Strong Second Round Sends Mustangs Into Fifth At Illini Women’s Invite
LIVE RESULTS
MEDINAH, Ill. (SMU) SMU women’s golf used a strong second round to move into fifth place at the Illini Women’s Invitational from Medinah Country Club.
The Mustangs were slated to play two rounds on Monday against a tough field with six teams in the top 25 or receiving votes. SMU shot a three over in round one to hold a share of 10th. The Mustangs responded with an 11-under score in round two to bring their two-round total to eight under par. The team jumped five spots into a tie for fifth. They sit three shots back of fourth-place Indiana. The Mustangs are tied with LSU who finished last year 10th at the NCAA Championship.
Junior Celine Chen led the charge on Monday with two rounds under par. She shot a 71 in the opening round and followed that with a 69 in round two. She holds a share of 11th. On the front nine of round two, Chen executed a stretch of five birdies in seven holes. The Australian is in search of her fourth top 10 finish and her sixth top 20 showing
Freshman Uma Bergner started the day with an even par score before improving to two-under in round two. She sits in a tie for 20th looking for back-to-back top 20 showings in her young career.
One shot back of Bergner sit Mackenzie Lee and Emily Odwin. Lee rebounded after a 76 in round one to shoot a 67, five-under in round two. Lee birdied four of the first seven holes in the round. She moved up 36 spots into a tie for 32nd. Emily Odwin carded an even par 72 in round one followed by a below par 71 in round two. The pair of SMU seniors are at one-under for the tournament. Junior Grace Jin shot rounds of 76 and 74 to hold a share of 74th.
The Mustangs return to the course for the final round on Tuesday.
TEAM LEADERBOARD
1 UCF -24
2 Illinois -18
3 Auburn -14
4 Indiana -11
T5 SMU -8
T5 LSU -8
7 Texas Tech -7
8 Charleston -5
T9 Minnesota -2
T9 Michigan -2
11 Wisconsin -1
12 Alabama +1
13 Augusta +9
14 San Jose State +13
15 Illinois State N/A
SMU LEADERBOARD
T11 Celine Chen -4
T20 Uma Bergner -2
T32 Emily Odwin -1
T32 Mackenzie Lee -1
T74 Grace Jin +6
