Tough day leads to runner-up finish in RCB Classic

Photo by: Henoc Kivuye

 

After setting a team single-round record in the first round of the RCB Classic in Oklahoma City, the Lady Eagles golf team finished the tournament in second place.

Oklahoma Christian University shot a combined team score of 292 in the first round at Lincoln Park Golf Course, enough to lead the field by five strokes.

Competing on the course was host team University of Central Oklahoma, and three teams ranked in the top 25: No. 17 Newman University, No. 20 Arkansas Tech and No. 25 Northeastern State University.

Junior Anna Arrese Cortadellas shot a 75 in the first round and was tied for 21st in a 98-player field. Cortadellas has one of the most impressive streaks in Oklahoma Christian golf history, having finished in the top 10 in every tournament she has played. She shot a second round 71, giving her a fourth place finish for the tournament.

“Anna is a very special player, gifted in so many ways,” Head Women’s Golf Coach Greg Lynn said. “She has the ability to produce a good score when she is not playing well. She is as tough mentally as can be. She refuses to not bring in a good score. She is very special. I have never seen anyone like her.”

Cortadellas was not the only member of the Lady Eagles to have success in the tournament. Two other Oklahoma Christian golfers, freshman India Matthews and sophomore Audrey Meisch, both finished in the top 20.

The second day of the tournament was not as successful as the first. Oklahoma Christian shot a combined score of 309, compared to a first round 292. The score of 309 was enough for the Lady Eagles to take second place in the tournament, behind the University of Central Oklahoma.

“Golf is different from other sports, it’s individuals who add their scores together to get a team total,” Lynn said. “It’s not unusual to have performances vary from day to day, and so the results can change without anyone doing anything wrong. The girls individually did not play as well the second day. There is nothing to fix; that is the nature of golf. Every day is new and different.”

Freshman Dana Todd said the conditions on each day changed slightly, which could have affected the team’s play.

“I’m not really sure what the biggest difference was to be honest,” Todd said. “I felt like all of us were confident going into the second day and excited to play. It was definitely more windy that day, and I know me especially started putting a bit of pressure on myself late in the round.”

Todd and freshman Allison Sell both finished in the top 50 for the Lady Eagles.

Matthews shot one under 70 in the first round, which was the second-lowest round of the day, putting her in second place individually after day one. An 80 in the second round, which was much windier than day one, dropped Matthews to a 12th place finish individually.

Meisch also had a positive start to the tournament, shooting a first-round 71, but like Matthews, shot 80 on day two, totaling a score of 151 for the tournament, earning her a 17th place finish.

Todd shot back-to-back 78s, and Sell shot 76 and 84. These two scores were enough to earn them 34th and 45th respectively.

Three players played unattached or as individuals in the tournament, meaning they could still compete for individual awards, but their score did not count for the Oklahoma Christian team score.

Sophomore Alyssa Schneider and freshmen Mindy Stafford and Emery Rakestraw competed in the RCB Classic as individuals.  Schneider shot 80 and 84. Stafford finished 83 and 86 and Rakestraw posted and 88 and 84.

The RCB Classic was the last regular season tournament for the Lady Eagles for the fall golf season.

After a few weeks off, they will head to Panama City, Fla. for the NCCAA National Tournament.

Last year Oklahoma Christian finished in second place, behind fellow Heartland Conference member Dallas Baptist. Cortadellas finished the tournament in fourth place individually.

Four Lady Eagles golfers finished in the top 10, however Cortadellas and Meisch are the only two golfers on the team this year that also competed in the tournament last year.

“We plan to have a good week at practice before nationals to feel confident about our games going into the tournament,” Todd said.

Lynn also provided insight as to how the team will prepare for the National Tournament.

“We are going to go to Florida and will work on how to play a couple of holes that last year really hurt our scores,” Lynn said. “This team is really close and I expect them to do very well.”

Todd feels the team themselves hold the keys to winning.

“The biggest thing is to really come together as a team, support each other and want each other to do well,” Todd said. “I feel like we are improving in this regard and we all realize this is our last tournament of the season, so we all need to work our hardest, shoot the best scores we can and if those are good enough to win, then that is the main goal.”