Bulldogs finish third at Johnie Imes Invitational

COLUMBIA, Mo. - The Fresno State women's golf team placed third at the 2019 Johnie Imes Invitational, hosted by Missouri. The Bulldogs used a 1-over-par 289 on Tuesday and Wednesday to sit in third place through the final two days, a move from tied for sixth after round one.

"We are really excited about two really good rounds in the second and third round here," said head coach Emily Loftin. "I am excited to see three players jump inside the top 15. It is always exciting to see our freshman Jinyoung (Yun) shooting under par for the first time as a Bulldog. There is a bright future there for her. It is always awesome to see Brigitte (Thibault) have another strong finish. We are certainly going to take some learning opportunities from this event and take this time to sharpen a few skills and get ourselves back on track for our trip to South Carolina."

Three Bulldogs finished the tournament in the top 15. Junior Brigitte Thibault finished T6th with an even 216 (74-68-74). Sophomore Harriet Lynch was close behind at tied for eighth with a 2-over-par 218 (75-71-72) and freshman Jinyoung Yun fired a 4-over-par 220 (74-76-70) to finish the tournament tied for 11th.

Senior Kristin Simonsen placed T44th with a 15-over 231 (80-74-77) and sophomore Delana Basanisi placed T62nd with a 237 (84-80-73) in the tournament.

The Bulldogs were just six strokes behind second place Oral Roberts. A 15-over-par opening round set the Bulldogs back, but they climbed their way up and fired 289 rounds in both round two and three. Fresno State's 289 rounds on Tuesday and Wednesday tied for the lowest single round score of the tournament.

Highlights

Fresno State's third place finish is the best since the team placed tied for second at the Hawkeye El Tigre on Mar. 21-23, 2019.
The Bulldogs have earned a top 10 finish in both tournaments this season.
Harriet Lynch fired her lowest single round score (71) since her 67 in the 2019 Fresno State Classic.
Brigitte Thibault collected her fourth consecutive top 10 finish, dating back to the Hawkeye El Tigre Invitational in March 2019.
Lynch chalked her fourth consecutive top 15 finish, and her best since finishing the Fresno State Classic in fifth.
Jinyoung Yun fired her first round below par in round three of the tournament.
Thibault fired her lowest three round score since her 205 at the Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown in Oct. 2018.
Fresno State last had three golfers finish in the top 15 at the 2018 Johnie Imes Invitational.

Johnie Imes Invitational
Dates: Sept. 30 - Oct. 2
Final Results
Par: 72; Yardage: 6,204

Team Leaderboard
1. Missouri; 290-289-289=868 (+4)
2. Oral Roberts: 296-290-289=875 (+11)
3. Fresno State: 303-289-289=881 (+17)
4. Florida International: 297-301-291=889 (+25)
5. Northern Illinois: 303-295-294=892 (+28)
T6. Florida Gulf Coast: 309-295-289=893 (+29)
T6. Mercer: 305-298-290=893 (+29)
8. Missouri State: 309-299-299=907 (+43)
9. Arkansas State: 301-302-306=909 (+45)
T10. Illinois State: 301-304-310=915 (+51)
T10. University of Arkansas - Little Rock: 306-307-302=915 (+51)
12. Southern Illinois: 310-301-308=919 (+55)
13. Univertsity of Missouri - Kansas City: 305-314-308=927 (+63)
14. Wichita State: 309-326-302=937 (+73)
15. South Dakota: 312-323-309=944 (+80)

Fresno State Leaderboard
T6. Brigitte Thibault: 74-68-74=216 (E)
T8. Harriet Lynch: 75-71-72=218 (+2)
T11. Jinyoung Yun: 74-76-70=220 (+4)
T44. Kristin Simonsen: 80-74-77=231 (+15)
T62. Delana Basanisi: 84-80-73=237 (+21)

Up Next
The Bulldogs have a short break before heading to South Carolina for the Palmetto Intercollegiate Invite in Kiawah Island on Oct. 13-15. This will be the first time the Bulldogs will participate in this event.

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Bulldogs finish third at Johnie Imes Invitational

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Players Mentioned

Delana Basanisi

Harriet Lynch

Kristin Simonsen

Brigitte Thibault

Jinyoung Yun

Fresno State Athletics