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Thursday, March 28, 2024
The Observer

Belles take second on weekend

It took a record-breaking performance, but Hope beat Saint Mary's again.The Belles finished behind Hope for the second straight tournament, taking second at the Briton Invitational with a score of 345. Hope's team fired a 343, a new tournament record, to win the Invitational at The Medalist Golf Club in Marshall, Mich."We definitely improved a lot from last year at this course," Belles coach Mark Hamilton said. "It's a difficult golf course, one of the hardest we'll play this season.Saint Mary's was led by junior Julie Adams' 85, followed by Stefanie Simmerman's 86. Hamilton was pleased that his six top players fired rounds in the 80s and placed in the top 10 for the tournament. While the Belles were consistent, Hope won despite having a player shoot 119. The Flying Dutch were led by first and second place finishers Lacey Wicksall and Holly Sneller, who shot 79 and 83, respectively. "I'm a little bit concerned we were behind Hope," Hamilton said. "We need to beat them in the next couple of tournaments. But it's good to have a team that drives you."Last week Hope took second-place ahead of the fourth-place Belles at the Knox Invitational. Hamilton said the Belles had a chance to win the tournament Tuesday, but had a couple high scores on holes late in the round, allowing Hope to hang on for the victory.Saint Mary's has continued to get solid play from Chrissy Dunham and Megan Mattia. While Dunham did not have her best round at The Medalist, she has consistently fired solid rounds. Hamilton credits the hard work Dunham put in over the summer for her improvement."She's made a partly quantum leap," Hamilton said. "She worked hard at her game over the summer and is seeing the results from that hard work."Meanwhile Mattia has arguably been the most consistent player on the team. She had an 87 Tuesday."Megan always shoots a score we can count on," Hamilton said.