By Pia Perthen, Contributing Writer
A unique golf spirit surrounded the World Golf Hall of Fame in St. Augustine on Feb. 7 and 8. The Saint Leo Women’s golf team got a taste of its breath-taking atmosphere and came proudly back to campus with hardware.
The Lions have competed in their first spring season tournament called Flagler College World Golf Invitational at the legendary Slammer & Squire golf course in St. Augustine, FL. The team got second out of 21 strong teams, and Francesca Santoni, a talented senior, secured the individual win.
Architect Bobby Weed designed the golf course with World Golf Hall of Fame members the “Slammer” – Sam Snead and the “Squire” – Gene Sarazen. Both were golf legends in American golf history in the last century.
The Women’s golf team has proven their mental toughness in the windy and rainy weather, unusual for the Sunshine State. On the morning of the second day of the tournament, officials announced a start delay of one hour because the golf course was unplayable due to too much water on the fairways and greens!
Coach Lyndsey Bevill, head Coach of the Saint Leo Women’s golf team, said: “For every tournament, we prepare with the same mindset of getting one percent better every time on the golf course. One of my favorite phrases is that it is a marathon and not a sprint.”
“The weather did not make it easier for us to play, but fortunately, Coach had us playing qualifiers in the cold days of January as well, so we were already used to it. I told myself that everyone has to play in the same condition and tried to stay focused and kept a good mindset throughout the tournament,” Santoni said.
Santoni has successfully shown that she is good at what she is doing with two very solid golf rounds. She has especially impressed with her second round of golf, a score of 69 shots (-3), and therefore, she won the Individual Medal. She kept her nerves in tough conditions and was honored with SSC Women’s Golfer of the Week for her outstanding performance.
“I am honored to say that this is my second award for this category, and it is always nice to get recognition. I am proud of this accomplishment,” Santoni said.
Despite these adverse conditions, the women’s golf team achieved a round score of -2 on the second day, which any other 20 college teams could not underplay. The 286 golf strokes shone brightly in the second round from the leader board and secured the runner-up for the Lions behind the winner Nova Southeastern.
“Great start to the spring season. Santoni led the way with her second individual win, and all of the girls played solid. I am always proud of my team, and everyone is giving their best effort,” Bevill said.
A lucky shot was played from freshmen Pia Perthen, as she made an eagle on a par four and holed the golf ball from 150 yards.
Synne Lauritzen, senior and Laurence Lamer, freshman, fought like lions and both mastered to play even 72 (E) despite the bad weather on the second day.
Rose Morisette, a senior, also gave her best on the golf course and for the golf team alongside individual senior player, Louise Henningson.
Therefore, it is no surprise that Bevill was pleased with her team and treated them to an excellent burger dinner on the way home from the tournament.
A highlight, apart from golf, was the dinner invitation from Traci and Bob Bannon (both graduated from Saint Leo), who provided the women’s golf team with laughter and impressed them with their cooking skills. Their impressive home was situated close to the venue in St. Augustine.
The Saint Leo Lions return to the competition on Monday, Feb 21. The Lions prepare to enter the Lady Moc Classic hosted at the Grassland Country Club in Lakeland, Fla.
“The expectation is to compete and be in the final group in the last round. As much it is my expectation, the girl’s expectations are higher,” said Bevill.
Individual Scores from Flagler College World Golf Invitational
1 | Francesca Santoni (72-69-141): -3
7 | Pia Perthen (72-73-145): +1
T10 | Laurence Lamer (76-72-148): +4
T10 | Synne Lauritzen (76-72-148): +4
T48 | Rose Morissette (79-78-157): +13
T70 | Louise Henningsson* (80-83-163): +19
