Women's Golf Wins Desert Invitational

TUCSON, Ariz. — Mother Nature wasn't the only one who turned up the heat in Tucson on Tuesday as the St. Mary's University Women's Golf team won the WT Desert Invite at The Lodge at Ventana Canyon.
 
After golfing through cold, wet conditions on Monday, Mother Nature shined down on the field on Tuesday and warmed up the temperatures to the mid-60s. The Rattlers responded by shooting a 293 and winning the event by seven strokes over host West Texas A&M.
 
It is the second tournament win for StMU this season, as they also brought home the team title at the Midwestern State Invitational in October. The 293 ties for the sixth-lowest round of the season for the Rattlers and puts the team in a solid place headed into the Lone Star Conference Championship in two weeks.
 
Senior Estelle Beck-Dixon (Lakeway, Texas) welcomed the warmth and the sunshine as she shaved five strokes off her first round for a two-under-par 70. She finished tied for fourth at 145 strokes. Dixon birdied four of her final seven holes and collected six birdies on the day to climb five places. She led the tournament with 11 birdies, two more than any other competitor and was -5 on the par 5s.
 
Junior Orla O'Leary (Galashiels, Scotland) matched her efforts from the first round, collecting 74 shots on Tuesday to tie for ninth place. It is her second top-10 finish this season (Jack Brown) and the seventh time in nine tournaments she's placed inside the top-25. O'Leary totaled 27 pars over the 36 holes to finish with the second-most in the 102-player field.
 
Senior Rebecca Reed (Midland, Texas) bettered her first round by two strokes to finish Tuesday with a 74 and in a two-way tie for 13th place. It's the eighth time in nine tournaments she's finished in the top-25.
 
Libby Kilbride, a junior from Sheffield, England, also took advantage of the warmer temperatures, carding a 75 to better her first round by three strokes. She finished in a tie for 17th with a 153. Fellow junior Madalyn Trevino (San Antonio) matched her own output from the first round, tallying an 82 to tie for 65th place. 
 
St. Mary's and the other 14 teams in the Lone Star Conference will be in Thackerville, Okla., for the conference championship on April 14-17.