LOXLEY, Ala. — The South Alabama women’s golf team finished sixth at the Sun Belt Conference Championship on Wednesday, carding a 311 in the final round at Steelwood Country Club for a two-round total of 617.
Inclement weather limited the championship to two rounds. South Alabama posted rounds of 306 and 311 to finish at 41-over par.
Troy Claims Team Title
Troy won the championship with a team score of 593, shooting 301 in the first round and 292 in the second to finish at 17-over par. Texas State placed second at plus-29, and Arkansas-Little Rock was third at plus-31.
Arkansas-Little Rock’s Stina Resen earned medalist honors, shooting 72-70 for a 2-under-par total of 142.
Final team standings
- 1. Troy, +17
- 2. Texas State, +29
- 3. Arkansas-Little Rock, +31
- 4. Appalachian State, +36
- 5. Georgia State, +40
- 6. South Alabama, +41
- 7. Arkansas State, +44
- 8. Louisiana-Monroe, +47
Hagen Leads Jaguars in Final Event
Senior Ingrid Hagen, the only senior on the South Alabama roster, led the Jaguars in her final collegiate event. After leading the team in the first round, she shot 78 in the second round and finished tied for 15th in the 40-player field with a 153 total.
Hagen struggled on the front nine Wednesday but made four birdies on the back nine.
“I started off a little rough with a lot of bogeys, but I made the turn determined to finish strong,” Hagen said. “I made up my mind to go low and everything rolled in from there.”
She said her iron play set up several scoring chances, including a birdie on No. 2 and a chip-in on the next par 3.
Rest of the Lineup
Caroline Beebe shot 76-78 for a 154 and tied for 18th. Carianne Wright, at 77-78, and freshman Madison Connell, at 78-77, each finished at 155 to tie for 21st. Beebe and Wright each shot 6-over-par 78 in the final round, while Connell carded a 5-over 77.
Freshman Kaeli Jones shot 79-80 for a 159 and finished 31st.
Jackson Cites Mental Progress
Head coach TJ Jackson said the team showed improvement in its mental approach, even if the scores were higher than the Jaguars wanted.
“The weather finally cooperated, and I thought the girls gave it a really good effort,” Jackson said. “All year we’ve been working on getting mentally tough, and they showed that today even though the score doesn’t reflect it.”
Jackson pointed to Hagen’s back-nine rebound as an example for the team.
“Ingrid is a senior and she knows what to do,” Jackson said. “She didn’t get down on herself, she played that ‘one-shot-at-a-time’ cliché that we’re always talking about and made some birdies coming in.”
With Hagen the lone senior, the Jaguars return the rest of the lineup, including freshmen Connell and Jones. Jackson said he is looking ahead to next season.
“We’ve got some young players who can play,” Jackson said. “I’m ready for next year already.”
