Reinaldo Llerena / Staff Writer
reinaldo.llerena@fiusm.com
The women’s golf team struggled in its first tournament of the year, the Golfweek Conference Challenge. The challenge was held from Monday, Sept. 21 to Wednesday, Sept. 23 at the Fazio Course at the Red Sky Golf Club in Wolcott, Colorado. FIU placed 12 out of 17 schools and finished the week with a team total of 56 over par across its three rounds of play.
Meghan MacLaren placed well in the individual portion of the tournament, finishing at seven over par to tie for 17th place in the challenge. After a disappointing 5-over-par first round, MacLaren bounced back in her subsequent rounds. Over her final two rounds, MacLaren shot a combined 2-over par to close out the tournament at 7-over par.
If there was an award for the most consistent player of the week, then the award would go to Camila Serrano. The junior from Colombia shot three consecutive four-over par rounds and finished tied for 36th place at 12-over par.
Sophie Godley, the number five starter, had the lowest round of the weekend for the Panthers. The senior from the United Kingdom shot a 1-under par 71 in the final round of competition. However, Godley struggled in her first two rounds. In her first round, Godley came in with a 10-over par 82. She improved on day two, but the senior shot a 9-over par 81. So, even though Godley had the lowest round of the week for the team, her inconsistencies in the first two rounds offset her impressive final round. As a result, Godley finished in a tie for 57th place at 18-over par.
Katerina Krasova struggled in the Conference Challenge. The sophomore from the Czech Republic, who averaged a 76.14 scoring average last year, was unable to score lower than a 6-over par 78 over the course of the tournament. Krasova’s below-average performance in the challenge netted her an 83rd place finish at 29 over par. Expect Krasova to bounce back in the next tournament.
Carla Jane could not get into a rhythm, either. The senior from Chile, who posted a 76.50 scoring average last year, tied for 69th place at 22 over par. Like Krasova, expect Jane to bounce back in the next tournament after posting below-average scores in last week’s competition.
Notably absent from the tournament was Coralia Arias. FIU’s second-best golfer from a year ago did not make the trip to Colorado.
The women’s golf team hopes to rebound at the 8th annual Johnie Imes Invitational in Columbia, Missouri on Monday, Sept. 28. The Club at Old Hawthorne will host the invitational. In last year’s invitational, the Panthers tied for third as a team with a combined score of 2-under par. Last year, MacLaren and Serrano paced the team with individual scores of 4-under par and 2-under par, respectively. If there is one tournament to look forward to after a struggling, the Johnie Imes Invitational is that tournament for the Panthers.
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