BROKEN ARROW, Okla. – Rutgers women's golf finished fifth at the Route 66 Invitational honoring Dale McNamara on Tuesday in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. The Scarlet Knights were the biggest movers out of the 14 programs in the field, jumping up three spots to finish ahead of Big Ten programs Minnesota and Wisconsin.
 
As a team, RU was one of just four programs to produce an even or better team scorecard in the third round.

Redshirt senior Grace Lu and sophomore Joline Truong carded top 10 finishes to pace the Scarlet Knights, finishing sixth and seventh, respectively. Lu closed the final round with a two-under-par 69 to finish with a two-under-par 211 (70-72-69) – one of just six student-athletes in the 81-player field to come in under par after three rounds.

"This was a strong showing for us to close out our team play this fall," said head coach Kari Williams. "It was another event that was a full team effort, and we really saw everyone buckle down and grind today from start to finish, which moved us up the leaderboard. Grace and Joline continued their consistent play and paced us again this week against a competitive field. This performance will propel us into our offseason training and development."
 
Arkansas won the invitational with an 11-under-par 841 (278-280-283), followed by Oklahoma (-8) and host Tulsa (+17). Oklahoma's Savannah Barber carded an 11-under-par 202 (68-66-68) to win the individual title.

Round 3 – Tuesday, Oct. 14
Weather: Sunny, Temps in mid-70s, 5-10 mph winds
 
Lu continued her strong play into Tuesday, producing a two-under-par 69 in the third round. Her performance included five birdies and nine pars, as Lu led Rutgers with 12 birdies across three rounds of play to tie for sixth. It was Lu's second consecutive top 10 result of the fall after she tied for seventh on Oct. 5 at the Princeton Invitational.

"It feels good to end the fall season on a high note," Lu said. "Even though my ball-striking wasn't perfect this week, I'm happy with how I stayed patient and stuck to our team's game plan. I kept things simple out there this week and felt I rolled the ball on the greens pretty well. Even though our fall tournaments are done, I'm excited to see what we can achieve as a team this offseason."
 
Truong remained tied for seventh thanks to her even 71 on Tuesday, drilling birdies on holes five and eleven. It was also Truong's second consecutive top 10 finish after she tied for 10th at the Princeton Invitational.
 
Junior Emily James and sophomore Judy Amano both enjoyed productive final rounds, carding one-over-par 72s on Tuesday. James delivered three birdies, while Amano putted in two on holes 12 and 18. Their impressive third rounds helped them finish 57th and 61st, respectively.
 
Junior Krystal Li rounded out the team scorecard tied for 72nd.

Round 2 – Monday, October 13
Weather: Cloudy, Temps in mid-70s, 5-10 mph winds
 
Truong jumped up 23 spots on the leaderboard thanks to her dazzling second round, finishing the day with a two-under-par 69. Truong rolled in four birdies across her last 18 holes and added 11 pars to move into a tie for seventh. Truong was one of just nine golfers in the field to go low in the second round.

"Overall, my game was pretty steady today," Truong said. "I hit lots of greens in the first round, so I just tried to stay calm and keep that going. I gave myself some good looks at birdie, stayed patient, and trusted the putts to drop. Hopefully, I can carry that momentum into tomorrow's final round."
 
Lu continued her consistent play to move up three spots to sixth, finishing with a one-over-par 72. Lu contributed birdies on holes eight, nine and 14 to highlight her action in Monday's closing round.
 
Li and Amano both improved in their second rounds, each producing five-over-par 76s. Li had three birdies in round two, while Amano rolled in birdies on holes two and six. Li and Amano closed out the day tied for 59th and 69th, respectively.
 
James carded an eight-over-par 79 to round out the scoring for the Scarlet Knights in the second round.
 
Round 1 – Monday, October 13
Weather: Partly Cloudy, Temps in mid-70s, 10-20 mph winds
 
Lu got off to a hot start during the morning session, firing off a one-under-par 70 with four birdies. Her performance helped her sit in ninth after the first round of action.
 
Truong played steady golf in her opening round, carding a three-over-par 74. James followed with two birdies en route to a six-over-par 77, while Li and Amano added scores of 78 and 81, respectively.

Up Next
Rutgers sends individuals to compete at the Lehigh Invitational from Oct. 25-26 in Bedminster, N.J.
 

5	Rutgers	299 (+15)	293 (+9)	284 (E)	876 (+24)
Place	Name	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
6	Grace Lu	70 (-1)	72 (+1)	69 (-2)	211 (-2)
T7	Joline Truong	74 (+3)	69 (-2)	71 (E)	214 (+1)
T57	Emily James	77 (+6)	79 (+8)	72 (+1)	228 (+15)
T61	Judy Amano	81 (+10)	76 (+5)	72 (+1)	229 (+16)
T72	Krystal Li	78 (+7)	76 (+5)	81 (+10)	235 (+22)