PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – Wayland Baptist University Women's Golf wrapped up three rounds of competition at the PDI Shootout with a sixth-place team finish out of 15 teams, highlighted by Isabelle Victoria Soh's sixth-place individual performance among a field of 92 golfers at PGA National Resort's Fazio Course.
The Pioneers finished the 54-hole tournament at 78-over par, showing improvement throughout the event while competing against a field that featured several highly ranked programs.
Wayland opened the tournament with a 33-over-par first round. Soh set the pace for the Pioneers with a 2-over 74, while Juanita Villafane followed with a 7-over 79. Ellen Lonergan carded an 11-over 83, Bia Mesquita finished at 13-over with an 85, and Marissa Armendariz shot a 16-over 88.
The Pioneers responded with their best team round of the tournament in Round 2, cutting 16 strokes off their opening-round score to post a 17-over-par team round.
Soh and Lonergan led the second-round effort, each firing a 3-over 75. Mesquita made one of Wayland's biggest improvements of the tournament, trimming eight strokes off her opening round with a 5-over 77. Villafane and Armendariz each added a 6-over 78.
Wayland closed the tournament with a 28-over-par final round. Soh once again led the Pioneers, turning in her best round of the tournament with a 1-over 73. Villafane followed with a 7-over 79, Lonergan recorded a 9-over 81, Mesquita finished at 11-over with an 83, and Armendariz carded a 14-over 86.
Wayland Head Coach Tom Harp was encouraged by the progress his team showed against a competitive tournament field.
"Very pleased with the ladies. We are much improved as a team," Harp said. "With the improvement across the competition, the margin for mistakes is very small. We can lose two or three spots if we're careless or not ready to play because the margins are so tight.
"It was great to see our girls compete against several top-ranked teams, including Keiser, who looks like one of the best teams in the nation, along with programs that finished among the top teams last year. We also finished ahead of several teams that competed at a high level last season. Overall, it was a very positive trip. These are quality young ladies, and they represented themselves and Wayland extremely well throughout the competition."
Soh Finishes Sixth Among 92-Player Field
Soh delivered Wayland's top individual performance of the tournament, finishing sixth overall out of 92 golfers. She posted rounds of 74, 75 and 73 for a 54-hole total of 222 (+6).
Her final-round 73 featured several highlights. After making the turn at 1-over, Soh birdied the par-4 10th before recording an eagle on the par-5 12th. She later added another birdie on the par-3 16th on her way to her lowest round of the tournament.
Behind Soh, Villafane finished tied for 37th at 20-over par, recording rounds of 79-78-79 for a 236. Lonergan finished tied for 43rd at 23-over, shooting 83-75-81 for a 239.
Mesquita finished tied for 57th at 29-over following rounds of 85-77-83 for a 245, while Armendariz finished tied for 74th at 36-over, posting rounds of 88-78-86 for a 252.
Danity Diaz also represented the Pioneers as an individual competitor. Diaz recorded rounds of 100, 115 and 101, finishing with a three-round total of 316 (+100).
Wayland's sixth-place finish placed the Pioneers in the upper half of the 15-team field. The Pioneers' 78-over team total came from rounds of +33, +17 and +28, with the second round marking Wayland's best team performance of the tournament.
Keiser captured the team title at 23-over, followed by Marian (Ind.) at +27, Indiana Wesleyan at +45, OUAZ at +52 and New College of Florida at +76. Wayland finished just two strokes behind New College of Florida for fifth place.
The Pioneers now turn their attention to the NCCAA Qualifier in Shawnee, Oklahoma, scheduled for Sept. 20-21. Wayland will look to build on its performance in Florida as the Pioneers compete for an opportunity to advance in NCCAA postseason competition.
