Women’s golf team wins tournament; men’s golf takes third at Invitational

Both the men’s and women’s golf teams had success over the weekend, with the women’s team winning the Chris Banister Golf Classic on Tuesday, Sept. 30, and the men’s team placing third at the Jack Nicklaus Invitational on Monday, Sept. 29.

The women’s team won the tournament by 16 strokes, shooting a 900 as a team for the event. The Trojans defeated 10 other schools, including the host Jacksonville State, and rivals UAB and South Alabama.

Sophomore Fatima Fernandez Cano also won the individual event, shooting +1 for the tournament. She edged out a fellow Trojan, senior Langley Vannoy, who finished second with a score of +2.

Senior Taylor McGraw finished in a tie for 10th at +14, giving the Trojans three golfers in the top 10.

“I am really pleased with the way we played today,” head coach Bart Barnes said. “They really showed me what they were made of.”

Cano was the only player to score a 70 for a round and the only golfer to have a below-par round.

She also led the tournament in par 5 scoring at -4 for the tournament. McGraw led the tournament in pars with Vannoy being second in pars.

“They looked so comfortable on the course, and that’s what you’re looking for, especially in a final round with the tournament on the line,” Barnes said. “They embraced the challenge and almost seemed calmer today. They are experienced conference champions, and they enjoy the competition. They were going to go and take the victory and not have it handed to them.”

The men’s team finished third behind hosts Ohio State and Purdue. The Trojans were only two strokes out of second place.

The Trojans’ score of 283 in their second round tied Ohio State’s first-round score for the lowest round for the tournament. Three Trojans finished in