MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Rachel Watts (Newport, Tenn.) used a three-under day that took her up to third-place on the leaderboard to help No. 24 Carson-Newman pick up a second-place finish at the Women's Music City Invitational on Tuesday.
Watts paced the team with a 69 in the round, marking a new career-low for the senior by besting the 70 she shot at the Spring Kickoff Intercollegiate back on Feb. 11, 2019. She also added herself to a tie for fifth-lowest single round score in South Atlantic Conference history in the round.
The team's 296 on the final day is the lowest a C-N group has shot for since carding a 292 at the Sunoco Campbell Oil Classic on March 25, 2019. None of the Eagles in the field shot for higher than bogey on any given hole. Every Eagle in the field finished in the top 20 of the field after the eight-over day.
"I think, overall, the girls played really well," Carson-Newman assistant coach Cydney Murrell said. "They were a little disappointed that they didn't go low but they're pleased with the turnout. They hit much better today and their putting was consistent."
Carson-Newman was the best par-5 scoring team in the tournament with a six-under average on those holes while tying for the most par holes through both day with 103.
Watts saw four bogeys throughout the final round but covered those with seven birdies, mostly on par-5s. She ended the tournament nine shots out of first. Her three-under day moved her to even for the event, good enough to hold down third on her own Her 144 is now the lowest 36-hole score she has carded in her career. This is just the second top-three finish of her career, the other coming at last season's King Invitational where she tie for second.
The senior tied for the best par-5 average through 36 holes at four-under. She carded the second-most birdies with 10.
One shot behind Watts by the end of Tuesday was Matilda Frövenholt (Öjersjö, Sweden), playing as an individual. She was one-under in the round to stay in a tie for fourth. Used a trio of birdies and a pair of bogeys to card a 71 in the round, three shots better than what she entered the clubhouse with on Monday. The junior's 145 is a new career-best in a 36-hole event. Her 26 even holes were the second-most in the field.
Two shots separated the other four Eagles in the field, in total.
Sharing 12th-place was Reagan Kinnie (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) and Jayla Sims (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.), exchanging the score they each scored on Monday. They were both seven-over for the event with a 151.
Kinnie was one-shot better in the final round compared to the first, carding a 75 on Tuesday. She saw just one birdie on the day that she added onto four bogeys to go three-over. As for Sims, she was one shot higher than her first round 75. She shot for birdie once in the round with five bogeys.
Trailing the pair by two shots to round out the Eagles were Ellie Haughton (Lincolnshire, England) and Maeve Cummins (Waringstown, Northern Ireland). They both went nine-over for the event to tie for 20th with a 153.
Much like Sims, Haughton brought in five bogeys through the final round with one birdie. Her 76 on Tuesday was one-shot lower than her Monday round. Cummins was three shots higher on Tuesday than she was on Monday. The sophomore shot for bogey eight times today, all of those coming on par-4 holes. Both of her birdies in the round were on par-3s.
No. 2 UINDY went wire-to-wire to take home the tournament crown with a 10-under total after shooting 13-under in the final round. C-N held a 10-shot lead on third-place Northwood.
A tie for the top medalist also went in favor of the Greyhounds with Cailyn Henderson and Pilar Echeverria both going nine-under in the event.
Carson-Newman now sets its sights on the fall finale with a trip to the Flagler Fall Slam. That two-day event begins on Oct. 21 from the Marsh Creek Country Club in St. Augustine, Fla.
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Carson-Newman |
301 |
296 |
597 |
+21 |
2nd |
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75 |
69 |
144 |
E |
3rd |
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|
74 |
71 |
145 |
+1 |
T-4th |
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|
76 |
75 |
151 |
+7 |
T-12th |
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|
75 |
76 |
151 |
+7 |
T-12th |
|
|
77 |
76 |
153 |
+9 |
T-20th |
|
|
75 |
78 |
153 |
+9 |
T-20th |
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|
|
|
|
|
|
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