Women's Golf Takes Fifth At Rio Verde Invitational

RIO VERDE, AZ -- Freshman Sophie Korthuijs concluded the best tournament of her rookie campaign by shooting -1 (71) Sunday to finish tied for fourth overall with a score of -1 (215) at the Rio Verde Invitational on the White Wing Course at Rio Verde CC.

Korthuijs' effort helped the Cardinals earn a fifth-place finish among the 21-team field with a score of +30 (894). Ball State was also the top Mid-American Conference program in the field, topping Central Michigan (6th at 895), Ohio (10th at 907), Akron (11th at 909), Bowling Green (14th at 916) and Western Michigan (20th at 923).

"It was a good week out in the desert," head coach Cameron Andry said. "This was a breakout performance for Sophie. It's not surprising to those of us who see her work every single day. Hard work doesn't always yield results right away, so it is especially satisfying to see her begin to cash in on the daily deposits she's been making all season. She was disciplined and poised all week."

Korthuijs started her second collegiate round under par with eight straight pars, before making eagle on the par-5, 485-yard 12. She added a birdie on the next hole to briefly move to three-under on the day. While she would bogey three of the next six holes to fall back to even, she collected her second birdie of the day on the par-5 second and closed with par to finish at -1 (71).

In her run to a fourth-place finish among the field of 104-player field, Korthuijs tied for fifth among the field with a par 4 average of 3.92 (-2), while tying for fifth on the par 5s with a 4.80 (-3) average. One of just six players to card an eagle over the course of the tournament, Korthuijs also finished the tournament with seven total birdies and 37 total pars.

Junior Madelin Boyd turned in Ball State's second-lowest round over the tournament's final 18 holes at +2 (74). She picked up birdies on both the par-4 11th and par-4 15th. She also threw in 12 pars. Overall, she finished the tournament tied for 59th with a score of +14 (230).

Junior Sarah Gallagher was only one stroke back on the day, shooting +3 (75) in her final round. She carded four birdies and eight pars over the course of the day and finished the tournament with five total birdies and tied for 34th overall at +9 (225).

"Maddy really bounced back today with a very solid round.," Andry said. "She managed her game well and was strong mentally. Sarah was steady as always. She's such a tough-minded competitor and you always know you're getting her absolute best."

Rounding out Ball State's efforts on the day were a +5 (77) from junior Jasmine Driscoll and a +6 (78) from sophomore JJ Gregston. Driscoll carded one birdie on the day, while Gregston collected two.

Driscoll finished the tournament second on the squad and tied for 28th overall at +8 (224), while Gregston tied for 80th overall at +19 (235).

"Jasmine just couldn't get any putts to fall until she finally saw one drop for the birdie on her last hole, but there was a lot of positive to take away from her performance," Andry added. "JJ had a rough week, but she showed a lot of grit and fight down the stretch today. She'll re-tool and be ready for Puerto Rico."

Over the course of the three-day tournament, Ball State tied for third among the field with a par 4 average of 4.12 (+14) and tied for sixth with a par 5 average of 5.09 (+7). BSU also tied for fifth among the field with 168 total pars, to go along with 28 total birdies.

California Baptist won the event as a team with a score of E (864), led by event winner Pusanisa Ekkantrong who shot -9 (207) over the course of the three-day event.

Up next for the Ball State women's golf team, the Puerto Rico Shootout hosted by Ball State on the Flamboyan Course at the Wyndham Palmas Golf & Beach Resort in Humacao, Puerto Rico. Action in the three-day event runs March 4-6, with shotgun starts at 8:30 a.m. ET / 7:30 a.m. AT on Tuesday and Wednesday, followed by an 8 a.m. ET / 7 a.m. AT start Thursday.

Players Mentioned

Madelin Boyd

Jasmine Driscoll

Sarah Gallagher

JJ Gregston

Sophie Korthuijs

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