NC State women’s golf opened its 2024-25 season at the Cougar Classic, playing at the Yeamans Hall Club Course in Charleston, South Carolina.
Over two days of competition NC State finished 14th in a field of 17 teams with a score of 29-over par — 34 strokes behind first-place Auburn. Freshman Marie Madsen had the best individual score of any Wolfpack player with a score of 3-under par to place in a tie for sixth.
In her first competition as a collegiate golfer, Madsen got off to a slow start, shooting 1-over par in the first round but found her rhythm as the tournament went on. In the second round, Madsen shot 3-under par behind three birdies and an eagle on hole four. She wrapped up her tournament with a 1-under on the last 18 holes that included three birdies.
Madsen’s 3-under par score was the second-lowest total of all freshmen in the field just behind LSU’s Roclo Tejedo who shot 5-under par. She tied for a team-high seven birdies and was the only Wolfpack player to record an eagle over the two days.
Senior Lauren Olivares Leon was the only other NC State golfer to finish under par for the tournament with a score of 1-under par to tie for 11th. Last year in this same tournament, Olivares broke the NCAA record for a single-round score with a 60 in the first round.
This time Olivares didn’t break any records, but she did record two rounds under par, and she only shot one bogey to go along with two birdies on the last 18 holes.
With her two rounds under par, Olivares now has 42 rounds of par or better in her career. She was also the most consistent golfer on the Wolfpack with a team-high of 43 pars and just five bogeys.
The next highest finisher for NC State was junior Vania Simont who tied for 75th with a score of 15-over par. Her best round came on the final 18 holes where she recorded four birdies to tally a 4-over par round. Simont tied Madsen for a team-high seven birdies but 16 bogeys and three double bogeys set her back.
Rounding out the Wolfpack’s lineup was sophomore Lea Ludwig and graduate Jaclyn Kenzel who placed 84th and 91st, respectively.
Despite having two golfers that finished the tournament under par, the Wolfpack didn’t have a round where it shot under par as a team. In fact, the Pack recorded two rounds where it shot 10-over par.
Up next, NC State will travel to Charlottesville, Virginia to compete in the Cavalier Regional Preview at Birdwood Golf Club. The tournament will take place from Sept. 23-24.
