After sweeping both the team and individual titles at the Spartan Sun Coast Invitational, Northwestern faced a stacked field at the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate, finishing ninth at 26-over par. The ‘Cats competed against 11 top-25 teams at Long Cove Club in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, where No. 9 Texas claimed the team championship at 2-over, and Texas junior Farah O’Keefe won the individual title at 7-under.
The Wildcats started the tournament off on a rough start, posting a 13-over par
day that left the ‘Cats back well back in the field. Senior Dianna Lee, who was coming off an individual title at the Spartan Sun Coast Invitational, finished at an even-par on the par-71 layout that served as the team’s best score of the day. Megan Meng added a 3-over day while Hsin Tai Lin and Lauren E. Lee both shot 5-over. Ashley Yun had the group’s toughest day, carding a 6-over par as Northwestern was chasing the leaders early.
The ‘Cats bounced back on day two, posting the team’s best performance going 5-over. However, Lee struggled on the day, going 6-over 77 which was dropped as the team’s fifth score. Meng and Yun stepped up in her place, matching with an even-par 71s. Meng’s five birdies were offset by five bogeys, while Yun fought back in the back-nine going 2-under with three birdies. Lauren E. Lee contributed a 2-over 73 and Tai Lin rounded out the top four counting scores with a 3-over 74.
In the final round, Northwestern was unable to make a significant move up the standings, wrapping up the tournament shooting 8-over. Yun delivered the best performance of the tournament on Wednesday, closing out the tournament with a 1-under 70: the only Wildcat to have a sub-par round. Lee was able to get back in the top-4 for Northwestern, but was unable to go under-par for the week with a final round of 4-over 75. Meng’s 2-over 73 and Tai Lin’s 3-over 74 rounded out the four counting scores. Lauren E. Lee’s 5-over 76 was dropped.
Individually, Lee finished the tournament tied for 48th at 10-over, an uncharacteristic week for one of the nation’s top-ranked amateurs. Meng and Yun each tied for the teams best performers at 26th going 5-over, with Yun’s closing 70 the highlight of the week. Tai Lin tied for 52nd at 11-over, while Lauren E. Lee finished tied for 58th at 12-over.
The standings reflected the difficulty of one of the toughest fields Northwestern will face all spring. Seven top-25 teams finished ahead of the ‘Cats, with unranked Florida State and No. 8 Arkansas rounding out the top-3 behind Texas.
Up next, Lee will have a chance to bounce back at the course where she got her first career victory with the Wildcats heading west for the PING/ASU Invitational in Phoenix, AZ on March 23-25.
