Illinois State Women’s Golf Opens Season With Third-Place Finish at Redbird Invitational

Image courtesy of Illinois State Athletics

NORMAL, Ill. — Illinois State women’s golf opened its season with a strong performance at the Redbird Invitational at Weibring Golf Club, finishing in third place with a total score of 887.

ISU’s performance was highlighted by the play of newcomers Cora Hirz and Xuan Gao, along with top finisher Alex Sparrow.

The Redbirds came out of the gate swinging to begin the tournament, shooting a score of 297 in the first round. It was more of the same in the second round, as the Redbirds shot a team score of 297, to finish the round in third place.

Junior Alex Sparrow led the Redbirds with an opening-round 2-under par 70. Sparrow recorded three birdies, and finished tied for fourth individually the first round. Sparrow’s 26 pars tied for fourth most in the tournament. She also had a 2-over par 74 in the second round, giving her a combined score of 144 and tying her for fourth after two rounds.

First-year Redbirds Cora Hirz and Xuan Gao made a significant impact in the Redbird Invitational.

Hirz and Gao both finished with combined scores of 225, tying for 18th place in their collegiate debuts.

ISU’s final score of 887 is now the 14th best in Redbird women’s golf history.

First-day leader St. Thomas took home the title with a score of 877, followed by Augusta with 879 and Illinois State with 887 to round out the top three.

Denver (892), Butler (898), Eastern Kentucky (910), Northern Illinois (910), South Dakota (912), Indiana State (921), South Dakota State (924) rounded out the top 10.

Gao’s final round performance was the team’s best, as she finished with an even-par 72 with four birdies and 10 pars. Her performance was the 26th-best single-round score by a ISU freshman.

Meanwhile, Hirz had a final round of one-over par 73 with four birdies and nine pars. Hirz recorded 12 birdies in the tournament.

Senior Regan Kennedy tied for 24th place in the tournament. In her final round, she shot a 2-over-par 74 with one birdie and 14 pars. Kennedy also had 38 pars in the tournament which tied for 7th most in the tournament.

Sparrow’s final round concluded with her score of 74 including two birdies and 11 pars. This marked her first career top-10 finish.

Freshman Cynthia Lang finished with a final score of 233, including 11 pars and an 80 in the final round. Freshman Claudia Weston tied for 65th place with a final round score of 76 giving her a 54-hole score of 244.

Senior Reagan Braker finished in 69th place with her final score of 81, while junior Gianna White finished 75th place with a final-round score of 89 and three-round score of 260.

The Redbirds will be traveling to East Lansing, Michigan, next weekend to compete in the Mary Fossum Invitational at Forrest Akers West Golf Course on Sept. 20-21.

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