Bradley women’s golf competed in the Georgia State Invite on Monday and Tuesday, placing 13th out of 15 teams.
Traversing a difficult ground and unfavorable weather, the Braves scored 314 in the first round and 320 in the second, as the third was canceled due to weather.
Junior Maria Perakis, senior Grace Aromando and graduate student Mara Flaherty all finished the first round with a team-low 78. Sophomore Allison Pacocha shot an 80 and junior Kathryn McNease entered the second round with a 91.
“The course at Georgia State is one of the hardest on our schedule this season,” Braves head coach Halley Morell said about Rivermont Golf Club. “However, the course and conditions were the same for every team in the field. We struggled to adapt quickly to the different grass and the fast and sloped greens.”
To start the second round, Pacocha improved from her first round with a 78.
“Every round you play on a course allows you to be more comfortable in the shots you have,” Pacocha said. “I settled in and trusted myself and my game more. My putting was the issue in the first round, so figuring that part of my game in the second round was helpful.”
Perakis stayed consistent with another 78, Aromando and Flaherty faltered with an 82 and McNease shot a significantly better 83. The third round was cut short because of heavy rain, so only the first two rounds decided the results of the invite.
“Although the weather was bad, I felt that I had a good rhythm,” Pacocha said. “My swing was relaxed and I was having good momentum with my short game. Anything can happen on that course specifically, but I felt in control of what I was shooting in the final round.”
Bradley was in the back half of the standings when the meet was canceled, but Morell thinks a third round could have helped them make a run at the rest of the field. Instead, the Braves will need to conserve their energy for the next course.
“I cannot predict what we would have shot in the third round,” Morell said. “We were able to play five holes before the rain canceled the rest of the round and the team was even par for those five holes.”
“The team felt confident on the course that morning, so we are hoping to take some of that momentum into our tournament next week in Kentucky,” Morell added.
The Braves are back on the green on April 1-2 for the EKU Colonel Classic.
