NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State women's golf team battled a pair of opponents on Saturday morning, eventual tournament champion Northern Illinois, along with Mother Nature, who dropped rain all day at various times and varying amounts, as the Redbirds took second at their home Invitational.
ISU had a two-day, three-round score of 914, trailing only Northern Illinois' 906. Valparaiso finished third with a 969, while Loyola carded a 970 in the four-time event.
Redbird sophomore Ali Schrock was the individual runner-up in the tournament, carding a three-round 225, including a final-round 78. In all, the Redbirds put five other golfers inside of the top-10 including Emma Sutton, Maria Toledo Bailey, Jasmine Yi, Becca Black, and Emma Rouger.
Schrock opened her day with four consecutive pars, and closed her day with a birdie and three pars and in all had 11 pars on the day, carding a six-over 78, finishing a stroke off of the individual lead over the three rounds.
Sutton finished fourth overall with a three-round 227, had seven pars and a pair of bogeys over her first nine holes, and after the turn added six more pars, closing the day with a six-over 78.
Finishing sixth overall, Maria Toledo Bailey had the best round of the day for the scoring portion of the Redbird lineup. She started play with a birdie on the opening hole, and had six pars and a pair of bogeys on the front nine to make the turn at one stroke over par. She followed with a back nine that saw five pars and a quartet of bogeys, ending the day with a five-over 77.
Two Redbirds playing as individuals in the tournament each tied for seventh as Yi and Black each carded three-round totals of 231. Yi ended her third round at six strokes over par with a dozen pars and six bogeys, while Black shot a final-round 79 including back-to-back birdies on the sixth and seventh holes, and closed the day with the two birdies, 10 pars and six above-par holes.
Rouger tied for ninth overall – ISU's sixth golfer inside of the top-10 – as she carded a final-round 81. She struggled over the first six holes, standing six shots over par before a birdie on the seventh hole turned the tide for the sophomore. She closed her front nine with back-to-back pars and opened the back nine with five pars over her first six holes. She closed her day with a bogey, double-bogey, and par to finish with the nine-over-par round.
Tatum King placed 21st overall after a final-round 82 as an individual. She opened her round with four consecutive pars, tied on the team for the longest all-par stretch to start the round, as she followed up a double bogey with a birdie and then a bogey before ending her front nine at two shots over par. Over the back nine she had four pars and five holes above par, as she ended her day 10 shots over par.
Avalon Woodward, the final member of ISU's scoring five, had seven pars on her final round, finishing with an 86 on the final day of the tournament.
Senior Paige Seiser shot a team-best 85 in the final round of the tournament. She opened her day with three consecutive pars, and made the turn at three strokes over par. Her back nine was an equal number of birdies, pars, and bogeys for an even par back nine. She doesn't have a place in the field, however, due to a scorecard miscommunication that forced her into a first-round disqualification.
The Redbirds return to action next weekend for the 2021 Missouri Valley Conference Championship, hosted by Southern Illinois University in Saint Charles, Missouri at Bogey Hills Country Club.
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