Southern Methodist University’s Caribbean star shrugged off chilly conditions at the Medinah Country Club on October 9, to finish seventh at the Illinois Women’s Invitational, leading the Mustangs to second place overall. Barbados’ Emily Odwin shot a fabulous final-round 67 on the final day, after climbing 25 spots on the second day.
Odwin had hit an even par 72 on the first day, when teammate Celine Chen went one-under to lead the team. Chen hit three-under on the second day, but Odwin was only three strokes back, as she went one-under herself. But her excellent five-under showing in the last round left her six-under for the tournament.
It was the ninth top ten showing of Odwin’s Mustang career. She birdied seven times on the second day. Odwin is averaging 71.38 through nine rounds this season. As a team, SMU was 14-under, behind only the University of Central Florida.
“We put together a quality performance this week and know the best is still ahead of us,” said Mustangs fifth-year head coach Lauren Mason. “Our ladies combined for 59 birdies but finished at -14 under par, showing tremendous resilience after a tough opening round.
“Despite facing some challenging conditions early in [October 9] morning’s round, the team hopped on the birdie train in the last 12 holes to get back into contention. They showed a lot of grit by only carding one bogey and making 16 birdies to close the round out!
“We’ll take a couple of weeks to reset, refocus, and hit the books before closing out the fall at the Landfall Tradition,” added Mason. “Grateful for our talented group, alumni, and supporters who continue to support us.”
SMU came into the last day tied for fifth with Louisiana State University, a top-10 finisher in the country last season. They quickly dispatched of LSU while also passing hosts Illinois, Indiana, and Auburn. They shot six-under in the final round against a field that included six teams in the top 25 or receiving votes. UCF won the title at 32-under.
Next up, the Mustangs wrap up their fall slate with the Landfall Tradition in Wilmington, North Carolina. The tournament runs October 24-26.
SMU LEADERBOARD
T7 Emily Odwin -6
T15 Mackenzie Lee -4
T31 Uma Bergner -1
T31 Celine Chen -1
T62 Grace Jin +7
(TF)
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