By Marquis Cooley | Sports Editor
No. 20 Baylor women’s golf finished tied for fourth at the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate on Wednesday at Long Cove Club in Hilton Head Island, S.C. The Bears shot a three-day total of 21-over 873, tying with the University of Texas.
“We’re hanging with the best teams in the country right now, and I don’t feel like we have our best game right now. We’re not playing with our A-game or B-game even, in my opinion,” head coach Jay Goble said. “Moving forward, there are good things ahead of us. We will build off of the good round we had on Monday. We hung in there on a hard golf course, and that’s what we’re going to have to do for the rest of the year, and that’s what we’re going to have to do to ultimately win the national championship at the end of the year.”
It was the first all women’s regular season collegiate golf tournament to be televised on the Golf Channel. Goble said he’s proud that he and his team got to be a part of it.
“I think it’s amazing,” Goble said. “The Golf Channel has done such a great job the last six or eight years of exposing people to more college golf. Last year when I was at the national championship, I sat and talked to a bunch of people at the Golf Channel; their goal was to start hosting or broadcasting 15 events a year on the Golf Channel. They would like to do half of those men’s golf, half of them women’s golf. So, to be part of the first one that’s fully televised only for women’s golf is fantastic. I think it’s a great opportunity to show how great women’s college golf is.”
Baylor entered the final hole tied for third with Texas and Arizona State University, but ASU was able to edge the Bears out by one to take third place.
Freshman BaiMai Seema had her best round of the season on Wednesday, shooting a career-best 1-under 70 despite the scoring average being nearly 3.5 shots over par. Seema ultimately finished the tournament in a tie for 41st with a 10-over 223.
Freshman Antonia Matte also put on a solid showing on the final day, shooting a 1-over 72 to finish in a tie for 20th alongside teammate sophomore Britta Snyder who shot 4-over 75 to wrap up the tournament at 6-over 219. It was Matte’s fourth top-25 finish of the season and Snyder’s third.
Two other Bears tied for position as well, with both senior Gurleen Kaur and sophomore Rosie Belsham finishing in 35th. Kaur shot a 7-over 78 in the final round while Belsham shot an 8-over 79 to finish 9-over 222.
Next up, Baylor will participate in the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge from March 13-15 at the Palos Verdes Golf Club in Palos Verdes, Calif.
