Christy Siegel shot a collegiate low round of 83 and Stephanie Mingos carded an 80 to lead the Lynx to a team score of 348 and a 4th place finish in the 2009 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship played at Tunica National Golf Club in Tunica, MS. Marianne Galligan-Oltman carded her 2nd consecutive 86 to conclude her career as a Lynx.
Stephanie Mingos' 80 in the final round left her in a tie for 3rd and earned her 1st-Team All SCAC honors. "This spring, with the exception of a round or two, Stephanie's ball striking has been a little erratic. Her scores in 2009 have been about the same as in 2008 because her course management, chipping and putting have been good. I'm convinced her best golf this spring is still ahead of her. Hopefully she'll get an invitation to the NCAA tournament," said Coach Clary. The NCAA tournament field will be announced on Monday evening, May 4.
"The wind blew 20-25 miles per hour with gusts up to 40 miles per hour for three days at Tunica National. It's always windy in North Mississippi, but the wind during the tournament was really tough." said Coach Clary.
Rhodes shot 374 in the 1st round, then improved to 356 in round 2, before shooting 348 in the final round to overtake Trinity and finish 4th. "Our team played very focused for three days, but we just didn't have our A games. Christy's 83 was a great round and indicates how she's capable of playing," said Coach Clary.
"Marianne was recently accepted to Rhodes Masters in Accounting program for the 2009-2010 academic year, so she's going to serve as an Assistant Coach for the Women's team next year," said Coach Clary. "Marianne has so much to offer young players on how to stay committed and focused. She had to deal with a lot of issues coming from Los Angelos to Memphis to attend Rhodes. Marianne will tell you her Rhodes experience has been a blast, but she's had some bumps along the road too. So she will be a great mentor to our young players next year," said Coach Clary.
Though they both had a tough SCAC tournament, both Nicole Jones and Jami King improved immensely during the 2008-09 season. "As a freshman, Nicole shot in the 80's three (3) times. This year she had six (6) rounds in the 80's and carded her collegiate low round of 78. Nicole's goal will be to improve her consistency and course management," said Coach Clary. "Jami's ball striking improved tremendously in 2008-09. She carded her collegiate low round of 89 in the fall and she scored consistently with five (5) rounds from 90-95. In order for Jami to consistently shoot from 85-92 she must improve her short game and putting. I have no doubt Jami will work at her game," said Coach Clary.
Catherine Casey and Ansley Blalock traveled to Tunica National on Sunday to support their Rhodes teammates. "I was sitting on 18 watching our team finish the 1st nine and Catherine and Ansley were with me. It was neat seeing the smiles of our participating players as they visited with Catherine and Ansley," said Coach Clary. "One of the special attributes of our team is how close our players are. Marianne and Stephanie did a great job of leading our team as Co-Captains this year and developing great chemistry on the team."
