FERNANDINA BEACH, Fla. – The South Dakota women's golf team finished its first tournament of the 2020-21 season with a fifth-place finish and a final score of 931 after 54 holes of action at the Amelia National Golf Club Monday and Tuesday.
 
Tuesday provided more sunshine (along with more pollen) and had temperatures reaching the mid-60s allowing the completion of the 8^th annual Amelia Island Collegiate. The Yotes were able to complete the final holes of round two from yesterday's suspended play and the final third round.
 
After spending much of the final day in fourth place, the Yotes struggled to finish things off in Florida recording some double and triple bogeys to finish one stroke before Wofford College who placed fourth. Eastern Kentucky finished in third place with a score of 920 while Jacksonville State finished runners-up with an 899 score.
 
Seminole State swept the board, taking home the team and individual title. As a team, they recorded a final score of 884 recording three straight rounds of under 300. The individual title went to Minori Nagano who finished with a total score of 217.

"It was such a pleasure to be back in the tournament environment as whole with our team," head coach Brett Bennett said. "There were glimpses of great golf that was played, paired with moments that you could tell it was our first event out of the spring. I am excited to see the results that are going to come from this group as we continue to get on the road and grow through the semester."
 
As a team, the Yotes recorded rounds of 302, 314 and 315. USD's preseason player to watch Laerke Jensen led the way for the Coyotes individually recording rounds of 71, 74 and 84 to finish tied for 14^th place. In round two the Hobro, Denmark native, recorded one birdie and 14 pars on the morning. During the final round in the afternoon, Jensen struggled to find the same success she had in the first two rounds recording one double bogey and one triple bogey to finish with a 12 over-par for the final round. Jensen recorded five birdies in the three rounds.
 
Freshmen Akari Hayashi finished her first collegiate tournament in a tie for 16^th place after shooting rounds of 74, 81 and 75 for a total score of 230. After an opening 74, Hayashi wasn't able to record a birdie in round two as she shot nine over-par. In round three, Hayashi recorded two birdies and 11 pars to record a third-round score of three over-par to move up on the final leaderboard.
 
Danica Badura was the other freshmen on the squad that was competing in her first collegiate tournament. The Aurora, Nebraska, native bagged an 83 in the second round, but bounced back in the final round to par every hole but two en route to a two over-par third round score. She finished with rounds of 81, 83 and 74 for a total score of 238.  
 
Redshirt-junior Julia Hall struggled in the front nine of round two but was able to turn the momentum in her favor in the final six holes recording five pars and a birdie to net an eight over-par round two score. The Minnetonka, Minnesota, native carried her momentum from the second round to the first half of the final round recording six straight pars before the course reversed the momentum. Hall had a string of bogeys in the back half of the final round to finish with a 14 over-par final round score. Overall, she recorded rounds of 76, 80 and 86 for a 242 total.
 
Junior Elizabeth Duncan finished a few spots behind Hall on the scorecard tying for 37^th place. After an 84 in the first round, she improved by five strokes in the second round after a birdie and 10 pars to give her a score of seven over-par on the scorecard. In the final round after a tough front nine, the Brandon, South Dakota, native was able to record only two bogeys in the final eight holes. She finished with a total score of 245 (84, 79, 82).
 
The Coyotes will compete next in the GCU Invitational on Mach 1-2 in Phoenix, Arizona.