MOBILE, AL – Lipscomb Women's Golf finished third at the Magnolia Collegiate to give the Bisons their fourth straight top five finish on the season.

 The tournament began on Monday with a 36-hole shotgun. Lipscomb got off to a fast start led by senior Casey Yu and junior Ava Bankston, both of whom shot an opening round 71 (-1). Savannah Howell turned in a steady 73 (+1) and Katya Tibbetts rounded out the scoring with a 77 (+5)  to give the Bisons a first round total of 292 (+4) and a seven stroke lead over second place.

After battling frigid temperatures and windy conditions, the second 18 holes saw higher scoring across-the-board. Lipscomb was paced in Round 2 by Savannah Howell, who shot a 76 (+4), followed by three teammates all at 77 (+5) including Casey Yu, Katya Tibbetts and Maria Alcocer. While the scoring was higher, the Bisons still claimed a share of first-place with ASUN foe West Georgia heading into the final round on Tuesday.

Following a frost delay, Lipscomb got off to a slow start until midway through the front nine. Tournament host and eventual champion South Alabama got off to a blistering start, posting 10 birdies through their first nine holes. Lipscomb closed the gap with a flurry as Casey Yu, Savannah Howell and Katya Tibbets combined for four birdies on #5, #6 and #7, but it was not enough to overcome South Alabama who put up a tournament high 17 birdies in the final round. 

Lipscomb ended the event with a three-round total of 898 (+34), which was only five strokes off South Alabama (893, +29). The Bisons did defeat a trio of ASUN schools, including top 100 ranked Stetson (904, +40), Central Arkansas (915, +51) and North Alabama (936, +72). Individually, Lipscomb had three top 10 finishers including Casey Yu (T3, +6), Savannah Howell (T6, +7) and Ava Bankston (T8, +10). Katya Tibbetts (22, +13) and Maria Alcocer (T37, +18) also posted top 40 finishes.

After scoring 12 birdies in the first round, Lipscomb ended with a total of 30 for the tournament which was good for 3rd place behind South Alabama and West Georgia, both of whom had 35. As a team, Lipscomb paced the field for most pars (166) and fewest bogeys (65). 

HEAD COACH SHANNON O'BRIEN

"I'm proud of the girl's perseverance through 16 hours of golf, with 11 of them on Monday in high wind and 38 degree temperature. Tuesday's round was a frost delay and the girls had a great attitude, ready to brave the chill for a final five hour round. This tourney provided an opportunity for us to grow through pressure and tough elements. This is our third top three finish, and each time the girls have been in contention to win the event. We are growing, and the girls are finding their stride as we enter the peak of spring season."

UP NEXT 

Lipscomb will return to Nashville to host the second-annual Nashville Invitational at the Hermitage Golf Course on March 23-24. This event is open and free to the public, and we encourage all Bisons fans to come out and support this team at their home event.