Charleston Southern University Athletics
Wendy''s Invitational
10/7/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
CHARLESTON, S.C. - Charleston Southern sophomore Shelby Thompson held off a late charge from College of Charleston's Laura Fuenfstueck to take medalist honors in leading the Buccaneers to a second place overall finish at the Wendy's Invitational held at the Rivertowne Country Club.
Thompson was the lone player on the final day to finish under par as the Unrichsville, Ohio native carded a final round 70 to hold off Fuenfstueck in closing out the championship run. She finished her tournament run on the final day with five birdies to close out the two day, 54-hole event with a final score of 215, 1-under par.
"It was fantastic to see Shelby win this tournament," said CSU women's golf head coach Matt Cram-Smith. "She has been knocking on the door of putting together a tournament like this for a while and it was so great that she played how she did today. I know this is the first of many great tournaments for her."
"At first, when coach asked how I felt, I told him I was calm. Then it hit me...I had just won my first college tournament," said Thompson on winning the Wendy's Invitational. "I am extremely proud that I was able to put three good rounds together. It's a great accomplishment and a great start to my sophomore year. I'm also proud of how well my teammates played. The future for our team is looking bright, and I'm excited for our next tournament."
As a team, the Bucs finished 20 strokes behind champion CofC, carding a three round total of 895 for their first podium finish of the 2014 fall season.
"As a team, we left it all out there this week," commented Cram-Smith. "Bella and Hayley really played well. Hayley was really good and just didn't quite finish her rounds off how she wanted as did Bella, but there were a lot of positives out there for everyone really."
Individually, Bella Johnson finished inside the top 10, while Hayley McNeil, Savannah Hallman and Emelie Flink all contributed to the Bucs' best finish so far in the 2014 season. Additionally, Milleina Ohara and Hannah Barger also took on the field as individuals.
"Milleina playing as an individual did really well for her first tournament and she is now getting her game closer to where we need it to be," Cram-Smith said. "Overall, this was another positive week for us finishing second and shooting a few decent scores. The girls will be even more ready for next week in Jacksonville."
Johnson finished ninth overall in the tournament, finishing the three rounds with a final score of 223, 7-over. She carded a final round score of 75, finishing with birdies on 9, 12 and 14 on the round.
McNeil finished tied for 13th overall with a final round score of 74, while Hallman (t-26th) and Flink (t-34) both closed out the tournament for the Bucs.
Ohara, playing as an individual, finished tied for 13th overall and wrapped up the tournament with a final round 75. Barger finished 25th overall with a final total 236.
CofC's Fuenfstueck made a late charge with three consecutive birdies on holes 11, 12, and 13, but fell two strokes short in her final round 73 to finish second overall at 1-over par. Tennessee Tech's Madalyn Everts finished third, while CofC's Julia Neumann, C.C. Buford and Bethune-Cookman's Jennifer Hide finished in a three-way tie for fourth overall.
CofC took the team title at the Wendy's Invitational, while CSU, Bethune-Cookman, Tennessee Tech and Longwood rounded out the top five teams.
Charleston Southern returns to action next week as the Bucs travel to Jacksonville, Fla., to take on the field at the Jacksonville University Classic. The two-day event takes place on October 13-14 at the Marsh Landing Country Club.
