July 1, 2011
NORMAL, Ill. -
With the half-way mark of the summer quickly approaching, Illinois State golfers Rachel Powers and Ricky Hearden are hard at work over their summer vacations. The duo has had a successful summer on the links, with Powers winning the 10th Annual Country Youth Classic and Hearden competing in the Wisconsin State Golf Association.
Powers won the Country Youth Classic 18-22 division at Illinois State University's Weibring Golf Club. The Quincy, Ill., native won the competition with a two-day score of 148, which was a six-stroke victory. Powers used a 1-under-par 35 on the front nine and parred the last three holes to secure the win over Lauren Williams during the second day. Williams was the leader after the first day of competition with a one-shot lead.
The sophomore competed in 17 rounds, 10 of which were in the 70s, during the 2010-11 season. She held a stroke average of 79.2, and a low round score of 70. Powers posted a season-best performance at the 2011 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Championship with a two-round 157 (78-79) and placed 18th.
Hearden competed in the Wisconsin State Golf Association Match Play Championship and finished behind Michigan's Jack Schultz. Hearden and Schultz battled through all 18 holes with ties and lead changes, but Schultz birdied to win the match. Both golfers finished with three birdies and five bogeys through the first 18 holes.
During the 2010-11 season, Hearden competed in 23 rounds and held a season stroke average of 76.5. The junior shot a career-best two-round score 149 (78-71) and tied for 55th place at the ASU Red Wolf Intercollegiate. Hearden completed the 2011 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Men's Golf Championships in a 16th-place tie with a score of 232 (81-77-74) and helped the team finish second in the championships.
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