'One shot at a time': Lady Jaguars move into fourth at Lady Paladin Invitational

By Rodrigo Burgos Avila | Sports editor

TRAVELERS REST, S.C.—Augusta University women’s golf moved into fourth place after a strong second round at the Lady Paladin Invitational on Saturday at Furman University Golf Club.

The Lady Jaguars shot a combined 3-under-par 285 in the second round, bringing their tournament total to 2-under-par. Augusta trails Alabama, Xavier and High Point heading into Sunday’s final round.

Sofia Valera and Sara Adams led Augusta with matching 2-under-par 70s.

Sofia Valera celebrates after making a birdie on one of her final holes. Valera shot a 2-under-par 70.

Valera, a sophomore, carded three birdies and one bogey to finish the round 2-under. She is even-par for the tournament and sits tied for 16th on the individual leaderboard.

Adams made one of the biggest moves of the day, climbing 17 spots into a tie for 18th after making five birdies and three bogeys.

After a frustrating start, Adams settled in and finished her round with three straight birdies.

“I was a bit frustrated in the start, just because I gave myself some opportunities and didn’t capitalize on them,” Adams said. “Then I went into the second nine, just thinking, try to ramp it up a little bit and maybe be more aggressive on some holes. I started making some putts and hit a good shot close to the pin on the par five, just… birdie, birdie, birdie finish, which is more than you can ask for.”

McKinley Holding also put together a solid round, shooting an even-par 72. Holding recorded three birdies, one bogey and one double bogey.

Danielle Higbee rounded out Augusta’s counting scores with a 1-over-par 73, making two birdies during her round. Puntita Pawichai shot a 79, which did not count toward the team score.

Luciana Reis tees off during round two of the Lady Paladin Invitational. Reis shot a 1-over-par 73 in the second round of her first collegiate tournament.

Playing as an individual, Luciana Reis shot a 1-over-par 73 with two birdies and three bogeys. The Lady Paladin is Reis’ first collegiate tournament.

Crenshaw said Reis has already made an impact on the team beyond her performance on the course.

“So much good, I can’t say enough about each one of our girls,” Crenshaw said. “Their personalities, their positivity… each one is such a great addition and Luciana (Reis) is no exception to that.”

Crenshaw added that the tournament has given Reis an opportunity to adjust to college competition.

“I think it is really great for her to get her feet wet in college competition, she’s done phenomenal with it already,” Crenshaw said.

The Lady Jaguars focused on staying patient and trusting their approach throughout the round.

“You just got to be able to take it one shot at a time,” Crenshaw said. “And so I think everyone really bought into that and finished off really well.”

That approach helped Augusta move up the leaderboard and put itself in position to contend for a strong finish Sunday.

“I think today, we played as a team, and it showed,” Adams said. “We put ourselves in contention to have a good finish tomorrow. I’m proud of the team, proud of the girls and excited for tomorrow.”

The Lady Jaguars will close out the tournament Sunday with a shotgun start at 9 a.m. at Furman University Golf Club in Greenville, South Carolina.

Contact Rodrigo Burgos Avila at rburgosavila@augusta.edu.

At the top of the page, Sara Adams tees off during the second round of the Lady Paladin Invitational. Below, the Augusta University women’s golf team poses for their first team picture. From left to right, Puntita Pawichai, McKinley Holding, Luciana Reis, Sara Adams, Sofia Valera and Danielle Higbee. (photos by Rodrigo Burgos Avila/the Bell Ringer)