By Collin Bryant | Sports Writer
The Baylor women’s golf team shot a three under par 281 in Monday’s final round, placing 12th at the Schooner Fall Classic in Norman, Okla. The Lady Bears finished the 54 hole tournament 18 over par, carding an 870.
Head coach Jay Goble said the team did not have the finish they were looking for, but hopes the final round will help them build some confidence moving forward.
“It’s not exactly the way we wanted to start off the year, but I scheduled it this way so that we could gain some momentum. It was nice to have a good round today,” Goble said. “We talked this morning about learning from our mistakes and trying to get better to get some momentum going into the Annika next week, so we accomplished what we wanted today.”
Baylor earned wins over Tulsa, Mississippi State and Texas State at the event. The Lady Bears finished behind Alabama (-21), who won the event, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, the University of Central Florida, Clemson, Florida, Texas and Florida State.
Alabama head coach Mic Potter said in an official press release that he was very impressed with his team’s finish and ability to take advantage of various opportunities.
“I’m very pleased with our performance overall,” Potter said. “Today we were able to take advantage of our opportunities. We got the ball up and down when had the chance.”
Bears’ sophomore Fiona Liddell tied the school record scoring 65 in the final round, with seven birdies and one bogey on the day. Liddell posted the ninth 65 in school history, sharing the honor with Laura Lonardi, Hayley Davis, Lene Hafsten-Morch and Jaclyn Jansen. Liddell finished tied for 13th place with a 54 hole total of two under par 211.
Coach Goble said he was thrilled with Liddell’s overall play, especially her putting.
“It was pretty awesome. It was an amazing day for her. The thing with Fiona is that she can be as good as she wants to be. She had a great round for us at regionals last year with a 68 at University of Georgia,” Goble said. “She really turns a switch every once in a while and looks like she just can’t miss a shot. She hit her irons amazing today, and she putted better. I think she’s an average putter that can get better, and she putted really well today. So it was nice to see the ball go in the hole.”
Senior 2nd team All-American Amy Lee shot even par 71 to tie for 36th place at four over for the tournament. Junior Maria Vesga carded a two over par 73 on the last day to finish tied for 47th place at seven over par 220 . Freshman Diane Baillieux posted a two over par 73 to finish 22 over for the tournament with a final score of 235.
Sophomore Cheerie Tan and Senior Giovana Maymon both finished at 16 over par, resulting in a tie for 68th place. Sophomore Tan shot nine over par 80 in her final round and Maymon shot a three over par 74.
Coach Goble said that he wants his team to continue to develop throughout the semester so that they are ready to compete for a national title in the spring.
“They don’t give away national championship trophies in September, and I want my team to get better throughout the year and feel good about their games in April and May, so that’s what we’re going to shoot for,” Goble said. “We’re going to learn from each tournament and each round that we play and try to move forward from here.”
The Lady Bears will be competing this weekend in the ANNIKA Intercollegiate at Olympic Hills Golf Club in Eden Prairie, Minn.
