Feb. 19, 2008

Results

EAST LANSING, Mich. - The No. 23 Michigan State women's golf team withheld a final round push by No. 25 Texas A&M to win the 2008 Central District Invitational on Tuesday at the River Wilderness Golf Club in Parrish, Fla. The Spartans, who shot a final round 15-over par 303, posted a three-round total of 28-over par 892 (291-298-303), the second lowest score in the eight-year history of the tournament.

Senior Sara Brown won her second career tournament, topping the talented field by seven strokes. Her final round of even-par 72 brought her three-round total to four-under par 212 (70-70-72), the second best 54-hole score in Michigan State women's golf history. Brown is also the second Spartan to win the Central District Invitational, matching the performance of Stacy Snider in 2002, the only other year MSU won the team title.

Brown's five-stroke lead entering the morning quickly shrank as she scored a double-bogey and bogey among her first four holes, but she would settle down and pull away from the field. Over her next 13 holes, Brown was four-under, including an eagle on the par-five 15th and birdies on seventh and 17th, before ending the tournament with a bogey on the 18th. For the tournament, Brown posted two eagles and nine birdies, and took advantage of the par-fives, shooting six-under.

Freshman Aimee Neff posted her second top-10 finish of the season, ending today in a tie for ninth at nine-over par 225 (71-75-79). Today's round of seven-over par 79 was highlighted by a birdie on the 14th hole, her seventh birdie of the week.

With her best round of the week, sophomore Laura Kueny moved up to a tie for 12th at 11-over par 227 (76-76-75). Her three-over 75 on Tuesday featured 15 pars and three bogeys, including an even-par 36 on the front nine. Kueny tied Neff for second on the team with seven birdies in her three rounds, and finished the week one-under on the par fives.

Senior Jordyn Wells rounded out the four Spartans in the top-15, carding a 12-over par 228 (74-77-77) to tie for 15th. Wells birdied twice today - on the seventh and 16th - in her round of five-over 77 and finished the three rounds even-par on the par threes, highlighted by her hole-in-one on the 12th hole of her opening round.

Returning to competition for the first time since late September, junior Holly Niederkohr shot a 32-over par 248 (89-79-80).

Texas A&M, one of the four ranked teams in the field, compiled the low team round of the day with a 10-over par 298, but still finished 10 strokes behind the Spartans with a three-round score of 38-over par 902 (302-302-298). No. 20 Kent State held off Ohio State by one shot for third place with a 48-over par 912 (304-299-309).

Missouri's Julia Potter finished the week in second place at three-over par 219 (73-72-74). Ohio State's Carling Coffing and Texas's Ashley Rollins matched Sara Brown's final round 72 for the day's low round, vaulting them into a tie for third for the tournament at five-over par 221.

The Spartans take a couple weeks off from competition before returning to the tee for the Texas A&M "Mo"Morial on March 7-9 in College Station, Texas.