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OWENS CROSS ROADS, Ala. – Murray State pulled away from Eastern Kentucky on Wednesday to capture the 2017 Ohio Valley Conference Women’s Golf Championship Wednesday at The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Hampton Cove just outside Huntsville.
The Racers were tied with Eastern Kentucky after the first round and began the final 18 holes with a three-shot lead over the two-time defending champions. But MSU slowly pulled away to claim its OVC record 10th Women’s Golf Championships (1997, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2014, 2017).
With the victory, Murray State earned the OVC's automatic bid into the NCAA Championship. The 2017 field will be announced on Thursday, April 27 on the Golf Channels' Morning Drive program that airs from 10-11 a.m. CT. The NCAA Regionals will be held May 8-10 and take place in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Athens, Georgia, Lubbock, Texas and Columbus, Ohio. Following the Regionals the National Championship will be held May 19-24 at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Illinois.
Murray State shattered the previous OVC Championship team score of 888 established by Eastern Kentucky a year ago. The Racers combined for a three-round total of 866 (+2) to top the two-time defending champion Colonels by 10 shots. Eastern Kentucky’s total of 876 (+12) was 10 shots better than the previous record it established a season ago while Jacksonville State finished at 888 (+24) which tied the old record.
Austin Peay and Belmont tied for fourth place (+56), while Tennessee Tech was sixth (+62) and followed by Morehead State (+69), Eastern Illinois (+137) and Tennessee State (+152).
Murray State junior
Moa Folke repeated as Medalist, becoming the first OVC women’s golfer to do so since the Racers’ Jenny Daag accomplished the feat in 1998 and 1999. Folke set a new OVC Championship record with a total of 208 (-5) to win by three shots. The junior was tied for sixth after the first day after a triple bogey on the final hole of that round. But she rebounded with a OVC record round of 66 (-6) on Tuesday and capped the Championship with a 69 (-3) on Wednesday. It marks the eighth time a Murray State player has captured medalist honors.
Folke was also voted OVC Player of the Year by the league head coaches following the final round. The All-OVC selection finished the tournament with a stroke average of 73.6 over 33 rounds this season including seven top five finishes. It marked the eighth time a Murray State player has been voted OVC Player of the Year and first since Delaney Howson in 2014.
The All-Tournament Team, which is comprised of the top five finishers included Folke, Eastern Kentucky’s
Elsa Moberly, Jacksonville State’s
Valentina Giraldo, Murray State’s
Linette Holmslykke and Eastern Kentucky’s
Sofie Levin. Each of the five had previously been named All-OVC selections.
Murray State’s
Velvet Milkman was named the Bobby Nichols OVC Coach of the Year in a vote of league head coaches. The award is named in honor of the late Nichols, the former Tennessee Tech golf coach and OVC Hall of Famer. It marks the 11th time Milkman has been named Coach of the Year which is an OVC record.
The final round was delayed 41 minutes with three groups remaining to finish the round due to lightning.
Murray State’s victory was its fourth tournament victory in a row. All five individuals placed in the Top 14 overall with Folke (208, -8) and Holmslykke (214, -2) finishing in the top four. OVC Freshman of the Year
Lucila Puente Rodriguez finished eighth overall after a three-round total of 221 (+5).
Eastern Kentucky’s second-place finish marked the fifth year in a row the Colonels have finished in the top two at the OVC Championship. Moberly carded a final round of 73 (+1) to finish her first OVC Championship at 211 (-5), which was three shots off the lead. Levin finished in fifth place with a total of 219 (+3) while freshman
Samantha Sandland was sixth (220, +4).
Jacksonville State’s final round total of 291 was the fifth-lowest 18-hole total in its program’s history while its team total of 888 was the third-lowest in program history. Giraldo was third overall (213, -3 while
Karina Kukkonen and
Pia Ohlenbusch tied for ninth (223, +7).
Austin Peay’s team total of 920 was its top three-round score at the OVC Championship.
Taylor Goodley had a final round score of 73 (+1) to finish in a tie for ninth with a 54-hole total of 223 (+7).
Belmont’s
Abbie Gregory finished tied for sixth overall, just one shot out of fifth place. She finished the Championship with a three-round total of 220 (+4).
Hollee Sadler was the top finisher for Tennessee Tech, finishing tied for 14th place (227, +11).
Allyson Dunn had the low round of the day for the Golden Eagles with a 73 (+1) to finish in 21st place.
Anna Magnusson capped her Morehead State career with a 17th place finish (229, +13).
Anne Bahr capped the Championship with a score of 79 (+7) on Wednesday to finish at 243 (+27) which put her in a tie for 30th.
Chloe Wong had the Panthers low round of the day (78, +6) and finished 35th (247, +31).
Tennessee State wrapped up play at the OVC Championship with a final round combined score of 339.
Morgan Rood led the Tigers with a three-round total of 249 (+33).
For the week the course played 6,050 yards and was a par 72.
The OVC men's golf championship is next on the schedule and will take beginning Monday morning at the Robert Trent Jones Trail at The Shoals in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.
OVC All-Tournament Team
Moa Folke, Murray State (MVP)
Elsa Moberly, Eastern Kentucky
Valentina Giraldo, Jacksonville State
Linette Holmslykke, Murray State
Sofie Levin, Eastern Kentucky
Bobby Nichols OVC Coach of the Year: Velvet Milkman, Murray State
OVC Player of the Year: Moa Folke, Murray State
OVC Freshman of the Year: Lucila Puente Rodriguez, Murray State