Trojan golf champions start their season at “Mo”morial

The defending Sun Belt champion Troy women’s golf team started its season this week at the “Mo”morial hosted by Texas A&M at the Traditions Golf Club in Bryan, Texas.

The Trojans are coming off a conference title and sophomore Fatima Fernandez Cano is the reigning Sun Belt individual champion.

“The ladies are very excited to play and pick up where they left off last year,” head coach Bart Barnes said. “This is a new event for us, and it will give us an outstanding opportunity to see some high-level competition with several teams ranked in the top 50.”

Apart from Cano, the Trojan team featured four seniors at the “Mo”morial: Taylor McGraw, Brooke Spinks, Sydney Conrad and Langley Vannoy.

“Our four seniors have contributed so much to this program,” Barnes said. “I went through the recruiting process with them when I was an assistant, and to see them as seniors now is kind of remarkable. It’s like I have four assistant coaches on the course with me.”

After one day of play at the “Mo”morial, the Trojans were in ninth place and were being led by one of those “assistant coaches.”

Vannoy was tied for 15th after Monday, Sept. 8, shooting a 3-over-par 75. Cano was tied for 26th with a 4-over-par 76. McGraw shot a 79, while Spinks and Conrad each shot an 80.

The Trojans were facing 10 other teams in the tournament, including the leader after Monday, No. 17 Auburn. The Trojans trailed the Tigers by 19 strokes after Monday.

The Trojans led the only other Sun Belt representative, Louisiana-Monroe, by four strokes after Monday’s play.

The tournament concluded Wednesday, Sept. 10.

The women will be back in action on Sept. 29-30 at the Chris Bannister Golf Classic in Glencoe.