University of South Carolina Upstate Athletics
JU Invitational
Lewis Claims Top 20 Finish at JU Classic
2/8/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
Jacksonville, Fla. – On a cold and windy day in Jacksonville, Upstate turned in a 333, four strokes better than what it scored in the first round, and finished sixth in the JU Classic at Hidden Hills Country Club Tuesday afternoon.
The tournament, hosted by Jacksonville University, was shortened from 54 holes to 36 holes after rain caused play to be suspended on Monday. The teams resumed the second and final round Tuesday. Upstate finished with a 670 total to finish sixth, 50 strokes ahead of South Dakota in seventh position.
"Considering we played 18 holes over two days, I thought we came out and finished as a team very well today," said Upstate head coach Todd Lawton. "The conditions were dramatically different from yesterday's heavy rain and warm temperatures to today's sunny, but cold and windy conditions. Although we only shot a few shots better in the second round, we saw some really good progress from the first round to how we finished today."
Upstate freshman Rachel Lewis (LLanishen, Wales) paced the Spartans on the day and in the tournament. She played her final 11 holes at 1-under to finish with an 80. She shot back-to-back 80s to finish with a 160 total and in a tie for 16th. She secured her fourth top 20 finish in six tournaments this year. She finished the tournament seventh with three birdies and 10th in par-4 scoring.
"I think Rachel's three birdies today is a noteworthy accomplishment playing in the cold and wind that faced the players throughout the round," said Lawton. "She only had one bogey in her final 11 holes and was just steady all day long."
Defending champion Daytona State rallied from third place to shoot a 303 on Tuesday and vault into first place, claiming back-to-back titles in the JU Classic. Miami shot a 321 for a 620 total and tied Jacksonville, which shot a 322 Tuesday to also finish at 620, for second place. Florida Gulf Coast finished fourth (636) and was followed by Mercer (642), Upstate (670) and South Dakota (720). Daytona State's Matsuki Katahira shot a 3-under-par 69 on Tuesday to claim the individual championship with a 1-under 143 total.
Amanda Hall (Tega Cay, S.C.) totaled an 81 to finish with a 165 total to finish 23rd. Taylor Pleier (Spartanburg, S.C.) finished with an 84 Tuesday and a 169 total to finish 26th. Johanna Ebenhag (Gothenberg, Sweden) shot a second-straight 88 to finish at 176 and in a tie for 31st, while Madison Bryant (Chapin, S.C.) totaled 182 in 35th position.
