Fresno State Athletics
Monday, October 3
Columbia, Mo. (The Club at Old Hawthorne)
Monday, Oct. 3 - Tuesday, Oct. 4
Fresno State
vs
Johnnie Imes Invitational
Fresno State takes second at Johnie Imes Invitational
10/4/2016 7:10:00 PM | Women's Golf
Led by four with top 25 individual finishes, the ‘Dogs kicked off a week slated for two events with a runner-up finish
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The Fresno State women's golf team seized a runner-up finish on Tuesday at the Johnie Imes Invitational, hosted by Missouri, at the Club at Old Hawthorne. The 'Dogs carded an even-par 288 final round to hold steady in second place, backing up Monday's 36-hole 3-over-par finish that left them in the same position.
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"That was certainly an exciting way to kick off this week-long road trip," head coach Emily Loftin said. "There were some great opportunities out there today that I believe we could of capitalized on, but we held it together and had a solid team finish."
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The 'Dogs entered Tuesday five strokes back from host Missouri and albeit Fresno State shot a better round by two shots than the Tigers, the deficit was too large to overcome. Fresno State owned an eight shot lead over third place finisher Florida International, which created a two team race for the team title. Missouri clinched its home-hosted tournament for the third consecutive season with a three shot win over the 'Dogs.
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A foursome led by Yifei Wang, along with Gudrun Bjorgvinsdottir, Kristin Simonsen and Mimi Ho earned top 25 finishes, respectively, among the 81 player field, paving the way to the second place finish. And although Joanna Kim finished outside the top 25, two of her three rounds were scored for the team.
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"It's always great to see young players pick up confidence and momentum," Loftin commented about Wang. "She had a great week and her top 10 finish is just what can catapult her to more top 10's."
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Wang tied for eighth place thanks to an even-par 216 over 54 holes. She posted an even-par 72 on Tuesday after registering a 74 and 70 on the par 72 course on Monday.
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Bjorgvindottir also fired an even-par 72 on Tuesday and tied for 15th. The senior fired a 2-under-par 70 and a 4-over-par 76 on Monday, which put her at 2-over-par for the tournament. Bjorgvinsdottir has finished in the top 15 in six straight events dating back to last season.
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Simonsen made the biggest move on Tuesday as the low scorer of the day with a 2-under-par 70. She finished tied for 19th after wrapping up Monday's rounds tied for 33rd.
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After Ho fired a tournament-low 4-under-par 68 for the Bulldogs in the first round, she struggled to maintain that pace as she registered a 6-over-par second round and then a 3-over-par 75 on Tuesday. But the stellar opening round snagged a top 25 finish for the junior.
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"Having four of our players finish inside the top 25 gives us a ton of confidence and a great foundation as we jump towards our next tournament in Denver this weekend," Loftin added. "This team will be ready to build on the past two days when we get back on the course."
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The 'Dogs tee off the Ron Moore Intercollegiate, hosted by the University of Denver, on Friday. It is a three-day event with 18 holes each day. It will be held at Highlands Ranch Golf Club in Littleton, Colo.
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Johnie Imes Invitational
Dates: Oct. 3-4, 2016
Final Results
Par: 72; Yardage: 6,204
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Team Leaderboard
1. Missouri: 282-292-290=864 (E)
2. Fresno State: 291-288-288=867 (+3)
3. FIU: 289-294-292=875 (+11)
4. Kennesaw State: 294-287-295=876 (+12)
T5. Mercer: 287-300-294=881 (+17)
T5. Troy: 290-295-296=881 (+17)
7. ETSU: 292-291-304=887 (+23)
8. Rutgers: 307-289-293=889 (+25)
9. Memphis: 298-292-300=890 (+26)
10. NIU: 299-300-293=892 (+28)
11. FGCU: 298-295-304=897 (+33)
12. Akron: 298-298-302=898 (+34)
13. North Texas: 320-283-299=902 (+38)
14. Long Beach State: 295-307-302=904 (+40)
15. Little Rock: 297-306-305=908 (+44)
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Fresno State Leaderboard
T8. Yifei Wang: 74-70-72=216 (E)
T15. Gudrun Bjorgvinsdottir: 76-70-72=218 (+2)
T19. Kristin Simonsen: 73-76-70=219 (+3)
T25. Mimi Ho: 68-78-75=221 (+5)
T35. Joanna Kim: 77-72-74=223 (+7)
"Just the Ticket to Build Our Community" – Follow the team on social media on Twitter at @FresnoStateWG or on its Facebook Page – Fresno State Women's Golf Team.
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"That was certainly an exciting way to kick off this week-long road trip," head coach Emily Loftin said. "There were some great opportunities out there today that I believe we could of capitalized on, but we held it together and had a solid team finish."
Â
The 'Dogs entered Tuesday five strokes back from host Missouri and albeit Fresno State shot a better round by two shots than the Tigers, the deficit was too large to overcome. Fresno State owned an eight shot lead over third place finisher Florida International, which created a two team race for the team title. Missouri clinched its home-hosted tournament for the third consecutive season with a three shot win over the 'Dogs.
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A foursome led by Yifei Wang, along with Gudrun Bjorgvinsdottir, Kristin Simonsen and Mimi Ho earned top 25 finishes, respectively, among the 81 player field, paving the way to the second place finish. And although Joanna Kim finished outside the top 25, two of her three rounds were scored for the team.
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"It's always great to see young players pick up confidence and momentum," Loftin commented about Wang. "She had a great week and her top 10 finish is just what can catapult her to more top 10's."
Â
Wang tied for eighth place thanks to an even-par 216 over 54 holes. She posted an even-par 72 on Tuesday after registering a 74 and 70 on the par 72 course on Monday.
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Bjorgvindottir also fired an even-par 72 on Tuesday and tied for 15th. The senior fired a 2-under-par 70 and a 4-over-par 76 on Monday, which put her at 2-over-par for the tournament. Bjorgvinsdottir has finished in the top 15 in six straight events dating back to last season.
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Simonsen made the biggest move on Tuesday as the low scorer of the day with a 2-under-par 70. She finished tied for 19th after wrapping up Monday's rounds tied for 33rd.
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After Ho fired a tournament-low 4-under-par 68 for the Bulldogs in the first round, she struggled to maintain that pace as she registered a 6-over-par second round and then a 3-over-par 75 on Tuesday. But the stellar opening round snagged a top 25 finish for the junior.
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"Having four of our players finish inside the top 25 gives us a ton of confidence and a great foundation as we jump towards our next tournament in Denver this weekend," Loftin added. "This team will be ready to build on the past two days when we get back on the course."
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The 'Dogs tee off the Ron Moore Intercollegiate, hosted by the University of Denver, on Friday. It is a three-day event with 18 holes each day. It will be held at Highlands Ranch Golf Club in Littleton, Colo.
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Johnie Imes Invitational
Dates: Oct. 3-4, 2016
Final Results
Par: 72; Yardage: 6,204
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Team Leaderboard
1. Missouri: 282-292-290=864 (E)
2. Fresno State: 291-288-288=867 (+3)
3. FIU: 289-294-292=875 (+11)
4. Kennesaw State: 294-287-295=876 (+12)
T5. Mercer: 287-300-294=881 (+17)
T5. Troy: 290-295-296=881 (+17)
7. ETSU: 292-291-304=887 (+23)
8. Rutgers: 307-289-293=889 (+25)
9. Memphis: 298-292-300=890 (+26)
10. NIU: 299-300-293=892 (+28)
11. FGCU: 298-295-304=897 (+33)
12. Akron: 298-298-302=898 (+34)
13. North Texas: 320-283-299=902 (+38)
14. Long Beach State: 295-307-302=904 (+40)
15. Little Rock: 297-306-305=908 (+44)
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Fresno State Leaderboard
T8. Yifei Wang: 74-70-72=216 (E)
T15. Gudrun Bjorgvinsdottir: 76-70-72=218 (+2)
T19. Kristin Simonsen: 73-76-70=219 (+3)
T25. Mimi Ho: 68-78-75=221 (+5)
T35. Joanna Kim: 77-72-74=223 (+7)
"Just the Ticket to Build Our Community" – Follow the team on social media on Twitter at @FresnoStateWG or on its Facebook Page – Fresno State Women's Golf Team.
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Players Mentioned
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
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