Women’s golf see the positives of season

The Marshall University women's golf team completed its spring season Tuesday with the Conference USA Tournament in Hattiesburg, Miss.

Marshall ended the three-day tournament with a ninth place finish, which may look poor considering it was a 10-team tournament, but head coach Meredith Knight Rowsey said she saw good things from the team throughout the rounds.

"I thought we performed well," Rowsey said. "I felt like we had a really good shot at finishing toward the top of the pack going into the tournament. We held our own but couldn't quite close the deal."

Tulane ended up winning the C-USA title at the tournament, with a three-day total of 858, which was good for six-over-par. With the tournament victory, Tulane earned a bid to the NCAA Regionals. These sets of matches are scheduled to take place May 6-8 in a location still to be determined.

Although Marshall didn't end up placing toward the top of the conference as a team, there were still some great accomplishments that the group can take from the tournament.

Marshall recorded its lowest team score in the history of the program during the second round of the tournament. 

Marshall scored a 298 on Monday, and senior Andrea Grier said having a school record as a team is something to be proud of.

"It's an awesome feeling," Grier said. "It's a new bar that has been set for future teams to try and beat. Until the record is broken, my teammates and I have our names associated with that forever and that is really an accomplishment."

Grier not only shot the lowest round of the season (70) for Marshall on Monday during the record setting output by the team, she also finished tied for 10th place at the tournament with a three-round final score of 221. She said the success comes from keeping her focus.

"For me I keep reassuring myself," Grier said. "I try my best to stay calm and keep my swing consistent. During the round when I shot 70 I kept my nerves under control and took it one hole at a time."

   The two best scores of the tournament were posted by Grier and fellow senior Larie Lynch. The loss of two quality seniors would usually be devastating to any team going into the next season, but Rowsey said the players who will be left are ready to jump in and play well.

   "I have several girls that have the opportunity to fill those shoes," Rowsey said. "Some of the girls lack consistency, but that comes with time and maturity. Those two are great seniors and it will be difficult to replace them, but with some maturity I am going to have some people to step up next year."

   Although Grier is sad to see her career at Marshall come to an end, she said she is excited for next season because the underclassmen are ready to perform at a high level.

   "I feel very good for the team next year," Grier said. "We have a lot of depth coming back because the girls had to step in and play for other injured players and they gained valuable experience in those situations. I'm excited for the future of Marshall women's golf."

   In golf, success comes with consistency. Rowsey said it is important for the women to develop consistency, and with that will come great results.

   "We gain consistency through experience," Rowsey said. "It's practice, it's dedication, it's hard work."

   Troy Hemingway can be contacted at hemingway@marshall.edu.