An impressive final round from the Texas A&M women’s golf team propelled the Aggies to a third-place finish at the ICON Invitational, which concluded Tuesday at the Woodlands Country Club. The Aggies scored a team total of 5-under 283 on Tuesday that moved them past No. 1 Texas to finish in third-place behind No. 5 Kent State and Purdue.
The Aggies resurgence in the final round was led by superb rounds from junior Amber Park and senior Courtney Dow. Park capped off a round of 3-under 69 with a hole out eagle from the fairway on the par-4 fifth hole. Dow’s final round scorecard was flawless with four birdies and 14 pars that resulted in the team’s tournament low score of 68.
A&M coach Andrea Gaston praised the team for staying focused and putting together a strong final round.
“You just have to stay in the moment,” Gaston said. “Every shot counts. We started to make some birdies late and then Amber made an eagle to wrap up her round. Those are the difference-makers that can really change the outcome of a tournament. I’m excited for the team. They all really hung in there. I’m proud of Courtney after her rough second round (on Monday). She just played a fantastic 68 and I’m proud of her being able to step up.”
A&M’s combined score over the three rounds was even par (291-290-283) at the par-72 Woodlands Country Club, which was 10 shots behind the tournament’s winner Kent State. The Aggies’ strong showing was evident on the tournament’s individual leaderboard as the team had four players finish inside the top 20.
Park had her best showing this season as she finished in a tie for ninth place at 1-under (74, 72, 69). Sophomore Brooke Tyree had a solid week as she finished the tournament in 14th place with a 1-over (75, 69, 73). Dow (74, 77, 68) and junior Ava Schwienteck (70,76,73) finished among 10 players who tied for 20th place at 3-over. Freshman Blanca Fernandez wasn’t far from the rest of team as she finished in 43rd place at 7-over (73,73,77)
The Aggies improved from their first tournament of the spring season, but improvements can still be made as Gaston said the team still has to come out with more confidence and refine their putting.
“Our ball-striking is as good as anybody’s,” Gaston said. “We need to get more efficient, more confident, but the real key for our team is going to come down to putting. I’m looking forward to working with them and building confidence with them as we head into our spring season. Our goal is to be in the finals at the NCAA Championships, so all we can do is take it one shot at a time.”
The team gets a little break before March 20-22 when they play in the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic in Athens, Georgia.