KAUA'I, Hawaii – Rutgers women's golf took home sixth place out of 15 teams at the Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational at the Ocean Course at Hōkūala. The Scarlet Knights were able to string together three strong rounds of play out west, improving their team score in all three rounds and finishing well into the top half of the leaderboard in a strong field.
"This tournament is another good performance for us," head coach
Kari Williams said. "We have continued to improve this spring and are playing more competitively. The team has worked hard and it shows. We just have to keep pushing ourselves at each event."
Round 3 – Tuesday, March 19
Weather: Temps in low 70s, sunny, 10-20 mph winds
In Tuesday's final round, Rutgers held firm and put together more quality rounds to finish in sixth place at the tournament.
Lorena Rossettin fired a 3-under 69 to vault up into a tie for 10th place, her first career top-10 finish. Rossettin had a pair of stellar rounds in the event, shooting a 3-under 69 in both the first and third rounds to put her at the top of the leaderboard with the best of the best.
"It was another great day out here in Hawaii," Rossettin said."I'm happy that I put together three good rounds and to have finished my first tournament under-par. My driver worked well today and I rolled putts with more confidence today. This was another strong tournament for us and we're excited to keep it going."
Older sister
Lucrezia Rossettin also finished the tournament strong, shooting a 1-under 71 to move up and finish in a tie for 22nd. Rossettin had a consistent week on the course, shooting a 216 (72-73-71) and helping the team secure a strong finish.
Cathi Graf shot her second straight even-par 72 to earn a t-30th finish right alongside teammate
Leigha Devine, who shot a 2-over 74 to close out the event.
Rikke Nordvik rounded out the team scorers with a 3-over 75 in the the final round and finished in a tie for 62nd.
Competing as individuals,
Krystal Li (3-over 75) and
Emily James (5-over 77) both made big improvements on their second round scores to close the event on a high note.
Round 2 – Monday, March 18
Weather: Temps in low 70s, sunny, 10-20 mph winds
In Monday's second round, Rutgers improved their team score by two strokes with a 1-over 289, moving up the leaderboard into sixth place with one round of play remaining.
"Our goal today was to stay present and focused throughout the round," head coach
Kari Williams said. "This course is a fair test with very demanding ocean holes and other holes that are great scoring opportunities to take advantage of. We played with a little more confidence today and just need to clean up the small mistakes in the final round tomorrow."
Leigha Devine led the charge with a 2-under 70. She was able to work around a double-bogey on No. 8, rebounding with a birdie on the very next hole. Devine also birdied No. 18 and her round was highlighed by an eaglet at the par-five second hole. After a 3-over 75 in her first round, Devine moved up nearly 20 spots on the leaderboard into a tie for 29th place.
Lorena Rossettin remains the highest Scarlet Knight on the individual leaderboard after a 3-over 75 in her second round. She carded four birdies and is now in a tie for 21st with a score of even-par through two rounds.
Lucrezia Rossettin rolled in a team-high five birdies to shoot a 1-over 73 on Monday. She joins Devine in a tie for 29th on the individual leaderboard.
Cathi Graf used four birdies in her second round to card an even-par 72 and move into a tie for 40th, while
Rikke Nordvik shot a 2-oer 74 to finish the day in a tie for 51st.
"Coach challenged us to be engaged for all 18 holes today and I think I did a good job of maintaining my focus while staying patient out there," Graf said. "I made a few mistakes but worked hard to hold my round together."
Competing as individuals,
Krystal Li shot a 10-over 82 in round two and is in a tie for 68th, while
Emily James shot a 14-over 86 and is t-93rd with a round of play to go.
Round 1 – Sunday, March 17
Weather: Temps in low 70s, sunny, 10-20 mph winds
Rutgers shot a 3-over 291 in the first round on Monday in Hawaii, which puts the team in seventh place out of 15.
Lorena Rossettin leads the Scarlet Knight on the individual leaderboard after a strong 3-under 69 in her opening round. She sits in a tie for sixth with two rounds remaining. Her day was highlighted by an eagle on the par-five 10th hole as well as birdies on No. 9, No. 15 and No. 16.
"My ball-striking was solid today and I feel good on these greens," Rossettin said. "I made some nice putts and I'm getting more comfortable with the course with each day out here. We're excited to come back out tomorrow for a chance to move up the leaderboard."
Lucrezia Rossettin followed her younger sister with an even-par 72, good for t-26th on the leaderboard. She rolled in four birdies on the day, tied for the best on the team.
Leigha Devine and
Cathi Graf both shot rounds of 3-over 75 to put them in a tie for 48th.
Rikke Nordvik rounded out the team scorers for RU with a 4-over 76.
Krystal Li had a strong day on the course competing as an individual, as she fired a 1-under 71, good for t-17th. Li played a very clean round and picked up back-to-back birdies on holes No. 3 and 4 to go along with 15 pars.
Also competing as an individual,
Emily James shot a 12-over 84 in her opening round.
2024 Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational: Final Results
March 17-19
Ocean Course at Hōkūala (Lihuʻe, Kauaʻi, Hawaii)
Par 72 | 5.929 yards
Field: Rutgers, No. 15 Arizona State, Boise State, Fresno State, Hawaiʻi, Long Beach State, Mercer, Morehead State, New Mexico, No. 30 North Carolina, Sacramento State, San Francisco, Texas State, Tulane, No. 31 Washington
* – Competing as individual
Rutgers University Women's Golf /// Piscataway, N.J.
-RU-
