Towner Cards an 83 in Second Round, Finishes Bulldog Classic at 166

By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. -- Lexi Towner (Jr., Chico, CA/Chico HS) from Willamette University shot an 83 in the second round of the Bulldog Classic on Tuesday, March 26, as the tournament concluded at The S Club. Towner, who also carded an 83 in the first round on Monday, finished in 37th place overall at 166.

Each score of 83 tied for her second lowest round so far this year. In addition, the rounds tied for the third lowest round of her career. Her lowest round was an 81 on the second day of the Pacific Spring Invitational earlier this season. She shot an 82 during the first round of 2018 NWC Tournament and earned an 83 in the first round of the 2017 NWC Tournament.

Kristen Barclay (Jr./So., Kenmore, WA/Cedar Park Christian School) of Willamette finished with a score of 196, as she shot a 99 and a 97. Katerin Vasquez (So., Indio, CA/Coachella Valley HS) of WU shot 213 overall with a 99 and a 114.

"I was very proud of the golf we played this week at the Bulldog Classic," Willamette Assistant Coach Ryan Melnychuk said. "Lexi continued some of her best scored to date, shooting two sub-85 rounds. Kristen continued her consistent play with two sub-100 rounds and five pars in her final round. Kat accomplished something we've been close to a few times. In the first round she shot 99, a college tournament low for her."

The individual championship at the Bulldog Classic went to Jillian Drinkard of Methodist University (N.C.) with a score of 145. She shot a 72 in the first round to tie for the tournament's low 18-hole score. She added a 73 in the second round.

Drinkard won by two strokes over Taylor Beckwith of Whittier College. Beckwith finished at 147 after shooting a 74 in the first round and 73 on Tuesday. Beckwith moved up two spots during the second round.

Third place went to Emma Kang of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (Calif.) at 149. Kang registered a 77 in the first round and improved by five strokes to a 72 in the second round.

Annie Hay and Kendall Nicholson from University of Redlands, along with Kelly Ransom from CMS, tied for fourth place at 150. Hay shot 76-74, while Nicholson recorded 70-80 and Ransom shot 75-75.

Three more golfers tied for seventh at 151. They were Sophia Hui of Pomona-Pitzer (Calif.), who shot 75-76, Emily Lewis from Chapman University (Calif.), who carded 71-80, and Mira Yoo from CMS, who earned scores of 81 and 70.

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps moved up from third place after the first round to claim the team championship with a score of 600. The Athenas shot 305 on Monday and then recorded the low score of the tournament with a 295 in the second round.

Redlands remained in second place with a final score of 611 (300-311). Methodist dropped from first into third place at 611 (299-312). Pomona-Pitzer took fourth place at 613 (304-309) and Chapman was fifth at 308-315. Willamettte did not record a team score.