The women’s golf team brought home a second place win at the Liz Murphy Classic held in Athens, Ga., last weekend. After making a big move up the leaderboard Saturday, the Crimson Tide carded a 292 in the final round, securing its second place finish.
The Tide competed against 23 other teams. Duke won the tournament and Arkansas finished third.
During the 54-hole tournament, the Crimson Tide had a rough first 27 holes, but was able to stay positive and get a feel for the speed of the greens. The Tide was ninth after the first day of tournament play and fifth after Saturday’s round.
Standout freshman Jennifer Kirby finished individually tied for second, shooting a par 72 Sunday. Her second place finish marks Kirby’s lowest score in her Alabama career.
“After the summer, we knew Jennifer would bring a lot to our lineup,” said head coach Mic Potter. “She has a great attitude, hits the ball long and her putting and chipping has improved dramatically.”
Kirby currently holds the lowest freshman scoring average, 73.21, in Alabama school history.
Junior Camilla Lennarth made an impressive 35-spot move up the leaderboard throughout the tournament to secure her 20th place by shooting a 73 during Sunday’s round.
“Our attitude helped us get back in the game after a bad first day,” Lennarth said. “We fought back.”
Sophomore Brooke Pancake finished the weekend tied for 17th after shooting a 77 during the final round. Senior Helena Blomberg finished tied for 53rd and shot a 72 during Sunday’s final round and junior Courtney Harter finished tied for 62nd, shooting a 75 on Sunday.
Three players on the team rank in the top-50 by Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index. Lennarth sits at 11th, Kirby is 27th and Pancake is ranked 46th.
The Crimson Tide is looking forward to the postseason, which includes the SEC Championship and NCAA Championship. The Tide will be hosting the SEC Championship in April. The tournament will be played at North River Yacht Club.
“It’s fun to have a tournament at home where friends can come out and watch,” said Lennarth.
The team will be at an advantage when it comes to familiarity of the course, greens and the endurance it takes to walk North River’s long distance and terrain. The team will be playing the course regularly within the next week to prepare for the upcoming tournament.
“There is no reason we shouldn’t continue playing well,” said Coach Potter.
Up next for the sixth-ranked Crimson Tide is the Ping ASU Invitational held April 9-11 in Tempe, Ariz.
