In the first match of the season, the womens golf team finished in a tie for third place in the Lady Puerto Rico Classic this weekend. The team was lead by junior Emily Street and senior Lauren Doughtie, who placed sixth and seventh individually. As a team, the Pack shot +46 (910), which tied Georgia for third and was only one shot away from the runner-up team, Tennessee. The tournament was hosted by Purdue University, who won the three day, 54-hole event.
“We had a very good tournament, we finished tied for third as a team. It was our best start in a very long time, since my freshman year,” Doughtie said. “Overall we are the best prepared coming into the spring season than we have been in a very long time. Everything looks really good for the spring for us, and it’s a great starting place.”
Going into the final round Doughtie was in a tie for first, but was unable to keep the lead throughout the round. Street shot a one-over 73, which tied her with several other players for the low round of the day. Street finished sixth overall and tied her best career finish.
“I played well. I struggled a little down the stretch and let it slip away from me, but luckily my team was there for me to pick up the slack,” Doughtie said. “Emily birdied two of her last three to finish sixth and she definitely picked up the slack where I left off which is great.”
Other members of the team also played well, including sophomore Julie Saleeby, who finished in a tie for 33rd. Also, freshman Hunter Ross shot a career best 74 in the final round.
Playing in a match out of the country meant that the team had to endure a long plane ride to get to Puerto Rico. However, that ride was well worth it once they were able to get there and enjoy the nice temperatures. Coach Page Marsh, who described the trip as fairly simple, was proud of how well her team was able to travel and stay focused.
“They played well as a group and traveled well as a group,” Page said. “They have learned to help themselves out, perform better with all of those aspects.”
With the weather not cooperating in Raleigh, the team didn’t really have a lot of time to get out and practice and play many rounds of golf in the weeks leading up to the tournament.
“We had limited practice, whether it was from late play due to the greens being frozen or anything,” Page said. “But overall, I was really pleased.”
Despite weather restricting their practice schedule, the team credits their ability to go out and play like it did because of the effort it put in over the winter months.
“We all played in a lot of tournaments over Christmas break just trying to get ready for the season, and we did as much possible to get ready, and it showed off based on how our results were,” Street said. “We really practiced hard over break, and we were really excited about our finish.”