RAYMORE, Mo. – Little Rock closes out its 2017-18 regular season with its best team showing of the year, placing fourth at the 2018 Kansas City Intercollegiate at Creekmor Golf Club. The Trojans posted a 40-over 616 in the weather-shortened event, shooting a 19-over 307 over the final 18 holes.
2018 Kansas City Intercollegiate Final Results
The Little Rock effort was led by junior
Emelie Blennow and senior
Sabrina Bonanno, both of which finished among the individual top-10. Blennow finished sixth with a 7-over 151, including a team-low 2-over 74 Tuesday, marking the second-straight tournament she has posted a top-10 finish. It is the third top-10 finish of her Trojan career, keeping her scoring average at 77.07 for the season.
For Bonanno, it is her fifth top-10 showing of the season and the 11th of her Little Rock career, tying for seventh at 8-over 152 after carding 4-over 76s in both rounds. She continues to pace the Trojans, registering her ninth top-20 showing in 10 events this season, and her 30th as a Trojan, leading Little Rock with a 74.72 scoring average on the year.
Junior
Lucy Owen finished just outside the top-20, tying for 22nd overall at 13-over 157 following a 7-over 79 Tuesday. Sophomore
Thea Wakeford-Wesmann finished tied for 24th with a 14-over 158, shooting a 6-over 78 over the final round, with senior
Pernille Orlien rounding out the Trojan scorecard with a 16-over 160, tying for 32nd overall.
For the 36-hole event, Bonanno finished second among all players in par-five scoring, shooting 4-under and averaging 4.50 strokes per hole, while Blennow was at 2-under with a 4.75 average. Wakeford-Wesmann was efficient on the par-threes, tying for the second-lowest total at 1-over with a 3.13 average as Little Rock finished fourth among the field in pars (102) while tying for second in birdies (17).
Entering the day in fourth-place, Little Rock held its ground, finishing five shots ahead of fifth-place Illinois State (45-over 621), who matched the Trojans 19-over 307 over the final round. The Trojans finished eight shots ahead of host UMKC (48-over 624), who began the day one shot back of Little Rock.
North Dakota State captured the team title with a 20-over 596, finishing eight shots ahead of runner-up IUPUI (28-over 604), thanks to a 6-over 294 over the final round. South Dakota State (31-over 607) finished third, nine shots ahead of the Trojans, with Illinois State and UMKC rounding out the top-six.
With the regular season complete, Little Rock now sets its sights on the 2018 Sun Belt Conference Championships, being held in Destin, Florida. The three-day event will be held Sunday, April 15 through Tuesday, April 17, at Raven Golf Club, with a berth to the NCAA Regional Championship on the line.
2018 Kansas City Intercollegiate Final Results
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