Tennessee women’s golf put together a solid showing over the weekend at the Clemson Invitational, finishing fourth in a competitive field at The Reserve at Lake Keowee.
The No. 20 Lady Vols finished the tournament at 1-under, trailing No. 4 Florida, No. 8 Arkansas, and No. 15 Vanderbilt. The Gators finished at 17-under for the tournament, followed closely by the Razorbacks, who were 16-under. Vanderbilt finished at 4-under, rounding out the top three.
The Lady Vols stayed consistent throughout the week with an opening round of even par, followed by a 2-over round two. Round three would be Tennessee’s best of the weekend with a strong 3-under final round.
Sophomore Kyra Van Kan led the way for the Lady Vols, finishing 4-under for the tournament to mark the best performance by a Lady Vol. Van Kan surged up the leaderboard on the final day, scoring a 4-under 68 to jump 10 spots up to tied for fifth individually, giving the Lady Vols a boost down the stretch. Van Kan’s final round 68 would be the best score of the weekend for the Lady Vols.
Freshman Madison Messimer added another strong performance, finishing 3-under, tied for seventh individually. After starting the tournament with an even par score after round one, Messimer would score back-to-back rounds under par, highlighted by a 2-under round two.
Freshman Kaopan Thapasit finished the tournament at 3-over, but produced the Lady Vols’ best opening round score with a 1-under 71.
Senior Manassanan Chotikabhukkana would finish the tournament at 6-over, but ended the tournament on a high note, carding her most birdies in a single round for the tournament with two.
Junior Sofie Engesæth would finish the tournament at 9-over, but had a strong opening round, even par 72, where she carded four birdies, her most in a single round this tournament.
Florida controlled the tournament with three under-par rounds, including a 9-under opening round that found them in second place after day one. Arkansas stayed close throughout the tournament, but ultimately couldn’t overtake the Gators on the final day of play.
For Tennessee, the fourth-place finish highlights a team that remained solid and consistent throughout the weekend, capped by its strongest round on Sunday.
The Lady Vols look to carry this momentum from Sunday into their next event as postseason play is only a few weeks away. The Lady Vols return to action April 6 at the Huntington Bank Collegiate in Dallas, Texas.
