By Lohan Sutton
No. 22 Tennessee women’s golf rallied for a valiant fifth-place finish following early struggles in round one of the tournament.
This week, Suntree Country Club played host to the Moon Golf Invitational hosted by the University of Louisville. The field was loaded with top-10 programs ready to compete.
As the first round got underway, No. 6 Texas A&M controlled the field as the only team to finish under par.
Coming off their domination in the last tournament, the Lady Vols struggled to get momentum in round one. The team concluded round one at 11-over-par and in the middle of the pack. Senior Manassanan Chotikabhukkana and freshman Madison Messimer carded rounds of 2-over-par to open the tournament.
Paradise Invitational champion Kyra Van Kan found trouble on her opening round back nine. A pair of double bogeys closed out her day with a 4-over-par.
Messimer led the charge in round two, finishing the day 2-under-par. Chotikabhukkana was the only other Volunteer to finish under par for round two, carding a 1-under-par.
The Lady Vols finished round two at 2-under-par, but they still found themselves in the middle of the pack while Texas A&M added to its lead. Auburn closed in on the Aggie lead with a second-round score of 5-under-par.
Heading into the final round, the Volunteers needed some grit to earn a top-5 spot. The senior Chotikabhukkana delivered with a closing round of 2-under-par to hold the team score to 4-over-par on the day.
Tennessee was able to fend off No. 5 Florida, No. 9 Texas, and No. 14 Ole Miss in the final round to clinch the top-5.
Auburn sealed the deal with the lowest round of the tournament at 6-under-par in the final round.
Leaderboard:
1 Auburn, -7
2 Texas A&M, -4
3 Mississippi State, +7
4 Wake Forest, +8
5 Tennessee, +13
6 Florida, +14
7 Texas, +16
8 Ole Miss, +20
T9 Duke, +21
T9 UCF, +21
With a 1-under-par tournament score, Chotikabhukkana earned her second top-10 of the season. Also, this was her fourth tournament under par this season.
Messimer continued to build on her debut season with the Volunteers, adding another top-25 finish. This is her fifth of the season, including a runner-up at the Paradise Invitational. Messimer was also awarded SEC Freshman of the Week honors on Feb. 11.
Tennessee Leaderboard:
7 Manassanan Chotikabhukkana, -1
T13 Madison Messimer, +2
T37 Kyra Van Kan, +6
T49 Sophie Christopher, +8
T53 Kaopan Thapasit, +9
The Volunteers will have the rest of February to rest and recover. They will be back in action from March 8-10 for the Chris Banister Golf Classic hosted by Jax State.