University of Denver Women Struggle in New Orleans

No. 20 Lady Pioneers finish in second-to-last at Allstate Sugar Bowl Intercollegiate.

By Drew Kort

The University of Denver women struggled to find their rhythm during the team’s first 54-hole competition since October. This came as a quite a surprise considering the group’s solid performance just three weeks ago in their dual with Arizona State—the defending Division I champs.

The event took place at the English Turn Golf & Country Club in New Orleans. The par-72 track played at 6,239 yards in length. Competing alongside DU was a stout 17-team field—10 of which are ranked in the top 40 in the country, per Golfstat.

Senior Lauren Whyte (St. Andrews, Scotland) and sophomore Mary Weinstein (Highlands Ranch) carded the team’s lowest three-round totals at 15 over par. They would end up T50 on the individual leaderboard. Weinstein’s grinding skills were on full display after she made a 10 on the par-4 fourth hole, which was her fourth hole of the tournament. She played her last 50 holes in only 9 over par.

Junior Sophie Newlove (Nottingham, England) posted a 23 over par to finish T75. One stroke behind her was senior Jessica Dreesbeimdieke (Windhoek, Namibia) who wound up alone in 78th. Sophomore Camille Enright (Plano, Texas) shot a 28 over par to finish in a tie for 84th. The team ended play in 16th place at 74 over par total.

No. 14 Florida was atop the team leaderboard when play ceased. They shot 9 over par as a unit to win by 9 strokes. Florida’s Sierra Brooks earned the individual honors by 4 shots with a 9-under-par 54-hole score.

The Pioneers were the fifth-highest ranked team in the field but were not able to live up to their ranking. As a group, DU was only able to convert 13 birdies all week—11 fewer than any team in the field.

“It’s all about how we respond to this tournament and overcome a disappointing finish,” said head coach Lindsay Kuhle after the final round. “This team is a group of ladies who are extremely competitive and high achievers and with an honest analysis and reflection and a proper game plan, we will come back stronger than we were before this event.”

The squad will look to bounce back at the Arizona Wildcat Invitational March 5-6 in Tucson, Arizona.

Click here for tournament stats and scores.

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