KIRKWOOD, Mo. – On a gruelingly hilly course with rain coming down during the second half of the round, the Illinois State women's golf team stands tied for third after the opening 18 holes of the 2022 Missouri Valley Conference Golf Championship.
Indiana State is the leader in the clubhouse after the first of three rounds with a 20-over 304, while Missouri State shot a 308 and Illinois State a 309 along with Drake, Evansville, and Northern Iowa. Southern Illinois and Bradley are tied for seventh with a 314, while Loyola (321) and Valparaiso (341) round out the 10 schools in the field.
Illinois State returns to the course tomorrow morning at 10:10 a.m. and will tee off on the first hole alongside UNI and Drake.
Three Redbirds – Ali Schrock, Avalon Woodward, and Kehler Koss – shot matching 77's for the round, while Emma Rouger carded a 78 and Vinisha Gunaseelan an 82.
Schrock – who is tied for 10th after the opening 18 holes – started strong with a pair of pars and a birdie, before she ran into a rough stretch with three consecutive bogeys. She seemingly righted the ship with a pair of pars and a birdie on the ninth hole to send her into the turn at one stroke over par. Out of the gate on the back nine she recorded back-to-back double-bogeys before rebounding with a birdie on the 12th hole. She had two pars and three bogeys over five of her last six holes before closing the round strong with a birdie on the par-four 18th hole.
Woodward had an even round that saw her record a dozen pars and six bogeys, as only once did she have back-to-back holes over par, finishing with the six-over 77, also tied for 10th in the field. Her back nine at two strokes over par was the best finish on the team for the day.
Koss also started strong with four pars and a birdie – on the par-five third hole – to sit at one stroke over par, and after two bogeys over her last four holes she went into the turn at one stroke over par. She sandwiched a birdie between two bogeys early in the back nine, before stumbling down the stretch to also tie for 10th in the field.
Emma Rouger had an unblemished start to her round, as she had pars on each of her first 13 holes; however, five over-par scores in her last five holes pushed her to seven shots over par and tied for 19th individually through 18 holes in the tournament.
The Redbirds' fifth golfer, Vinisha Gunaseelan, had one birdie on her day – the par four fourth hole, and added eight pars to go with nine over-par scores, as the junior finished with an 11-over 82, which is tied for 37th in the field.
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