The Valparaiso University women’s golf team is well-positioned to close out the fall season in style with one round remaining at the Dayton Fall Invitational, hosted at NCR Country Club’s par-70, 5937-yard north course in Kettering, Ohio. The Beacons are in line for a top-half finish after a strong round on Monday.

How It Happened

• The Beacons finished the first 18 holes of the 36-hole event with a team score of 312 (+32), which ranks tied for sixth in a 12-team field. Valpo is ahead of Detroit Mercy, Northern Kentucky, Youngstown State, Ohio and Eastern Illinois and tied with Bellarmine. The Beacons are only one stroke behind the host Flyers, two in back of Cleveland State and three behind Purdue Fort Wayne for a top-three finish. The University of Indianapolis holds the team lead at 291.
• On the individual leaderboard, junior Cailey Rooker (St. Joseph, Mich. / St. Joseph) is contending for a top-10 finish in the 77-player field. Half way through the tournament, she is tied for sixth after carding a 73 (+3) on Monday. Ohio State’s Alexis Phadungmartvorakul owns the top spot with a 67 (-3).
• Senior Payton Hodson (Middleton, Wis. / Middleton) also put together a solid round, carding a 76 (+6). She is currently in the top 20 at t-18 and ranks second on the squad.  
• Freshman Madison Keil (LaGrange, Ind. / Lakeland) turned in an 80 and sits at t-40 entering Tuesday.

Inside the Round

• By posting a 73 on Monday, Rooker cracked the program record book for 18-hole round low in terms of overall score. Her performance is tied for seventh in program history. This marks the second time this season she’s cracked the record book in that area, as the 73 equals her season and career low established on Sept. 5 in the first round of the Redbird Invitational.
• The 76 tied a season low for Hodson, who previously achieved that score in the second round of the Butler Fall Invitational on Oct. 4. Her career low is 74.
• If the Beacons can match or better their Round-1 team score in Tuesday’s second round, they will crack the top five in program history in 36-hole tournament low.
• Valpo boasted the fourth-best par-3 scoring average in the field at 3.45. Rooker thrived on par-4 holes as her 4.08 average was tied for second in the field.
• The Beacons were one of six teams to produce six birdies or more with Rooker and Keil chipping in two apiece.

Thoughts from Head Coach Jill McCoy

“Cailey played great today. We’re hoping the rest of the team can get behind her tomorrow and finish the fall season on a high note.”

Up Next

The final day of the fall docket will be on Tuesday as Valpo closes out the Dayton Fall Invitational, which is being held at NCR Country Club in Kettering, Ohio. A link to live scoring via GolfStat is available on ValpoAthletics.com.