After the first 18 holes of the Suntrust Lady Gator tournament in Gainesville, Fla., the Wildcats were at the top of their game – tied for third, two strokes ahead of No. 6 Auburn and only two strokes behind No. 7 University of Alabama.
However, in the toughest competition of the season, a rough third round dropped the Cats to seventh place overall.
“Our first round was great,” freshman Kylie Fuller said. “We had really bad conditions with lots of wind and rain, but we were really focused.”
Fuller and freshman Alexandra Lederhausen led the Cats through the first round, shooting a 3-over 73 and a 5-over 75, respectively.
NU picked up a few strokes in the second round but maintained its intensity, finishing sixth place after the first 36 holes. Sophomore Rebecca Lederhausen led the Cats, shooting a 4-over 74 and ending the day 14-over 154.
“The second round was definitely my best round of the tournament,” Rebecca Lederhausen said. “I had to fight hard for par throughout the tournament, but my short game was definitely much better in the second round.”
Fuller and Alexandra Lederhausen held the highest finishes on the day, tied for 19th at 13-over 153. Coach Emily Fletcher said performances like that kept NU in the hunt for a top finish.
“The girls really hung in there for the first two rounds,” Fletcher said. “We got ourselves in a position to get a top-three finish, and we played well. There were really tough conditions, but they hung in there mentally.”
While focus was the team’s greatest strength in the first two rounds, it proved to be the Cats’ downfall in the final round. Much of that had to do with unfavorable weather.
“Conditions on the second day were difficult but not as bad as the first day, ” Fletcher said. “There was not as much wind, but it was blowing in multiple directions, making things more challenging for the girls.”
The Cats shot a 39-over 319 in the final round, dropping them from sixth to seventh to end the tournament at 94-over 934.Rebecca Lederhausen posted the top score again for the Cats, shooting a 8-over 78 in the third round. She finished 22nd overall with a score of 22-over 232. Her sister Alexandra was not far behind, tying for 27th-place with a 23-over 233 – three strokes ahead of Fuller and sophomore Innapha Tantanavivat.
“We’re still pleased with our overall finish,” Fuller said. “We just need to work on getting more consistent and playing well all three games rather than having one iffy round.”
This was the Cats’ first time playing in the SunTrust Lady Gator, and the competition was steep. There were three top 10 teams for NU to compete with, and, even with an “iffy” final round, they proved they could hold their own.
“This tournament was a good confidence booster for us,” Rebecca Lederhausen said. “We now know that we can play with the top teams.”
