Precision wrote a note in school history Tuesday.
Sophomore Amanda Mathis recorded four birdies and no bogies for the day and fired a tournament-low 68 to tie the lowest round in Mississippi State women’s golf history.
“I think that was my first bogey-free round ever so I was real excited,” Mathis said. “Being tied for the lowest round record is really exciting, too.”
In the final day Mathis improved her score by nine strokes and leap-frogged from a tie for 19th to finish the tourney in a tie for fourth.
Mathis delivered pin-point accuracy on day two. She fired the ball within 15 feet of the hole eight different times during the day and hit 14 of 14 fairways and 16 greens in regulation.
“Hitting fairways is always a goal of mine and I was determined to hit fairways and greens Tuesday,” Mathis said.
“Amanda played as well as I’ve ever seen her play,” said head coach Christi Sanders. “She was very focused.”
Mathis’s performance helped the Mississippi State University women’s golf team finish in second place at the University of Alabama/Ann Rhoads Intercollegiate in Tuscaloosa, Ala. The Lady Bulldogs shot a two-day total of 605 to finish just nine strokes behind Tulane on the par-72 5,924-yard course.
After shooting a 309 in the first day of the tournament the Lady Dawgs put together a 296 on the last day of action. State not only finished second but also topped conference foes Alabama and Ole Miss–a feat that pleased Sanders.
“We got off to a slow start, but we finished strong. Beating Ole Miss and Alabama is a nice way to start the season,” Sanders said.
Senior Beth Irwin was satisfied with the way the team played but wasn’t ready to take her spikes off.
“It’s great to finish so high in the first tournament. It will add to our confidence for the rest of the year,” Irwin said. “But if we would have had one more day, we might have won it,” Irwin said.
While Mathis had a blazing performance Tuesday, Irwin’s steady play put her in the lead after the first round and a career-best third place finish for the tournament. Irwin scored a 73 for both rounds with her strong and consistent play.
“Beth was very solid for the tournament. She was steady from tee to green,” Sanders said.
“The first day was really windy which usually makes me focus more, so for the first round I tried to play smart golf.” Irwin said. “I ended making a lot of pars and leading at the end of the day. I had never done that before so hopefully the experience will help me close out the lead next time.”
Also contributing to the second place finish were juniors Stephanie Godare, Asleigh Korzack and senior Janet Dyer. Godare finished tied for 14th, shooting a 77 for both rounds.
Korzack finished tied for 62nd, shooting an 87 and an 83.
Dyer finished tied for 23rd, shooting a 78 and an 80.