RIO VERDE, Ariz. – The Illinois State women's golf team shot a team-low 297 in the final round of the 2022 Rio Verde Invitational – the lowest round for an ISU team at the event since its inception – and the team's 898 three-round total is the seventh-lowest three-round tournament total in program history, finishing fourth overall.
The 898 is ISU's ninth all-time tournament under 900, with four of those tournaments coming this season. The team's 297 is the program's eighth round this season under 300, which is more than any other season in program history.
Kennesaw State took the day-one lead and never gave it up in the tournament, finishing with an 865, while Xavier (877) and Cal Baptist (893) rounded out the three teams ahead of the Redbirds. Missouri State – the team picked to finish first in the MVC preseason poll and the only school picked ahead of the Redbirds – finished fifth with a 903, while South Dakota (904), Central Michigan (913), Bradley (924), Wichita State (924), Ball State (933), Eastern Michigan (933), Akron (934), Butler (938), Loyola (939), Western Michigan (939), Oakland (940), Bowling Green (948), and Ohio (973) finish out the 18 schools in the tournament.
Avalon Woodward led the Redbird finishers with a tournament total of 217, the fifth-lowest single-tournament score in program history, tying for third individually in the tournament field. Vinisha Gunaseelan and Ali Schrock each finished with a 227, tied for 23rd. Maria Toledo Bailey finished in a tie for 37th with a 230, while Kehler Koss carded a 54-hole score of 233, tied for 44th.
Gunaseelan was the low score for the Redbirds on the final day, carding a one-over 73. Opening on the par-four fifth hole, Gunaseelan opened with a par and a birdie. After seven straight pars she birdied the par-three 14th hole, dropping her score to two shots under par. Over her final eight holes she had five pars and three bogeys, ending the day with a one-over 73 for the round.
Woodward, opening on the par-five fourth hole and started with a bogey. She had a smooth next nine holes – all pars – before a birdie on the par-three 14th hole. It was her lone birdie of the day, as she followed immediately with a bogey, and closed the day with five pars and a bogey over her final six holes, closing with the two-over 74.
Schrock had a rocky final round that saw her open with back-to-back series of birdie, bogey par, and was at even par through the first six holes. Three consecutive pars led the way to a stretch of six holes where she had three pars and three over-par totals, before closing strong with two birdies in her final three holes to close the tournament with a two-over 74.
Maria Toledo Bailey struggled at the start of her round with four bogeys over her first five holes, before calming down over her final 13 holes with 11 pars, one birdie and a bogey, closing the day four over par with a 76 for the team's fourth and final score of the round. Koss had a dozen pars over her final 18 holes of the tournament with a birdie and five over-par holes, en route to the five-over 77 for the round.
ISU is back in action next week when the team travels to McAllen, Texas, to compete in the UTRGV Women's Invitational.
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