Women's Golf Fires a 285 to Qualify for Match Play

WINTER GARDEN, Fla. — After struggling through the second round on Wednesday, the St. Mary's University Women's Golf team responded in stellar fashion on Thursday at the NCAA Championships, posting a 285 to match round one and qualify for match play.
 
The Rattlers finished stroke play in a tie for seventh place, qualifying for the quarterfinals on Friday. The 285 ties for the third-lowest round on the final day and matches them with Flagler in the quarterfinals of match play.
 
Savannah Dupre (Boerne, Texas) tied her career-low round, firing a 68 over the final 18 holes. The freshman phenom recorded only one bogey, totaled three birdies and had the team's lone eagle of the tournament – recording a three on the par-five 14th hole. She ended in a tie for 40th place with her three-day total of 222 (72-82-68).
 
Senior Rebecca Reed (Midland, Texas) finished one stroke behind Dupre with a 69 on Thursday. She led the Rattlers with a 54-hole total of 217 (70-78-69) to tie for 19th place. After bogeying the 13th hole, Reed responded with three birdies in the final five holes to enter the clubhouse 3-under par.
 
The other three golfers all carded rounds of 74. For junior Libby Kilbride (Sheffield, England), the 74 placed her in a tie for 23rd overall at 218 (73-71-74). She collected 12 birdies in the tournament to tie for eighth-most. Junior Orla O'Leary (Galashiels, Scotland) ended in a tie for 46th one stroke back from Dupre at 223 (70-79-74). Senior Estelle Beck-Dixon (Lakeway, Texas) tied for 59th place with her total of 225 (73-78-74).
 
The Rattlers finished the three rounds 16-under par on the par-5 holes, the second-best average in the field of 18. They tied with UIndy at 876 strokes but lost the tiebreaker, which takes into account all five scores for all three rounds.
 
Flagler and the Rattlers will kick off the quarterfinals at 8 a.m., teeing off every eight minutes between 8 and 8:32 from hole one. Lone Star Conference foes West Texas A&M and DBU also qualified, with the Lady Buffs taking on UIndy and the Patriots taking on Henderson State.
 
Flagler won the stroke play title by four strokes over West Texas A&M, while Gabby Woods from Findlay took home medalist honors after shooting a 207 (71-67-69).