Home|Sports|Lipscomb dominates White Sands InvitationalSports
Simba FrenchSend an emailOctober 25, 2022 148 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email
The Lipscomb University Bisons put on a show at the Ocean Club Golf Course with a 35-stroke victory at the White Sands Invitational three-round tournament this past weekend, a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) event.
As a team, the Bisons finished 13 under 851 to be the only team to go under par. They led all three rounds in the field of eight teams.
The Bisons also won the individual category with Lauren Thompson out-dueling her teammate, Mary Kate Smith in a five-hole playoff. Both finished tied at four under par 212. Thompson and Smith were two of four Bisons who finished in the top-five standings.
Interim head coach Shannon O’Brien was happy with her team’s performance.
“We played our game and each player maintained excellent composure and concentration,” O’Brien said. “It was a joy for me as a coach to watch each player flourish in a game they have been working incredibly hard at. I am so happy for the team and so grateful for the opportunity we have had to participate in this event.”
The Arkansas State University Bears was second after starting the tournament off in fifth after the first round on Friday. The team finished the three rounds 22-over par 886.
The University of Central Arkansas Spartans were third after sitting in second place after the first two rounds. They finished up with a score of 31 over par 895.
Thompson posted two-under par 70, even par 72 and two under par 70 in the three rounds. She led the tournament with a whopping 14 birdies and 32 pars. Smith got off to a tough start, shooting five over par 77. She followed that up with a five under par 67 and then put on another solid round of golf on Sunday with a four under par 68.
The Bisons’ Siarra Stout and Mia Seeman finished third and fourth respectively. Stout finished three-under par 213 while Seeman scored two over par 218.
As a team, the Bisons had the most pars with 174 and birdies with 52. They also had the best score on the par three, par four and par five holes.
The NCAA men will get underway on Friday, October 28 and wraps up on Sunday, October 30 at the same golf course as the ladies. Two top-50 ranked schools will be in action this weekend. They are Duke University, ranked at number 43 and the University of Southern Mississippi, ranked at number 48.
Overall, there are 12 men’s teams that will be competing. The other 10 teams are Virginia Commonwealth University (host), Arkansas State University, University of Delaware, University of Louisiana Monroe, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Sam Houston State University, Stetson University, Texas State University, Troy University and University of Texas El Paso (UTEP).
This year is the third year for the event after being first played in 2019 and again in 2021, with the University of Houston and Ole Miss as the two past winners.