Reinaldo Llerena / Staff Writer
reinaldo.llerena@fiusm.com
The FIU women’s golf team placed fifth at the 8th annual Johnie Imes Invitational in Columbia, Missouri. The invitational was held from Sept. 28-29 at The Club at Old Hawthorne. FIU came into the invitational as the 56th-ranked team in the country.
The first day of competition at the invitational saw competitors tackle 36 holes in one day. The Panthers came out strong in their opening rounds. After the first day, FIU was in eighth place out of 18 teams. But, the team scored low on the final day. FIU placed fifth at the invitational with a combined score of 871 (+5).
Meghan MacLaren posted FIU’s lowest rounds of the season on day one, scoring a 2-under par 70 in the morning round and a 3-under par 69 in the afternoon round. MacLaren birdied eight holes on the day to pace the Panthers. After day one, MacLaren was sixth on the individual scoreboard at 5-under par.
In her final round, MacLaren had five birdies as opposed to three bogeys. Her second 2-under par round of the invitational allowed MacLaren to climb to fourth on the individual scoreboard at 7-under par, where she would finish.
Sophie Godley, who comes off of a hot start in the Golfweek Conference Challenge, played well on day one. Godley shot a 3-over par 75 in her morning round and shot a 2-over par 74 in the afternoon round to finish the day at 5-over par. She followed up day one with a 1-over par 73 in her final round. Godley finished the week at 6-over par in 38th place.
Carla Jane impressed in her morning round of day one. She birdied two holes and limited her mistakes to finish with an even-par 72. But, Jane did not remain consistent in her afternoon round. She had five bogeys on the day before doubling the par-3 16th. Jane’s inconsistencies plagued her final round as well. After a 1-under par front nine, Jane shot a 3-over back nine to finish with a 74 (+2). Jane finished the week with a total score of 225 (+9).
Katerina Krasova bounced back after a rough first tournament in Colorado. The sophomore from the Czech Republic shot a combined 1-over par for the week. A 3-under par 69 in her final round highlighted Krasova’s week. In her final round, Krasova scored four birdies in her final round to offset the one bogey she carded on her front nine. Krasova finished the week at 3-over par in 27th place.
Camila Serrano struggled with consistency at the tournament. The 2014 Conference USA Freshman of the Year has had a rough start to the season. Her 3-over par second round was the highlight of the junior’s weekend. As of Sept. 29, Serrano’s scoring average for the season sits at 76.17, a far cry from 2014, when she led the team with a 73.76 scoring average. She will have to work on her consistency as the season goes on. Serrano finished the week with a total score of 229 (+13).
Next up, FIU will head back to Colorado to compete in the Ron Moore Women’s Invitational. The invitational will be held from Oct. 9-11 at the Highlands Ranch Golf Club in Littleton. FIU has never competed in the Ron Moore Invitational.
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