LeCANTO, Fla. – With a top-15 finish from senior
Sara Detlefsen, the FGCU women's golf team finished fifth among a strong field at the Florida Classic held Monday, Feb. 1 at the Black Diamond Ranch Quarry Course.
After the two-round event, the Eagles held fifth place among the five-team field with a total score of 625 (317, 308). The University of Florida finished at the top of the leader board with a score of 571, while Florida State and UCF rounded out the top-three with scores of 285 and 304, respectively. FIU finished fourth in the field with a score of 301. In addition to the five teams, host USF, Jacksonville and Seminole State sent individual players to make up the 44-player field.
"Round one was a bit of an adjustment for the girls, getting back into the swing of tournament competition," said head coach
Sarah Trew. "I was proud of the way we fought to finish and showed improved short game and course management to post a better number in round two. Each player felt they left a few strokes out there, so getting a little more dialed in will help this team really shine. We have a busy spring schedule with lots of great golf to look forward to."
Detlefsen (Eagan, Minn./Minnesota Virtual Academy) placed among the top-15 in the field with a total score of 151. The senior carded a round of 78 during morning play and improved with a score of 73 in the final round of the day to complete the one-day event at plus-seven.
Senior
Mei Khuan Yong (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia/S.M.K. Cochrane) placed 24th with a plus-12 score of 156. Yong shot a consistent 78 in both rounds to finish near the top half of the field.
Megan Blonien (Altus, Okla./Altus High School/Oklahoma State) and Madison Easterbrook (Burlington, Ontario/ Aldershot High School) each tied for 31st in the field with plus-15 scores of 159. Blonien shot a 79 in the first round and an 80 in round two, while Easterbrook carded scores of 82 and 77.
Competing as an individual,
Kelsy Holbert (Lutz, Fla./Steinbrenner High School) carded scores of 84 and 81 for a total of 165.
Madeline Marck-Sherk (Ridgeway, Ontario/Ridgeway Crystal Beach High School) and
Ashley Kimbrough (Clearwater, Fla./Indian Rocks Christian School) rounded out the team's performers, each with total scores of 166. Marck-Sherk produced rounds of 84 and 82, with Kimbrough carding 86 and 80 as an individual.
After the one-day tuneup to start the spring season, the Eagles will begin full tournament play next week at the Mid-American Match Play Challenge. The two-day event is hosted by Bowling Green at the Lakewood Ranch Country Club Monday, Feb. 8 and Tuesday, Feb. 9. Following the match-play event, the Eagles will return to SWFL for the 2016 FGCU Eagle Invitational. The team will host Arkansas State, Ball State, Elon, Xavier, Toldeo, USC Upstate, SIU, Drake, Mercer, McNeese State, Stephen F. Austin, Central Arkansas, Western Illinois and FAU in the three-day event at Stoneybook Country Club in Estero.
COMPLETE RESULTS | 1 | Florida | -4 | 287 | 284 | 571 |
| 2 | Florida State | +10 | 285 | 298 | 583 |
| 3 | UCF | +24 | 304 | 296 | 600 |
| 4 | FIU | +30 | 301 | 305 | 606 |
| 5 | FGCU | +49 | 317 | 308 | 625 |
INDIVIDUAL RESULTS*competing as an individual
For up-to-the minute information and a behind-the-scenes look at the FGCU women's golf program, follow on Twitter at @FGCU_WGolf and on Facebook at /FGCUWGolf. Head coach Sarah Trew is her fifth season at the helm of the FGCU women's golf team. Trew took over in 2011 and has since guided the Eagles to the program's best-ever finish in the Atlantic Sun Tournament and to 20+ top-10 finishes. A year ago, Trew led the team to several records on and off the course. The 2013-14 squad set a new single-season scoring record with a team average of 307.88, while also setting a new benchmark academically. The team earned a team grade point average of 3.8 in the fall semester and set the FGCU team record with a 3.92 during the spring of 2014. The spring of 2015 saw the Eagles again take third place at the A-Sun Championship, and recording their best team score of the season.
