SMU Golfer Breaks Record In Win
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (SMU) – Melanie White finished the Johnie Imes Invitational at 8-under, breaking the tournament record by four strokes, which led the SMU Mustangs to their second tournament win of the season on Tuesday afternoon.
White shot 3-under for Tuesday, giving her a total of 208 for the event, breaking the previous 54-hole record set by two Oklahoma State golfers in 2010. The senior posted 11 birdies in the final two rounds, while only having one bogey. White’s second round of 65 tied the record for a low single round in event history.
“I feel great,” White said of her play. “I felt confident. I had fun. It was just fairways and greens. It was fun.”
Head Coach Jeanne Sutherland was also pleased with White’s performance in Columbia. “She played great golf all 54 holes,” Sutherland said. “Today she just played really solid golf.”
As a team, SMU won by nine strokes over tournament host Missouri. The Mustangs finished
the first round one stroke behind Kansas State for first place. The Mustangs took control of the tournament after round two with a tournament-low 4-under (284) team round.
Jennifer Park posted her second straight top-10 finish, coming in at 2-over to finish tied for sixth. Park finished tied for 10th at the Dale McNamara Invitational Sept. 17-18. Two other Mustangs finished in the top-30 in the field of 99 golfers. Maria Elena Villamil came back from a tough first round to finish tied for 27th, and Alexandra Rossi finished tied for 30th.
SMU now has two wins in three events on the season, but the team still wants to improve every practice and keep aiming higher.
“We’re just trying to improve every week to try to get into the top-25,” Sutherland said.
White echoed her coach’s thoughts, knowing that SMU has the potential to compete at a very high level all season long.
“We’re headed in the right direction,” White said. “We’re preparing well for every tournament. We’re going to have a great year and we’re looking forward to it.”
Next up for the Mustangs is the Susie Maxwell Berning Invitational hosted by Oklahoma in Norman, Okla., starting Oct. 15.
