emerged in a time of its own in UM.
Other than teamwork, the team has skill. Simmons said that the team has also played rounds below 70. Simmons said that when the whole team focuses on lowering the scores, then it decreases the pressure from those few, who are striving for lower scores beforehand.
Olivia Weber and Rose Stepanek both carded a score over 80 at the earlier rounds and scored mid 70s in the rounds that followed. Weber played 17 par holes and collected one bogey, which is exactly the kind of consistency the crowd and the team was looking
for.
Joanne Steele, who has been the University of Montana’s Coach for 15 years, accepted that the team didn’t collect many birdies and their game wasn’t all that glittery.
The girls focused more on reaching the greens so that they could further two-putt for the par. They needed a solid consistent game and that’s what got them to second place.
After the game on Sunday, University of Montana has reached the 114th position in the team rankings from the 150s.
The University of Montana is now standing two places behind Northern Arizona, who is the Big Sky leader. While Steele doesn’t make much of the rankings, Simmons feels that it’s nice to stand in the top 100s. With the consistency they hold, the team might
just achieve that soon.
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