SANDESTIN, Fla. – Ansley Bowman matched her career low with a 2-under 69 in Tuesday's final round, and the Georgia Southern women's golf team finished third at the Sun Belt Championship at Raven Golf Club.
It's the Eagles' best finish in the conference championship in the three-year history of the program, one spot better than the fourth-place outing at the 2015 tourney at the Raven Club. GS also finished ahead of Georgia State, giving the Eagles a point in the Southern vs. State Rivalry Series, which State leads 11.5-2.5.
Bowman tied for third to earn a spot on the Sun Belt All-Tournament Team. It was the best finish for an Eagle at the conference championship and the best finish of the junior's career.
Natalie Petersen carded a 74 today, and
Ella Ofstedahl shot a 75.
Julianna Collett posted a 79, and
Sarah Noonan finished with an 80. Sparked by a 71 which tied for the lowest round Sunday, Collett tied for 20th along with Ofstedahl.
Coastal Carolina won the tournament, and Troy finished second, eight shots ahead of the Eagles.
The story
The Eagles put together a solid back nine as a team with the quintet combining to shoot 5-over on the final nine holes of the tournament with nine birdies.
Bowman shot 34 on the back with a clean card to go along with birdies on 11 and 15. She made par on her first two holes of the day and posted consecutive birdies on 3 and 4 en route to shooting an even 35 on the front.
Ofstedahl made par on eight of nine holes on the front and played her first 13 holes even with birdies at 10 and 13.
Petersen tied Bowman for the team lead with four birdies in the round and shot 35 on the back nine. She birdied 12 in a stretch of six straight holes with par or better and made birdie at 16 and 18 to shoot 2-under on her final three holes of the tourney.
Quotables from head coach Emily Kuhfeld
"I'm very proud of the effort the team gave today to buckle down and finish the season with a good round. The girls worked so hard and came a long way this year to finish a program-best third place at this event!"
"Ansley showed great bounce back and resilience with a 69 and third-place finish, and the whole team showed great support for each other and had fun all week."
"We are excited about the promise this young team shows and are looking forward to the fall already! Thank you Eagle Nation for your support!"
Next up
The entire roster returns for the Eagles next season, and Bowman will be the lone senior. Collett and Ofstedahl will be juniors, while Petersen and Noonan will be sophomores. Bowman, Ofstedahl, Petersen and Noonan competed in every tournament this season, and Collett was in the lineup for all six events in the spring.
