Women's Golf Off to Solid Start at Red Raider Invitational

LUBBOCK, Texas - - It was another solid day for the Ball State women's golf squad, which turned in a pair of runs under its program record scoring average to close the 36-hole day of the Red Raider Invitational in fifth place at +18 (594).

"We played with great effort, focus, and discipline today," head coach Cameron Andry said. "At 6,815 yards, The Rawls Course is the longest course we will play all season, and when you add the complexity of the greens, it presents a great challenge. We rose to the occasion and competed very well!"

Host Texas Tech leads the 15-team event at +5 (581), while Houston Christian is second at +7 (583) and UTSA and Abilene Christian are tied for third at +9 (585). The Cardinals have a seven-stroke edge over sixth-place James Madison (+25, 601).

The Cardinals opened the day with a first-round team score of +11 (299), led by an even-par (72) from senior Sabrina Langerak. Langerak registered four birdies and four bogeys over her opening 12 holes, before finishing the round with six straight pars.

Langerak added four more birdies in her second round, a +2 (74) and is currently tied for 11th among the 84-golfer field with a score of +2 (146). In addition, her eight total birdies are tied for the tournament lead, while her par-5 average of -2 (4.75) is tied for sixth.

Ball State shaved four strokes off its team total in the second round, shooting a +7 (295). It was the team's third-lowest round of the season, with all eight rounds of the year coming under the program-record scoring average of 301.66 set last season.

Leading the Cardinals in the second round was reigning Mid-American Conference individual champion Jasmine Driscoll who tied Langerak for BSU's lowest round of the day at even-par (72). After bogeys on her opening two holes of the second round, Driscoll registered three straight birdies and followed with eight consecutive pars.

She added one more birdie to close her second tour of the course's back nine and is currently tied for 26th overall at +6 (150). Driscoll shot +6 (78) in her opening round, which included one birdie.

Fresh off her victory at the Brittany Kelly Classic, senior Sarah Gallagher shot +7 (151) and is tied for 33rd overall, with both her rounds of +4 (76) and +3 (75) counting in the team score. She carded three birdies, helping her rank second among the field in par-5 average at -3 (4.63), and a team-best 23 pars on the day.

The Cardinals also counted an opening-round +1 (73) from sophomore Sophie Korthuijs and a second-round +2 (74) from junior JJ Gregston. Korthuijs is tied for 26th at +6 (150), while Gregston is 60th at +13 (157).

"We got great play from everybody up and down the line up," Andry added. "Sabrina was fantastic today with her poise and competitiveness. Sophie, Jasmine, and Sarah were solid all day long, while JJ bounced back with a really solid round after a rough start."

Despite their length, Ball State continued to excel on the par-5s, tying for second among the 15-team field with a -4 (4.90) average. The Cardinals are also tied for the top spot with 27 total birdies.

The final round of the Red Raider Invitational is set to get underway at 9:15 a.m. ET / 8:15 a.m. CT back at The Rawls course. As the fifth-place team after the first two rounds, the Cardinals should start on holes 5-8 for the third straight round.

Women's Golf Off to Solid Start at Red Raider Invitational

Players Mentioned

Jasmine Driscoll

Sarah Gallagher

JJ Gregston

Sophie Korthuijs

Sabrina Langerak

Related Videos