Monday, February 24
Peoria, Ariz. (Westbrook Village GC)
All Day
Mississippi State
vs
The Westbrook Spring Invitational
Women's Golf Wins 2020 Westbrook Invitational
February 24, 2020 | Women's Golf
by Shelby Spurlock, Student Assistant/Communications
PEORIA, Ariz. – The Bulldogs clinched their first team victory since 2014, winning the 2020 Westbrook Invitational after rallying from down five strokes going into the back nine.
After posting the sixth-best team round in NCAA history on Sunday, the Bulldogs' 32-under-par finish tied the 12th lowest team 54-hole score in relation to par in Division I history, also setting the Mississippi State record by 10 strokes.
Facing a 5-stroke deficit headed into the back nine, Mississippi State rallied behind strong performances from its lineup. The Bulldogs posted 11 birdies in the team's final nine holes to take the title.
Freshman Ashley Gilliam sparked the comeback with four birdies on the first six holes of the back nine, including three in a row on holes 13, 14 and 15 to swing State from down two strokes to Oklahoma to being ahead by one stroke. The Sooners evened things back up but birdies on holes 15, 16 and 18 by junior Blair Stockett made State's lead insurmountable.
"Part of what we talked about was patience before we played this morning", said head coach Ginger Brown-Lemm. "Pressure brings a hurried or pushing tempo and we wanted to focus on our game, no matter what anyone else was doing. Our patience paid off with great finishes from each of the Bulldogs. It is so tough to win with the top 25-schedule that we compete in, so this win is special. It is just the beginning of what this team can accomplish."
Gilliam earned the top finish of her career in the event, placing tied for second by carding a 13-under-par, 203, after 54 holes. It matched the best finish in relation to par by a Bulldog in program history, tying Ally McDonald's performance at the 2014 Schooner Fall Classic. Gilliam broke two MSU freshman records during the weekend, notching her 13th round of par or better for the season and her fifth round in the 60s.
Abbey Daniel remained strong on the final day and tied for 6th place, making it her first Top-10 finish. The freshman shot a 68, 4-under par in the final round, just one stroke shy of her personal-best score of 67 that she shot in the second.
"It was great to see all of the off-season work we put in finally pay off", said Daniel. "I was hitting greens and putts were falling. It was a special week for the team. I'm excited to see what the rest of the spring season has in store for us."
Junior Blair Stockett tied for 12th after shooting three under par rounds in two days. Her final round score of 71 gave her an overall 210, 6-under for the invitational. She shot 4-under on the back nine of the final round to finish the day strong.
Junior Clara Moyano tied for 37th after the final round with a total score of 217, 1-over-par, after 54 holes. Moyano and sophomore Lauren Miller both shot a third round score of 74, 2-over par. Miller placed 72nd overall for the weekend with a total score of 224, 8-over par.
The Bulldogs will travel to Scottsdale, Arizona March 13th-15th for the Clover Cup, hosted by Notre Dame. The next time they compete, it will be on the Longbow Golf Course.
For more information on the Bulldogs, follow MSU women's golf on Twitter, like them on Facebook and join them on Instagram by searching for "HailStateWG."
Westbrook Invitational– Final Round
1. Mississippi State (282+270+280= 832, -32)
2. Oklahoma (277+274+282=833, -31)
3. College of Charleston (277+284+286=847, -17)
4. Denver (286+279+283=848, -16)
5. Tennessee (284+288+279=851, -13)
6. UNLV (285+283+287=855, -9)
7. Kansas State (284+286+288=858, -6)
8. Ohio State (289+286+285=860, -4)
9. Illinois (289+290+282=861, -3)
T10. Mizzou (285+290+289=864, E)
T10. Notre Dame (295+283+286=864, E)
T10. Nebraska (288+283+293=864, E)
13. Wisconsin, U of. (289+288+292=869, +5)
14. UC Davis (296+282+293=871, +7)
15. Iowa (296+289+291=876, +12)
16. Indiana (295+294+294=883, +19)
MSU Players- Final Round
T2. Ashley Gilliam (69+67+67=203, -13)
T6. Abbey Daniel (72+67+68=207, -9)
T12. Blair Stockett (71+68+71=210, -6)
T37. Clara Moyano (75+68+74=217, +1)
72. Lauren Miller (70+80+74=224, +8)
PEORIA, Ariz. – The Bulldogs clinched their first team victory since 2014, winning the 2020 Westbrook Invitational after rallying from down five strokes going into the back nine.
After posting the sixth-best team round in NCAA history on Sunday, the Bulldogs' 32-under-par finish tied the 12th lowest team 54-hole score in relation to par in Division I history, also setting the Mississippi State record by 10 strokes.
Facing a 5-stroke deficit headed into the back nine, Mississippi State rallied behind strong performances from its lineup. The Bulldogs posted 11 birdies in the team's final nine holes to take the title.
Freshman Ashley Gilliam sparked the comeback with four birdies on the first six holes of the back nine, including three in a row on holes 13, 14 and 15 to swing State from down two strokes to Oklahoma to being ahead by one stroke. The Sooners evened things back up but birdies on holes 15, 16 and 18 by junior Blair Stockett made State's lead insurmountable.
"Part of what we talked about was patience before we played this morning", said head coach Ginger Brown-Lemm. "Pressure brings a hurried or pushing tempo and we wanted to focus on our game, no matter what anyone else was doing. Our patience paid off with great finishes from each of the Bulldogs. It is so tough to win with the top 25-schedule that we compete in, so this win is special. It is just the beginning of what this team can accomplish."
Gilliam earned the top finish of her career in the event, placing tied for second by carding a 13-under-par, 203, after 54 holes. It matched the best finish in relation to par by a Bulldog in program history, tying Ally McDonald's performance at the 2014 Schooner Fall Classic. Gilliam broke two MSU freshman records during the weekend, notching her 13th round of par or better for the season and her fifth round in the 60s.
Abbey Daniel remained strong on the final day and tied for 6th place, making it her first Top-10 finish. The freshman shot a 68, 4-under par in the final round, just one stroke shy of her personal-best score of 67 that she shot in the second.
"It was great to see all of the off-season work we put in finally pay off", said Daniel. "I was hitting greens and putts were falling. It was a special week for the team. I'm excited to see what the rest of the spring season has in store for us."
Junior Blair Stockett tied for 12th after shooting three under par rounds in two days. Her final round score of 71 gave her an overall 210, 6-under for the invitational. She shot 4-under on the back nine of the final round to finish the day strong.
Junior Clara Moyano tied for 37th after the final round with a total score of 217, 1-over-par, after 54 holes. Moyano and sophomore Lauren Miller both shot a third round score of 74, 2-over par. Miller placed 72nd overall for the weekend with a total score of 224, 8-over par.
The Bulldogs will travel to Scottsdale, Arizona March 13th-15th for the Clover Cup, hosted by Notre Dame. The next time they compete, it will be on the Longbow Golf Course.
For more information on the Bulldogs, follow MSU women's golf on Twitter, like them on Facebook and join them on Instagram by searching for "HailStateWG."
Westbrook Invitational– Final Round
1. Mississippi State (282+270+280= 832, -32)
2. Oklahoma (277+274+282=833, -31)
3. College of Charleston (277+284+286=847, -17)
4. Denver (286+279+283=848, -16)
5. Tennessee (284+288+279=851, -13)
6. UNLV (285+283+287=855, -9)
7. Kansas State (284+286+288=858, -6)
8. Ohio State (289+286+285=860, -4)
9. Illinois (289+290+282=861, -3)
T10. Mizzou (285+290+289=864, E)
T10. Notre Dame (295+283+286=864, E)
T10. Nebraska (288+283+293=864, E)
13. Wisconsin, U of. (289+288+292=869, +5)
14. UC Davis (296+282+293=871, +7)
15. Iowa (296+289+291=876, +12)
16. Indiana (295+294+294=883, +19)
MSU Players- Final Round
T2. Ashley Gilliam (69+67+67=203, -13)
T6. Abbey Daniel (72+67+68=207, -9)
T12. Blair Stockett (71+68+71=210, -6)
T37. Clara Moyano (75+68+74=217, +1)
72. Lauren Miller (70+80+74=224, +8)
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
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