The 14th-ranked women’s golf team placed fifth at the windswept Central District Classic in Parrish, Fla. on Tuesday.
MSU finished behind Big Ten powers Northwestern, Michigan and Ohio State and MAC Conference school Kent State at the Classic. Head coach Stacy Slobodnik said the team was disappointed with the results.
“The weather conditions were tough, but that’s no excuse,” Slobodnik said. “We didn’t handle them well. We played (poorly) in the second two rounds. Shooting 325 and 319 is very unacceptable for our program.”
Northwestern won the tournament with a combined score of 916 - 31 shots better than MSU’s 947.
Junior Emily Bastel led the Spartans, finishing in 14th place overall with a three-round score of 234 (75-81-78). Bastel was nine strokes off the pace of the tournament’s individual champion, Ashley Lowery of Ohio State.
Senior Kasey Gant and freshman Allison Fouch tied for 20th overall with matching scores of 236. Gant was tied for sixth overall after the first day of the tournament, but slipped with a round of 83 on the second day. Conversely, Fouch played her best round on the last day, shooting a 76 after rounds of 78 and 82 to open the tournament.
Junior Stacy Snider and freshman Lauren Youngdahl rounded out the Spartan contingent with a 242 and 247, respectively.
The team will compete in its last fall tournament at the Pine Needles Invitational in Pinehurst, N.C., Nov. 6 through Nov. 8. The course is a former site of the men’s PGA U.S. Open.
