Eastern Michigan Athletics
Monday, October 2
Ypsilanti, Mich.
All Day
Eastern Michigan University
vs
Shirley Spork Invitational
Photo by: Steve King/KingStudios
Watson Ties EMU's 54-Hole Record at Shirley Spork Invite
10/3/2023 3:19:00 PM | Women's Golf
Watson tied Kelsey Murphy's three-round mark with a five-under 211
Complete Results (PDF) | Season Stats
Video Highlights.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The legendary Shirley Spork famously said, "the thing about the game of golf is you have 18 chances to be brave." Eastern Michigan University senior Anna Watson (Ashland, Ohio/Ashland) proved that and more this week, Oct. 2-3, at the tournament named in Spork's honor on the par 72, 6,159-yard Eagle Crest Golf Course setup.
Watson tied the EMU women's golf team's 54-hole record at the Sixth Annual Shirley Spork Invitational with a two-day total of five-under 211 (72-71-68). The mark equaled Kelsey Murphy's 211 (74-71-66) set at the Cardinal Classic, Sept. 21-22, 2015. Additionally, Watson nearly broke the school's 18-hole mark of 66, settling for a tie for the fourth-lowest round. Overall, the Ashland, Ohio, native took third at the event behind Bowling Green State University's Ava O'Sullivan (70-67-71) and Oakland University's Bridget Boczar (70-69-70).
The Golden Grizzlies took home the team title by three strokes, finishing with a 54-hole mark of 872 (290-289-293). BGSU (875) was second, followed by Western Michigan University (883), EMU, which shot 888 (303-292-293), and Purdue Fort Wayne (901). EMU's total is tied for fourth-best in program history, and it marks the best three-round score since setting the record of 880 (301-293-286) at the Cardinal Classic, Sept. 21-22, 2015.
O'Sullivan and the University of Akron's Abbi Fleiner collected Golden Duck awards, as a memento of Spork's favorite collectible.
How It Happened
Behind Watson, freshman Riley Kim (Aldie, Va./Lightridge) tied for 11th with a 223 (76-75-72). It is the second top-15 showing in four career events for Kim, beating her previous low of 224 (75-79-70) to open the season at the A-Ga-Ming Invitational, Sept. 3-4, 2023. Senior Natai Apichonlati (Bangkok, Thailand/The Regent's International School) added a 228 (81-73-74) in a tie for 23rd, while senior Sophia Wygonik (Westland, Mich./Livonia Franklin) closed with an 81 for a two-day total of 234 (76-77-81). Junior Alyssa DiMarcantonio (Maple, Ontario/Tommy Douglas Secondary School) and senior Paige Zolciak (Perrysburg, Ohio/St. Ursula Academy) rounded out the scoring, with a pair of 236s in a tie for 43rd.
Playing as an individual, freshman Gabriella Tapp (South Lyon, Mich./South Lyon) finished with a 240 (82-81-77) for the second-best finish of her young career.
Of Note
- EMU's 292 in round two is tied for the ninth-lowest single round in program history. It is also the lowest since the squad recorded a 291 in the third round of the Brittany Kelly Cardinal Classic, Sept. 19, 2022.
- The tournament utilized a play-6, count-4 format.
Up Next
EMU will compete at the prestigious White Sands Bahamas NCAA Invitational in Nassau, Bahamas, Oct. 27-29. For the fourth year, the annual golf tournament will be played at the Ocean Club Golf Course on Atlantis Paradise Island. The tournament was previously played at this golf course in 2019, 2021 and 2022. The women's teams entered are UNC-Charlotte, Delaware, Eastern Kentucky, Eastern Michigan, Grand Canyon, Kansas State, North Florida, Santa Clara, Tampa, Troy, and Tulane.
Eastern Michigan Individual Results:
Pl. Player Scores
3. Anna Watson 72-71-68=211
t-11. Riley Kim 76-75-72=223
t-23. Natai Apichonlati 81-73-74=228
t-40. Sophia Wygonik 76-77-81=234
t-43. Alyssa DiMarcantonio 79-78-79=236
t-43. Paige Zolciak 83-73-80=236
*t-51. Gabriella Tapp 82-81-77=240
* - playing as an individual
Team Scores:
Pl. Team Scores
1. Oakland 290-289-293=872
2. Bowling Green 291-288-296=875
3. Western Michigan 303-288-292=883
4. Eastern Michigan 303-292-293=888
5. Purdue Fort Wayne 302-293-306=901
t-6. Ohio 304-309-298=911
t-6. Akron 303-305-303=911
8. Green Bay 298-308-307=913
t-9. Cleveland State 301-307-317=925
t-9. Central Michigan 309-302 -314=925
11. Detroit Mercy 323-324-309=956
Previous Champions:
2017 - Marshall (302-294-300=896) | Julia Champion, Western Michigan (71-74-73=218)
2018 - Bowling Green (297-295=592) | Jessica Madry, Bowling Green (71-70=141)
2019 - Eastern Michigan (299-297-303=899) | Mikaela Schulz, Michigan (68-72-72=212)
2020 - No event due to COVID-19
2021 - Eastern Michigan (290-297-312=899) | Alissa Fish, Western Michigan (69-71-70=210)
2022 - Central Michigan (302-295-305=902) | Ashley Goh, Central Michigan (69-72-77=218)
2023 - Oakland (290-289-293=872) | Ava O'Sullivan, Bowling Green (70-67-71=208)
Video Highlights.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The legendary Shirley Spork famously said, "the thing about the game of golf is you have 18 chances to be brave." Eastern Michigan University senior Anna Watson (Ashland, Ohio/Ashland) proved that and more this week, Oct. 2-3, at the tournament named in Spork's honor on the par 72, 6,159-yard Eagle Crest Golf Course setup.
Watson tied the EMU women's golf team's 54-hole record at the Sixth Annual Shirley Spork Invitational with a two-day total of five-under 211 (72-71-68). The mark equaled Kelsey Murphy's 211 (74-71-66) set at the Cardinal Classic, Sept. 21-22, 2015. Additionally, Watson nearly broke the school's 18-hole mark of 66, settling for a tie for the fourth-lowest round. Overall, the Ashland, Ohio, native took third at the event behind Bowling Green State University's Ava O'Sullivan (70-67-71) and Oakland University's Bridget Boczar (70-69-70).
The Golden Grizzlies took home the team title by three strokes, finishing with a 54-hole mark of 872 (290-289-293). BGSU (875) was second, followed by Western Michigan University (883), EMU, which shot 888 (303-292-293), and Purdue Fort Wayne (901). EMU's total is tied for fourth-best in program history, and it marks the best three-round score since setting the record of 880 (301-293-286) at the Cardinal Classic, Sept. 21-22, 2015.
O'Sullivan and the University of Akron's Abbi Fleiner collected Golden Duck awards, as a memento of Spork's favorite collectible.
How It Happened
Behind Watson, freshman Riley Kim (Aldie, Va./Lightridge) tied for 11th with a 223 (76-75-72). It is the second top-15 showing in four career events for Kim, beating her previous low of 224 (75-79-70) to open the season at the A-Ga-Ming Invitational, Sept. 3-4, 2023. Senior Natai Apichonlati (Bangkok, Thailand/The Regent's International School) added a 228 (81-73-74) in a tie for 23rd, while senior Sophia Wygonik (Westland, Mich./Livonia Franklin) closed with an 81 for a two-day total of 234 (76-77-81). Junior Alyssa DiMarcantonio (Maple, Ontario/Tommy Douglas Secondary School) and senior Paige Zolciak (Perrysburg, Ohio/St. Ursula Academy) rounded out the scoring, with a pair of 236s in a tie for 43rd.
Playing as an individual, freshman Gabriella Tapp (South Lyon, Mich./South Lyon) finished with a 240 (82-81-77) for the second-best finish of her young career.
Of Note
- EMU's 292 in round two is tied for the ninth-lowest single round in program history. It is also the lowest since the squad recorded a 291 in the third round of the Brittany Kelly Cardinal Classic, Sept. 19, 2022.
- The tournament utilized a play-6, count-4 format.
Up Next
EMU will compete at the prestigious White Sands Bahamas NCAA Invitational in Nassau, Bahamas, Oct. 27-29. For the fourth year, the annual golf tournament will be played at the Ocean Club Golf Course on Atlantis Paradise Island. The tournament was previously played at this golf course in 2019, 2021 and 2022. The women's teams entered are UNC-Charlotte, Delaware, Eastern Kentucky, Eastern Michigan, Grand Canyon, Kansas State, North Florida, Santa Clara, Tampa, Troy, and Tulane.
Eastern Michigan Individual Results:
Pl. Player Scores
3. Anna Watson 72-71-68=211
t-11. Riley Kim 76-75-72=223
t-23. Natai Apichonlati 81-73-74=228
t-40. Sophia Wygonik 76-77-81=234
t-43. Alyssa DiMarcantonio 79-78-79=236
t-43. Paige Zolciak 83-73-80=236
*t-51. Gabriella Tapp 82-81-77=240
* - playing as an individual
Team Scores:
Pl. Team Scores
1. Oakland 290-289-293=872
2. Bowling Green 291-288-296=875
3. Western Michigan 303-288-292=883
4. Eastern Michigan 303-292-293=888
5. Purdue Fort Wayne 302-293-306=901
t-6. Ohio 304-309-298=911
t-6. Akron 303-305-303=911
8. Green Bay 298-308-307=913
t-9. Cleveland State 301-307-317=925
t-9. Central Michigan 309-302 -314=925
11. Detroit Mercy 323-324-309=956
Previous Champions:
2017 - Marshall (302-294-300=896) | Julia Champion, Western Michigan (71-74-73=218)
2018 - Bowling Green (297-295=592) | Jessica Madry, Bowling Green (71-70=141)
2019 - Eastern Michigan (299-297-303=899) | Mikaela Schulz, Michigan (68-72-72=212)
2020 - No event due to COVID-19
2021 - Eastern Michigan (290-297-312=899) | Alissa Fish, Western Michigan (69-71-70=210)
2022 - Central Michigan (302-295-305=902) | Ashley Goh, Central Michigan (69-72-77=218)
2023 - Oakland (290-289-293=872) | Ava O'Sullivan, Bowling Green (70-67-71=208)
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Golf
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