Lady Bulldogs Finished Second, McDonald and Tse Post Top 5 Cards
The 27-over 891 clip ties for the fifth-best tournament score turned in by a Lady Bulldog squad and the second-place finish is the best since the 2006 Maroon and White group's second-place card in the Pinehurst Challenge.
For the first time since the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons, the Lady Bulldogs have posted Top 3 finishes in back-to-back years. Ginger Brown-Lemm's team shared a third-place finish at the 2010 Price's Give 'Em Five Invitational.
"It is very exciting to see us mature out there," Brown-Lemm said. "Ally and Rica played exceptionally well. They never gave up and played their last four holes today 3-under. Finishing and fighting until the end is how you beat teams ranked 35 spots better than you nationally. I hope it is a glimpse of things to come."
The second- and fourth-place finishes notched by McDonald and Tse marks the first time two Lady Bulldog freshmen have turned in Top 5 finishes in the same event.
McDonald's 4-under-par is the second-best 54-hole score in State's history and becomes the first freshman to issue back-to-back-to-back under-par rounds for the Lady Bulldogs.
"I am so proud of the performance of every to get this second-place finish," the Fulton-native said. "Records are being broken, and we will only keep going up from here. We had a great tournament and look forward to carrying everything into our next event."
Tse turned in the best event of her young career with a final-round 70 to pull even for the event at 216. With her first-round 69, she becomes the second player in the Brown-Lemm era to finish 18 holes in under 70 strokes. Erika Thornton turned a 69 in the 2010 Price's Give 'Em Five Invitational.
"We will start a 'Dawgs in the 60's Club' for individuals that shoot in the 60's, and Rica Tse will be our inaugural member!"
MSU's third freshman Elena Warren narrowly missed handing in her best tournament. Her first round 72 highlighted the Austin, Texas, native's 236.
Entering the week, the freshman trio was ranked as the ninth-best freshman class in the nation according to Golfstat.com's Freshman Impact Rankings.
Battling an injured should, Mary Langdon Gallagher persevered to post a 4-over-par 76 during Tuesday's final round. The sophomore, who finished fifth in this event a year ago, carded a 234.
Senior Perry Katherine Furr finished a 76-81 in the final two rounds after having her first-round card disqualified because it was not signed.
"We have so much work to do with our young squad in the 4th and 5th positions, but that is what building is," Brown-Lemm said. "I'm so proud of our team effort, and we all learned valuable lessons out there with the 36 (holes)-18 (holes) format. "
Maryland claimed a six-stroke victory in the John Kirk/Panther Intercollegiate. Ranked over 30 spots ahead of MSU, the Terrapins used a second-round 5-over-par 293 to steal the lead from the Lady Bulldogs.
East Tennessee State Buc Gabriella Wahl card a 70-70-71=209 to claim individual honors over McDonald.
MSU returns to action on April 6 at the Lady Rebel Intercollegiate hosted by in-state Rival Ole Miss in Oxford.
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John Kirk/Panther IntercollegiateThird Round - March 27, 2011
TEAM RESULTS
1. Maryland (295-293-297=885,
+21); 2. Mississippi State (289-303-299=891, +27); 3. East Tennessee St. (296-289-307=892,
+28); 4. Campbell (296-296-303=895, +31); 5. Western Carolina (297-300-299=896,
+32); 6. Furman (299-300-304=903, +39); 7. Jacksonville St. (303-295-309=907,
+43); 8. Murray State (299-304-312=915, +51); 9. Georgia State (311-297-313=921,
+57); 10. Nova Southeastern (311-318-311=940, +76); 11. Daytona State College (304-328-328=960,
+96);
MSU INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
2. Ally McDonald 70+71+71=212, -4
4. Rica Tse 69+76+71=216,
E
T33. Mary Langdon Gallagher 78+79+76=234, +18
T37. Elena Warren 72+80+84=236, +20
59. Perry Katherine Furr DQ+76+81=DQ, +13
