Freshman Susannah Grunden may have only played four golf tournaments in her collegiate career, but she is already on her way to a record-breaking season.
After shooting a team low 66 in the final round of the Nittany Lion Invitational, Grunden went on to win the Zippy Invitational yesterday, shooting a 226.
‘It feels great,’ Grunden said. ‘It’s a great feeling to put in all that hard work and practices and everything and have it pay off like that.’
Under coach Stephanie Young, Grunden is only the third Falcon to win a tournament and the first to win one BG did not host. With a current season average of 78 through eight rounds, Grunden is on track to break the 78.54 season average record currently held by Jenny Schnipke (2003-04).
‘We are thrilled about Susannah and the impact she’s had thus far,’ Young said. ‘Although, she would be the first to tell you that there is still a lot of work to be done. I am very proud of her, especially coming off the first place finish at Akron. She outplayed some talented players in the conference. Susy is a special player with qualities that extend far beyond the golf course.’
The Falcons’ first tournament this past weekend, the Nittany Lion Invitational, saw the women finish in 15th place while Grunden shared top Falcon honors with Lauren Glew (240), tying for 42nd in the 90 player field.
Hannah Lambert (254), Megan Gormley (258) and Marisa Glew (261) also scored for BG.
The Zippy Invitational, played Monday and Tuesday, gave the Falcons a ninth place finish, their first top 10 this season. Lauren Glew finished in 40th place with 251, while Lambert tied for 56th (255) and Marisa Glew and Gormley shot 262.
Though Young is proud of her team for placing ninth, she said there is still a lot of work to be done.
‘It is a solid finish, but it shows us that there is much work to be done,’ Young said. ‘We are still looking for four scores in the seventies and more consistent play. We have to find a way to go low with our scores no matter what the conditions. There are still many opportunities to do that this fall.’
The Falcons will hit the road next Monday and Tuesday for the Mid-American Conference Preview in Fishers, Ind.’
