The Georgetown women’s golf team had reason to put a little extra swagger in their step at the Shootout at the Legends tournament, held Oct. 10-11 in Franklin, Ind. The team earned its highest ranking ever in the Golfstat Division I rankings, rising 13 spots from No. 97 to No. 84.
Competing against a field that included 10 other teams rated in the top 100, the Hoyas finished in 13th place out of 19 teams, improving their national ranking in the process.
Georgetown posted a team score of 922, 58 strokes above par and 40 strokes behind first-place Kent State.
Although the 13th-place finish was the lowest of the Hoyas’ fall season, Acting Head Coach Connie Isler (MSB ’05) said she was pleased with the team’s performance.
“The whole team played well,” she said. “They knew that they wasted a few shots here and there, but that’s just golf.”
According to Isler, it was the competition’s caliber that prevented Georgetown from continuing its streak of three consecutive top-five finishes.
“The field was the strongest we have played against this season by far,” she said. “It was one of the strongest fields in the program’s history.”
After posting an opening-round score of 311, 23 strokes over par, Georgetown recovered to play one of its best rounds of the season. The Hoyas fired a 12-over-par 300 in the second round, placing them ninth in the standings heading into the final round.
Georgetown, however, shot a 23-over-par 311 in the last round, which dropped the team to 13th place, just one stroke behind Indiana and Iowa.
Senior Christy Larrimore led the Hoyas with a nine-over-par 225 (75-72-78), earning her a tie for 20th place individually. Larrimore has finished in the top 20 at all four of Georgetown’s tournaments this fall, including a sixth-place finish at the Notre Dame Invitational.
Three other Georgetown golfers placed in the top 60 at the par-231 Shootout at the Legends, as sophomore Katie Dwyer tied for 43rd at 15 over (78-74-79), freshman Chelsea Curtis tied for 54th at 18 over (78-76-80) and senior Nicole Hayashi tied for 56th at 19 over (82-78-75).
The team’s current ranking at No. 84 is the best since women’s golf became a Division I sport at Georgetown in the 2001-02 season.
Isler said that a combination of factors have influenced the team’s success, but cited the team’s unity as a key reason for its strong performances.
“We have great team chemistry. Everyone supports each other,” she said.
The Hoyas will continue playing without the instruction of Leland Keyser, who announced her resignation as head coach this week. Keyser had been on medical leave but planned to resume her position. She named ongoing health issues as the reason for her resignation.
Georgetown has decided not to compete in the Penn State Tournament this weekend, which was supposed to be the team’s final event of the fall season, because the golfers have missed a significant amount of class time over the last several weeks while traveling to competitions.
Isler said she expects the team to continue its success in the spring season. “I still don’t think that we’ve reached our full potential yet,” she said.
During the offseason, the Hoyas will do strength and conditioning training and work on the mechanics of their swings.
The Georgetown men’s golf team also competed this past week. The Hoyas shot a 30-over-par 894 and finished 16th out of 19 teams at the Xavier Invitational, held at the Oasis Golf Club in Loveland, Ohio.
Head Coach Tommy Hunter said for the second week in a row that he was disappointed with the team’s performance.
“We’re working really hard but the results are just not what we would like them to be,” Hunter said.
Senior David Erickson led Georgetown with a six-over-par 222 (74-72-76), which placed him in a tie for 50th individually. Senior att Myers and Junior Matt Busa tied for 60th with a nine-over-par 225.
The Georgetown men will next compete Oct. 22-23 at the Georgetown Hoya Invitational, which will be held at Lansdowne Resort in Leesburg, Va.
