Mississippi State University’s Beth Irwin set five career-best marks and broke three Mississippi State records on her way to tying for second in last weekend’s Fifth Annual Chrysler ACC/SEC Challenge in Destin, Fla.
Irwin set the record for lowest round with a four-under-par 67 in her second round. Irwin also set the records for lowest score after 36 holes (138) and the lowest score after 54 holes (210). Duke’s Elizabeth Janangelo scored a nine-under 62 in her last round to tie Irwin for second. Irwin credited a change in putting to her record-breaking performance.
“I figured out something with my putting in the practice round and I carried it over to the tournament. I figured out that I needed to focus on my line more,” Irwin said. “Putting was the key. All year I’ve hit the ball well but my putting hasn’t been there.”
Coach Christi Sanders helped Irwin by challenging her to a putting contest on the Tuesday before the team left for Destin.
“That little putting contest with Coach Sanders gave me a lot of confidence, it showed me that I could make putts and that I needed to be more aggressive and start sinking putts instead of trying to two-putt.”
MSU finished fifth for the tournament after opening with two season-best performances. The team’s opening round of 295 tied for the season’s best round. After a change in how to approach the 18th hole of the course, the team improved its score to a 289, establishing a new best for the season.
“The 18th was an extremely tough hole. It was an extra long par four with water on the left and a big tree on the right. If you tried to reach the green in two you had to hit your drive perfectly or else you were in trouble,” Janet Dyer said. “We really struggled with it in the first round. We could have cut three strokes off our total if we had played the hole better. On the second day we played it as if it were a par 5. We laid up and tried to get close to the pin with our third shot. The strategy worked and we lowered our score in the second round.”
Irwin was sad that the year was over just as things were coming together but knows how important it is to end on a good note.
“Last year we came in last in this tournament. This year it was a tough field and we beat some teams that we’ve never beaten,” Irwin said. “That gives this team something to be proud of and something to be excited about and focus on coming back in the winter.”
Junior Stephanie Godare finished behind Irwin in 28th place. Godare’s final round of 73 tied for her season’s low round. Godare was pleased with her performance but thought her score could have been better.
“I left a lot of putts out there especially in the last two rounds,” she said. “But I’m happy with the way I played.”
Godare approached the 18th hole cautiously in her first two and then decided to be more aggressive in the third round. Her aggression led her to a par for the hole after bogeying it in the first two rounds.
“I played more aggressively for all of the third round,” Godare said. “I usually play better when I play aggressive.”
Four strokes behind Godare were Dyer and Amanda Mathis who tied for 43rd with a total of 228. Both golfers struggled in their last round with scores of 81 and 80 respectively. Dyer was especially frustrated after a good finish in her second round.
“I had two birdies in the last five holes of the second round and I hit the pin on the last hole and pared that one,” Dyer said. “But in the third round nothing went right. I tried to set myself up for birdie opportunities but my putts wouldn’t drop.”
Asleigh Korsack took 54th place. Korsack played consistently shooting a 76, a 78 and a 79 for a total of 233.
The tournament, played at the par 71, 5,937-yard Raven Course at the Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort, finished the fall season for the Lady Bulldogs.