The Valparaiso University women’s golf team battled rainy and windy conditions on Monday at The Players Club in Yorktown, Ind. on Day 1 of the Cardinal Classic hosted by Ball State. Freshman Anna Fay (Ada, Mich. / Forest Hills) had a strong day, posting a pair of sub-80 rounds to lead her team.

How It Happened

• Fay carded the best round of the day by any Beacon in Round 1, finishing the morning session with a 78 on the par-72, 6204-yard course. She followed with a 79 in Round 2 to finish Monday’s competition at 157, tied for 38^th in the 88-player field.
• Fay was followed by senior Payton Hodson (Middleton, Wis. / Middleton) and freshman Madison Keil (LaGrange, Ind. / Lakeland), who tied for second on the team at 161. Hodson stroked a 79 in Round 1 and followed with an 82 in Round 2, while Keil had the same scores in the opposite order.
• As a team, Valpo carded a 322 in each round for a 36-hole score of 644, finishing ahead of Taylor (650) and Northern Kentucky (651) on the team leaderboard. Akron and Purdue Fort Wayne are tied for first at 609, while Ball State’s Liz Kim holds the individual lead at 143 (71-72).

Inside the Rounds

• Valpo had nine birdies as a team, led by Keil and Cailey Rooker (St. Joseph, Mich. / St. Joseph) with three apiece.
• Fay achieved par or better on 23 occasions and thrived on Par-3 holes, where her 2.83 average tied for the best in the tournament.

Thoughts from Head Coach Jill McCoy

“The conditions were tough today between the rain and the wind. Anna played good and very consistent, which was important given the conditions. The team is looking forward to going out strong tomorrow and improving on today’s rounds.”

Up Next

The Beacons will close out the Cardinal Classic on Tuesday with Round 3 tee times beginning at 8:30 a.m. Live scoring is available via GolfStat.