Lady Flames (Top L-R) Supschaya Srinchantamit, Jadepreeya Jademonkolrat, Carson McKie, Emily Felix
(Bottom L-R) Hannah Nall, Carson McKie, Lily Bloodworth.
The No. 9 Lee women's golf team finished third in a tightly contested battle on its home course at the City with Spirit Classic from the Cleveland Country Club. The 54-hole tournament took place over two picture-perfect days for golf on Monday and Tuesday.
The Lady Flames posted a team score of 910 and finished three strokes back of team champion, Limestone. Anderson (SC) University placed second with a 909. Lander (927) and Carson-Newman (928) rounded out the top five.
Lee was led by the continual red-hot play of junior, Supuschaya Srichantamit, better known on the team as "Yui".
For the second straight week Srichantamit found herself in a playoff for the individual title after posting a 69, 73, 75, 217 total. Yui had a chance to win in regulation on the 72nd hole but saw her putt for par miss just to the left.
In the playoff, Anderson's Jessica Rathbone (70, 71, 76, 217) won with a birdie on the par-5 10th hole. After identical drives in the fairway for both players, Yui laid up to about 100 yards out while Rathbone gambled with a 3-wood. The risk paid off as she hit a beautiful shot to the back of the green to give herself a look at eagle.
Yui's 3rd shot was tucked in tight to give her an 8-foot putt for birdie. Rathbone played first and lagged her eagle putt to within a few feet while Yui's birdie putt missed to give Anderson's top player the tap in and the medalist honor.
"I'm really proud of how Yui played today and how she has started the year," said Lee women's head coach Geandra Almeida. That's two weeks in a row she has gone to a playoff and if she keeps playing like this she will no doubt be winning some tournaments this season."
Emily Felix joined Yui on the All-Tournament team as she fired consistent rounds of 76, 75, 75 for a 226 total and a sixth-place finish. Carson McKie tied for 18th with a 231 (76, 75, 80) and freshman Hannah Nall from Cleveland finished T36 with an 80, 79, 78 237. Rounding out the Lee scores were Emily Ritchie (78, 82, 84, 244), Lily Bloodworth (83, 83, 79, 245) and Jadepreeya Jademongkolrat (87, 79, 80, 246).
"We love to be able to host tournaments at our beautiful home course at the Cleveland Country Club," added Almeida. "The staff here at the Cleveland Country Club does such a great job of putting on these tournaments. You saw by the scores that it's a tough challenge, but I think that helps us to get better as a team and prepares us for what we will face throughout the season and into postseason play."
The Lady Flames will tee it up next at the LeeAnn Noble Memorial in Dahlonega, Ga. on Oct. 10-11. Lee won the tournament back in 2020. The fall season will wrap up on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 at the Legends Invitational, hosted by Rollins College in Bradenton, Fla.