Kate Matthew and Rachel Brown competed as individuals as the pair played in a two-day tournament at the Piedmont College Spring Invitational in Clarkesville, Georgia, this week. Matthews finished 9th overall on the leaderboard while Brown finished 17th overall. The Bruins didn't post a team score since they had only two golfers in the field.
"We had some challenges right before this tournament, and only two players ended up being able to come," Bruins Assistant Women's Golf Coach Christine Heath said. "However, Kate and Rachel really stepped up and didn't let any outside factors affect their game. They played well, and I can say that they were very consistent with how they handled the difficult course."
Matthews and Brown would be matched against seventeen other players in the tournament with Methodist University, Brenau University and host Piedmont College rounding out the tournament field. The two-day tournament would be played at the Orchard Golf & Country Club as weather conditions presented a great atmosphere for the tournament.
In the opening round, Matthews came out strong with several great shots and pars. Her best par of the day came on hole ten as she holed out off a chip from over forty feet away. Rachel Brown also played well hitting the fairway on nearly every one of her drives. As the opening round came to a close, Matthews finished with a score of 87 while Brown finished with a 108.
On Tuesday, the pair of Bruins came out looking to better their opening round scores. Matthews again had several great par saves in the round as she was calm and confident on the green to sink difficult putts.
Rachel Brown had a near-birdie on hole fifteen but her put rolled just past the hole forcing her to settle for a par. Both golfers were able to put themselves into position for birdies, but putts refused to fall resulting in several pars. As the final round came to a close, Matthews finished with the same score as the opening round with an 87 while Brown bettered her score by one stroke with a 107 in the final round.
"This course is probably the toughest to walk, since it is a mountain course," Coach Heath said. "The girls handled that with incredible stamina and strength. I am very proud of their effort and perseverance in this tournament."
Next up, the Bruins will compete in the Mountain Empire Intercollegiate April 12-13 in Elizabethton, Tennessee.
Tournament Results
