By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
BROKEN ARROW, Okla. – Morgan Brasser claimed her second individual title of this fall season by charging up the leaderboard in the second round at the Tulsa Cup, held at par-72 Forest Ridge Golf Club. Brasser fired a 1-under par round of 71, coming from seven shots back of the lead at the start of round two to claim the tournament by one stroke. She finished at 5-over par overall, a total of 149.
Brasser topped a field of 90 golfers in the event, including four of the top 60 players in NCAA Division II according to the Golfstat individual ranking system. She carded five birdies, four bogeys, and nine pars in the second round to chase down round-one leader Lanie Veenendall of Top 20-ranked Augustana (S.D.). Veenendall shot a 1-under par 71 before shooting a 7-over par 79 in round two. By the end of the day, Brasser climbed 14 notches on the leaderboard to win the tournament.
Brasser tied for the most birdies in the tournament with seven, matching Aubrey Marx of Southern Arkansas, and she tied for second in par-5 scoring for the tournament at 1-under par, only behind Emma Hester of Southern Arkansas (2-under). Brasser was even par on the par-3 holes in the tournament.
The tournament was suspended due to rain on day one with most golfers stopping on or through 13 holes of play. Brasser finished out her opening round of 78 with a pair of bogeys before she began to catch fire in the second round, going 2-under par in her first nine holes of the second round (four birdies and two bogeys). She grabbed her fifth birdie of the second round on her 11th hole of round two, then played her final seven holes in 1-over par to hang on to the lead.
The only other player to match Brasser and Veenendall for the best round in the tournament (71) was Nina Lee of Northeastern State, who also made a huge jump (25 places) on the leaderboard to third place at 7-over par after an opening round 80.
Brasser now has three individual titles in her collegiate career. Earlier this fall she won the Augustana Fall Regional Preview, and she won the Holiday Inn Express Classic hosted by Missouri Western in the spring of the 2021-22 season.
Fort Hays State as a team finished 14th with a two-round total of 661. The Tigers nearly posted identical team scores, shooting 331 in the first round, then 330 in the second. Shauna Lee carded four birdies on her way to tying for 66thwith rounds of 81 and 88. Lexie Ridder tied for 71st, shooting rounds of 85 and 86. Aliyah North had two birdies in the tournament and shot rounds of 87 and 86 to tie for 73rd. Kerrigan Rudolph shot rounds of 89 and 87 to tie for 78th.
The tournament featured four nationally ranked teams, all of which filtered to the top of the team standings. No. 2 ranked Henderson State (Ark.) won the tournament at 617 as a team, clipping No. 21 ranked Central Missouri by one stroke for the title. No. 46 ranked Rogers State shot 622, holding off No. 19 ranked Augustana by one stroke for third.
This tournament was the conclusion of the fall season for Fort Hays State. The team will resume its 2022-23 season in the spring.