Women Place T5 at Darius Rucker Invitational

Amidst the strongest field in golf, the Lady ‘Dores finished T5 among 17 teams, 13 ranked, at the Darius Rucker Invitational this past weekend in Hilton Head, SC.

Courtney Zeng led the squad with a +3, 216 three day total. Zeng was the most consistent of the Commodores shooting 71, 73, 72 in consecutive rounds for a T10 individual finish. For complete scoring, check here.

Morgan Baxendale posted 80 on the first day then rebounded with a 69 on the second day and 73 on the last. Baxendale’s second round score was the only round under par for the Commodores in the entire tournament. It was also one of seven under par rounds for the day in the field.

Long Cove Club, the host course for the Rucker (I’m now calling it the Rucker), is a par 71 6,266 yard course yielding red numbers for only one team and a four individuals. It’s classic Pete Dye, who finds penal golf more interesting than fair golf. He is famous for forcing precision among players and not allowing his courses to yield low scores.

No hole played below the scoring average. The hardest hole, the 11th, a 346 yard par 4 played nearly a half stroke harder than the par suggests. Even the third hole, a 502 yard par 5 played over .2 strokes harder, which is remarkable because par fives are considered birdie holes for most elite amateurs, not average bogey holes.

No. 19 Florida State won the Rucker with a -2, 850. The Noles were the only under par team. The top five was rounded out by No. 10 USCe, No. 13 Wake Forest, No. 3 Duke, and No. 11 Auburn.

The Commodores will put the peg in the ground again on March 25 at the SDSU March Mayhem in Rancho Sante Fe, California.