The women’s golf team tied for sixth out of 41 teams at its first tournament of the spring season, the Edwin Watts/Kiawah Island Classic.

The last time the team played at Kiawah Island in October, they finished 11th out of 20 teams, and they felt prepared heading into this tournament.

“Kiawah presents different challenges every visit,” said coach Stefanie Shelton. “Winds, newly constructed greens; different situations challenge every player here, but we believe we can conquer those challenges better than the rest.”

The team finished with an overall score of 898 and shot 38 over par.  The tournament champion was Coastal Carolina, who finished with a score of 871, shooting seven over par.

Along with the team finishing sixth, senior Vivienne Chin (Kota Kinabalu, Sabah Malaysia) also had an impressive finish, coming in seventh individually with a score of 217 (72-73-72).

This is Chin’s last semester at ETSU, and she is making the most of the time she has left to play for the Bucs.

“I think the most challenging part is to stay patient as the golf course is set up pretty easy and straightforward,” Chin said. “We just need to stay focused, one shot at a time and believe putts will sink.”

Hee Ying Loy (Baru, Kulaijaya, Malaysia) and Dominika Czudkova (Cesky Tesin, Czech Republic) tied for 42nd with 11 over.

Loy finished with six birdies, while Czudkova sank five during the tournament.

Linda Dobele (Ogre, Latvia) tied for 63rd with 13 over, and Rachel Pollock (Guelph, Ontario, Canada) tied for 154th with 26 over.

While not one of the top individual finishers overall, Pollock played impressively on the last day of the tournament, finishing four over and jumping 16 spots.

“We are expecting to see some low scores this spring season,” Chin said. “We have a couple of tournaments this spring, and that will really help us to beat as many ranked schools as possible if we just go and take care of business and perform our A-game.”

The team’s next tournament will be the 3M Augusta Invitational in Augusta, Georgia, beginning on March 11.

This will be followed by two more tournaments and then the Southern Conference Championships in Savannah, Georgia, beginning April 10.

“I am expecting to see improvement as a team this spring,” Shelton said. “Our preseason has been some of the best practices in a year and a half as a team and individually.”

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  • Kayla Strong

    Kayla Strong is a Gate City, Virginia, native completing her last few semesters of her undergraduate work at ETSU. She has recently found a passion for writing, which triggered her decision to join the staff of the East Tennessean as a writer and photographer. Strong is hardworking and likes to stay busy and organized. When she isn't in school or working, she's outdoors hiking and camping in nature. She likes to plan trips with friends and family, and once the day is done, she loves to get home to see her two cats, Fluffy and Marisa. Strong will graduate in December with a double major in history and biology.

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