For the first tournament of the year, the Kennesaw State women’s golf team traveled to Wolcott, Colorado, to compete in the Golfweek Challenge from Monday, Sept. 23, to Wednesday, Sept. 25.
While all five KSU players performed well this weekend, one had a particularly successful tournament. Freshman Meva Schmit of Bali, Indonesia, tied for eighth overall by shooting a total of 211 for the week.
In her first collegiate competition, Schmit finished in the top 10 and led her team in scoring. She also scored lower than any other player on par 4 holes, shooting an average of 3.77 strokes.
Schmit’s display at the tournament did not go unnoticed, as she received the Atlantic Sun Conference Women’s Golfer of the Week award on Thursday, Sept. 26.
“Meva was amazing this week and I couldn’t be happier for her,” head coach Rhyll Brinsmead said. “She has put the work in and executed like a seasoned pro.”
The 54-hole Golfweek Challenge tournament featured 16 universities from across the United States.
After three days, the Owls finished seventh overall with a team score of 8-over-par. KSU finished ahead of several major programs, and four players finished within the top 50 individual scorers.
“I am so proud of the team for their play this week,” Brinsmead said. “To pick up quality wins over ranked opponents in our first event is an ideal way to kick start the fall season.”
Four of the team’s five members are first-year players, including three freshmen. The overall inexperience at the college level did not seem to matter, as they played consistently and kept mistakes to a minimum.
Junior Tai Anudit finished tied for 24th for the week, finishing strongly with a team-high final day score of 69. After finishing at even-par Monday and 6-over on Tuesday, Anudit ran up the leaderboard on Wednesday at 3-under for the day.
The Owls have flourished under Brinsmead and will look to continue such success in 2019. The golf team has won four conference titles under her watch, while six individual golfers have been named conference Golfer of the Year, according to KSU Athletics.
Last season, KSU won the Magnolia Invitational, the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic and its second consecutive ASUN Conference championship. This year’s young team has proven itself to be capable of building on last year’s success.
The Owls’ next tournament is the Illini Women’s Invitational, hosted by Medinah Country Club in Medinah, Illinois, from Oct. 7 to Oct. 8.
