Women’s golf captures 5th in season opener

The Troy women’s golf team opened its season with a fifth-place overall finish in the USA Intercollegiate held at the Magnolia Grove Crossings Golf Course in Mobile.

The women’s team is made up of juniors Bianca Lohbauer, Sarah Harrison, Lindsey Harrison, Antonia Poate, Bria Jansen and Abby Parks, along with freshmen Eva Fabricius-Bjerre and Kailey Powell.

They are led by Head Coach Randy Keck, who was hired nine days prior to the start of the 2017 season. Keck took over for former Head Coach Bart Barnes, who moved to the helm of the men’s golf program back in August.

Lohbauer finished Monday’s final round with an overall score of 1-over, which put her in a tie for ninth place. She bounced back after a bogey on her first hole by shooting a 2-under after 3 birdies on the front nine. Shortly thereafter, she scored yet another birdie on the 13th hole which led her to a score of 3-under. However, a bogey on the 17th hole dropped her score to 2-over for the round.

In her debut as a Trojan, Sarah Harrison finished the tournament tied for 12th place with a score of 2-over. She scored one birdie and two bogeys in her final round of play.

Lindsey Harrison finished the tournament tied for 23rd place after shooting two birdies on the final three holes of play to turn in an overall score of 8-over. Fabricius-Bjerre finished in a tie for 31st place with a score of 10-over, and Jansen tied for 50th place with a score of 18-over. Poate finished strong with a round of 3-over thanks to a pair of birdies to finish the tournament tied for 37th place. Finally, Parks finished in a tie for 60th place.

“I saw a good, competitive spirit this weekend, but we have a lot of work to do,” said Head Coach Randy Keck after Monday’s final day of competition. “Our fitness level is not where it needs to be, and our golf is not where it needs to be.

“The team chemistry is amazing; it is a group of young ladies who really care about each other. For the first tournament of the year and coming in without a head coach for the first few weeks of school, I am excited about what I saw this weekend.”

The next time that the Trojans’ women’s golf team will play will be Oct. 1-3 in the Magnolia Invitational, which will be co-hosted by Ole Miss and Mississippi State. The tournament will be held in West Point, Mississippi.