Women’s Golf traveled to Carmel, Indiana, to play in the Lady Jaguar Invitational playing 36 holes at Plum Creek Golf Club this past weekend. Ball State's five-person roster consisted of junior Kiah Parrott, first-year Jasmine Driscoll, first-year Sarah Gallagher, first-year Madelin Boyd and second-year Payton Bennett.
“It [the course] was kind of two different golf courses really,” head coach Cameron Andry said. “Yesterday it was beautiful weather and really good conditions, the greens were a little firm, and today was really cold, really windy. Everything was a little softer, you were on the same golf course but they didn't feel like the same golf course at all.”
Despite conditions, Boyd earned herself a top-ten performance, ending tied for seventh out of a 74-player field.
Parrott, who was injured, made her return in the tournament. After signing an incorrect scorecard her score did not count for round one because of her disqualification. In round two, Parrott withdrew after six holes due to the back injury that has kept her out for most of this season. This also means the Cardinals had to take the four scores posted, instead of usually taking the top four out of five
Saturday - Round One
Round one saw the top four scorers all within six strokes of each other in round one.
“The first round was okay, I thought that golf course was pretty gettable and we didn't really take advantage of it,” Andry said. “I was really proud of the way that Maddie [Boyd] played. Even par out there was a good score, but I felt like everybody else left a few out there.”
Boyd led with an even-par score of 72.
Parrott and Driscoll both posted a 4-over-par 76.
Gallagher shot a 6-over-par 78 and Bennett rounded out the Ball State with her 14-over-par 86.
Sunday - Round Two
Driscoll led with a 6-over-par 78 performance on a cold and rainy day.
Boyd shot a 7-over-par 79 and was closely followed by Bennett who posted an 8-over-par 80.
Gallagher finished her last 18 holes with a 12-over-par 84.
“Today it was played really difficult and we're down Kiah so we don't have a drop score to work with,” Andry said. “It was a battle, I thought we hung in there. I think we're better than what we showed this week, but we also were dealing with some adversity without your number-one player and the weather.”
Conditions were a driving force, with Andry saying it was the worst they have played in all year.
Andry said a positive is that the forecast for the Mid-American Conference Championship looks like colder days and windy days are ahead.
“I'm hopeful that experiencing what we went through today can provide some learning opportunities and make us a little better prepared,” Andry said. “If and when we face that next week in the MAC Championship.”
The Cardinals will travel to the MAC Championship Apr. 21-23 at the Kalamazoo County Club in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Andry said the strategy will be a big factor for the MAC Championship as well, and be able to form a game plan.
“The number one is we just got to get healthy,” Andry said. “With Kiah and even with a couple of others nicked up a little bit. It's kind of the nature of it when you've been grinding hard all season and so getting healthy would be one. Number two, I think is just trying to make the game as easy as we can. That means whatever you have right now, find a way to make that work. We're not trying to reinvent anything right now. We're just trying to find something that we can groove with and play.”
Contact Elijah Poe with comments at elijah.poe@bsu.edu or on Twitter @ElijahPoe4.
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