COLUMBIA, Mo. – The FGCU women's golf team increased play for its most consistent round but remained in 13th place during the final round of the 2014 Johnie Imes Invitational. The Eagles recorded a score of 299 in the final round to finish with a team score of 917 (324-294-299). With the strong performance in the final day, the Green and Blue finished just six strokes out of the top-10.
The host Missouri Tigers maintained the lead to finish with the tournament crown and a total score of 846, while Kansas State, Middle Tennessee, FIU and Arkansas-Little Rock rounded out the event's top finishers.
"The Johnie proved to be a great learning experience for us," said head coach Sarah Trew. "After struggling on Monday morning, we continued to improve and I was pleased with our consistency today. But we still have a ways to go to be where we want to be. I'm proud of Mei Khuan's play this week. She stepped up to lead the team and scored well when she needed to."
The Eagle upperclassmen pair of Georgia Price (Bude, England/Fort Myers High School) and Mei Khuan Yong (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia/S.M.K. Cochrane) led the team in the two-day event.
Yong finished in 32nd place after firing a score of 71 in the final round. The junior recorded a career-best score of 71 in the Monday afternoon round and matched the score to conclude the event. Her third round featured three birdies and just two bogeys.
Yong totaled 224 through three rounds (82-71-71) for the team's best performance.
Price placed 38th in the field with a total score of 226 (79-74-73). The senior captain carded a score of 73 in the final round with four bogeys and three birdies for her best round of the event.
Freshman Madison Easterbrook (Burlington, Ontario/Aldershot High School) placed 57th in the field after firing a score of 79 in the final session. Easterbrook tallied one birdie, one double bogey and six bogeys to finish 6-over on the day and end with a total score of 232 (80-73-79).
Freshman Ashley Kimbrough (Clearwater, Fla./Indian Rocks Christian School) held 63rd place in the event with a total card of 235 (83-76-76). Kimbrough's third round featured two birdies and six bogeys for a plus-4 score.
Sara Detlefsen (Eagan, Minn./Minnesota Virtual Academy) rounded out the Eagle lineup with a total score of 244 (83-82-79). Detlefsen carded her best round on Tuesday afternoon with a plus-7 score of 79. She began the round with two birdies but added seven bogeys and a double to finish at 79.
Mizzou's Annual Invitational honors the late Johnie Imes, a longtime supporter of Mizzou women's golf and features a rich history of strong play. The tournament has now seen a different team winner in each of the last seven years with SMU earning the tournament crown in 2012. The event was not played in 2013.
The Eagles will return to action in the Sunshine State on Friday, Oct. 10 with the Xavier Invitational. The three-day event held in Daytona Beach will be played at LPGA International.
Complete Results
Individuals
32. Mei Khuan Yong 82-71-71-224
38. Georgia Price 79-74-73-226
57. Madison Easterbrook 80-73-79-232
63. Ashley Kimbrough 83-76-76-235
76. Sara Detlefsen 83-82-79-244
Team
1. Missouri 282-280-284-846
2. Kansas State 280-285-285-850
T3. Middle Tennessee 290-291-281-862
T3. FIU 288-284-290-862
5. Arkansas-Little Rock 285-291-298-874
6. Coastal Carolina 292-295-288-876
7. South Florida 300-300-292-892
8. Wichita State 297-297-302-896
9.Bradley 300-296-305-901
T10. Illinois State 311-303-297-911
T10. Missouri-Kansas City 399-302-310-911
12. Southern Illinois 316-300-299-915
13.FGCU 324-294-299-917
14.Oklahoma City University 313-312-311-936
15.Redlands Community College 322-318-311-951
