Women's Golf Sets Records at Old Waverly Invitational

Women's Golf Mike Holmes/Sports Communications

Women's Golf Sets Records at Old Waverly Invitational

WEST POINT, MISS. – Georgia State shot a final-round 3-under 285 to tie for the lowest round in school history and finished third at Old Waverly Bulldog Invitational Wednesday. The Panthers counted three-rounds of 1-under par and had four golfers finish in the top-21 at Old Waverly Country Club.

Georgia State's 876 total (12-over) set a new school-record by three-strokes, breaking the previous mark of 879 set at the 2009 Lady Pirate Intercollegiate.

The Panthers have shot 285 just twice before, the most recent coming at the 2008 Lady Pirate Intercollegiate, a tournament that they will head back to next week. The only other 285 came at the 2005 Taco Bell Invitational. It was also the lowest final-round score in school history by five strokes.

Senior Melissa Siviter, junior Lauren Court and sophomore Julie Lied all shot final-round 1-under par 71s, while senior Maria Palacios fired a 72. Senior Laura Sanchez, who finished as the top Panther in the standings, shot 73 on Wednesday.

“I am so proud of them,” head coach Cathy Mant said. “I am truly happy for the team. They all worked really hard over the summer and they have been rewarded for their efforts. The records are great, but honestly, this was just a stepping stone for the year.

“We played smart golf today and took advantage of birdie situations when they presented themselves. Their short-games have all improved and that was one of the biggest differences today. I knew that they had the talent to do it, they just needed to go out and prove it to themselves. This is a great start to that.”

Sanchez finished tied for eighth at even par following opening rounds of 72 and 71. After tying a career-low on Tuesday, Sanchez made a pair of birdies in her final round.

Palacios, who was overcoming a tough start to the season, used her even-par final round to finish tied for 12th at 3-over. Her final round included five birdies.

Court, who has now secured back-to-back career-best finishes, tied a career-low with her 71. She set that mark just two days ago and finished tied for 17th at 4-over, besting her tie for 21st at the season-opening Lady Paladin Invitational.

Siviter also secured a career-low final-round with the 1-under performance to tie for 21st. After a tough opening nine holes on Sunday, Siviter shot even par over the final 45 holes of the tournament to finish at 7-over.

Lied tied a career-low with her 1-under performance previously set at the 2012 Golfweek Conference Challenge. Lied tied for 35th at 12-over, making three birdies in the final round.

Host Mississippi State shot a final-round 13-under 275 to win the event by 21-strokes, finishing at 20-under. East Carolina finished second at 1-over, followed by the Panthers in third. Florida International finished fourth at 20-over, followed by East Tennessee State in fifth at 25-over.

Mississippi State teammates Ally McDonald and Jessica Peng finished one-two atop the leaderboard. McDonald shot a final round 5-under 67 to finish at 9-under, while Peng finished at 8-under after a final round 69. East Carolina's Nico Engstroem Skaug finished third at 6-under, with Mississippi State's Ji Eun Baik and USF's Nicole Autrique finishing tied for fourth at 3-under.

Georgia State will return to the course Oct. 7-8, at the Lady Pirate Intercollegiate hosted by East Carolina. It will mark the third-straight year and fifth time in the last six that the Panthers have played in the event in Greenville, N.C.

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