Razorbacks move up leaderboard in final round

Jump to results

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The 24th-ranked University of Arkansas women’s golf team rallied to finish sixth at the Mercedes Benz Intercollegiate in Knoxville, Tenn., Sunday. The Razorbacks counted back-to-back rounds of plus-three 291s for an 885 (303-291-291) moving up the leaderboard from a first round 14th-place start. Sophomore Kelli Shean finished with a career-best tie for eighth place with her best score as a Razorback at 216. Shean opened with a 75 and dropped with each round for a 71 and 70 over the weekend. Freshman Katy Nugent also played well. The Andover, Kansas, native tied for 25th overall with a 221 and was also able to drop her score with each round carding 76-73-72 for the tournament. “We were much better again today,” said Arkansas head coach Shauna Estes-Taylor. “I’m really proud of the team. They put themselves behind the eight ball after the first round but really showed their true colors and stepped up in the second and third rounds. They attacked and got after it. They’ve been a fun bunch to coach these last two days. They were excited and had a lot of fire and it was contagious. “Kelli really played well,” Estes-Taylor continued, “and I’m really, really proud of Katy. It’s tough for a freshman to step up and play well right away and she has done that.” Junior Kristin Ingram battled some illness to tie for 36th overall with a 225 (74-74-77), followed by junior Alex Schutle who tied for 43rd with a 226 (78-73-75). Senior Lucy Nunn tied for 65th overall with a 231 (80-77-74) after a final round 74 and junior Tiffany Phelps, playing as an individual, tied for 79th overall with 236 (80-74-82). Eighteenth-ranked LSU won the event with a one-over 865 after firing a final round 281. Tenth-ranked North Carolina was second, nine strokes back with an 874, tied with No. 40 North Carolina State. Number 20 Louisville was fourth with an 875 and No. 55 Ole Miss finished fifth overall with an 881. Arkansas was sixth, two strokes better than No. 21 Kent State with an 887. Southeastern Conference foes No. 59 Tennessee and No. 46 Kentucky were next along with No. 30 UT-Chattanooga and N0. 36 UCF rounding out the top 10 team scores. Arkansas has a quick turn around returning to the links Oc. 17-19, at the Peg Barnard Invitational in Palo Alto, Calif.