Racers Win 12th OVC Golf Championship - Moore Takes Medalist Title

Monday, April 15

Muscle Shoals, Ala.

Murray State

Ohio Valley Conference

Racers Win 12th OVC Golf Championship - Moore Takes Medalist Title

4/17/2019 2:30:00 PM | Women's Golf

Photo Gallery Results (PDF)Awards Photo Gallery

The Murray State Racers completed the Three-peat when they won the 2019 Ohio Valley Conference Women's Golf Championship by 20 shots at The Shoals Golf Club in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. 41716

Under the guidance of Coach Velvet Milkman, who has coached all 26 years of the program's history, the Racers won their 12^th OVC championship and have won three in a row for the third time in program history. Milkman's teams from 1997-99 and 2002-2004 also won the title in three consecutive years.

MSU did it in record-setting fashion too. Their final round 284 beat the 2017 OVC Championship record of 286 that was shared by MSU and Eastern Kentucky. The Racers' final total of 864 (4-under-par) eclipsed the 866 from Murray State's win at Hampton Cove also in 2017.

The final tally read 291-289-284=864 which gave MSU a sizable 20-shot win over the nearest competitor, Eastern Kentucky, at 296-289-299=884. Jacksonville State placed third at 887, while Belmont (895) and Austin Peay (911) made up the top-5.

Murray State graduate student Anna Moore became the ninth medalist winner in MSU history with a one-shot win over teammate Linette Holmslykke, who was named OVC Golfer of the Year after the event for the tremendous 2018-19 season she had in which she led the OVC in scoring average at 72.9. Moore had scores of 73-66-72=211 for a total of 5-under par, while Holmslykke posted scores of 71-72-69=212.

The Racers also got a big performance from senior Jane Watts, who was playing in her first OVC Championship. She responded with a spot in fifth place as she joined Moore and Holmslykke on the OVC All-Tournament Team after scores of 72-76-71=219. Junior Raeshya Surendran finished seventh on scores of 75-75-72=222 and placed in the top-seven for a second straight season. Freshman Sarah McDowell was in her first try at the OVC Championship and she had a big learning experience and finished 30^th on scores of 85-78-76=239.

The Racers are headed to the NCAA Women's Golf Tournament for the third year in a row and for the sixth time in program history since their first in 2009. MSU will learn its NCAA Regional destination on April 24 during the selection show on the Golf Channel's Golf Central program at 4:30 p.m. CT. The NCAA Regionals will be played May 6-8 in Auburn, Alabama; Cle Elum, Washington; East Lansing, Michigan and Norman, Oklahoma.

Final Round Notes
MSU's 12 OVC championships (tops in the OVC) have come in 1997, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2014, 2017, 2018 and 2019. In 26 OVC championship events, Murray State has won 12 and finished runner-up five times. The Racers have only finished out of the top three only three times.

The Racers averaged 288.00 in the 2019 event and broke the per round scoring record of 288.67 the Racers had in 2017.

The Racers now have nine medalist winners at the OVC Championship including three of the last four. Moore is the current winner, while MSU's Moa Folke won it in 2016 and 2017.

Moore's 70.33 scoring average in the event tied EKU's Elsa Moberly who had the same in 2017, behind MSU's Moa Folke who still holds the record at 69.33 in the same season.

After the event was completed, Murray State's Linette Holmslykke was named the OVC Golfer of Year. With an amazingly consistent season, Holmslykke had six runner up finishes in the 2018-19 season and led the OVC in stroke average which is 72.9 after her second place performance at the OVC Championship. A senior, Holmslykke becomes the ninth Racer to be named OVC Golfer of the Year and the first since Moa Folke in 2017.

26^th OVC Women's Golf Championship
The Shoals GC – Schoolmaster Course
Muscle Shoals, Ala. – April 17, 2019
Final Scores
---
1 Murray State 291 289 284 864
1 Anna Moore (2) 73 66 72 211
2 Linette Holmslykke (1) 71 72 69 212
5 Jane Watts (3) 72 76 71 219
7 Raeysha Surendran (4) 75 75 72 222
T30 Sarah McDowell (5) 85 78 76 239

Team Scores
Murray State 291 289 284 864
Eastern Kentucky 296 289 299 884
Jacksonville St. 294 302 291 887
Belmont University 301 301 293 895
Austin Peay 306 305 300 911
Tennessee Tech 309 306 305 920
Morehead State 324 315 308 947
Tennessee State 342 347 324 1013
Eastern Illinois 346 335 332 1013

MURRAY STATE - OVC GOLFER OF YEAR
1998 Jenny Daag
1999 Jenny Daag
2002 Cuyler Hedley
2003 Lee Anne Pace
2004 Nikki Orazine
2005 Nikki Orazine
2014 Delaney Howson
2017 Moa Folke
2019 Linette Holmslykke

MURRAY STATE OVC CHAMPIONSHIPS
1997, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019

OVC CHAMPIONSHIPS TOTAL
Murray State 12
Jacksonville State 5
Tennessee Tech 4
Eastern Kentucky 3
Morehead State 1

OVC TOURNAMENT MEDALIST
1998 Jenny Daag
1999 Jenny Daag
2002 Cuyler Hedley
2003 Lee-Anne Pace
2004 Nikki Orazine
2014 Delaney Howson
2016 Moa Folke
2017 Moa Folke
2019 Anna Moore

OVC ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
2001 Cuyler Hedley
2002 Stephanie Baskey, Cuyler Hedley, Nikkii Orazine
2003 Lee-Anne Pace, Nikki Orazine, Stephanie Baskey
2004 Cuyler Hedley, Nikki Orazine
2005 Nikki Orazine
2006 Christi Baron
2007 Andrea Downer
2008 Joyce Trus
2009 Andrea Downer
2010 Joyce Trus, Megan McKinney
2011 Morgan Cross
2012 Delaney Howson, Alexandra Lennartsson
2013 Delaney Howson, Alexandra Lennartsson
2014 Delaney Howson, Sydney Trimble
2015 Minta Yin
2016 Moa Folke
2017 Moa Folke, Linette Holmslykke
2018 Moa Folke, Lucila Puente Rodriguez, Raeysha Surendran
2019 Anna Moore, Linette Holmslykke, Jane Watts

About The Shoals
The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at The Shoals is home to two 18-hole championship courses and lies between the Wheeler and Wilson dams on the Tennessee River. Wheeler Dam is named in honor of General Joseph "Fighting Joe" Wheeler - the only Confederate General to attain the same rank later in the United States Army. The tree-lined Schoolmaster Course (named for President Woodrow Wilson who was responsible for getting Wilson Dam built and was also known as "The Schoolmaster" of politics), opened in the Summer of 2005. Schoolmaster is more of a traditional layout with every hole keeping with the natural topography along the Tennessee River. This is the second year the event will be held here.

For the OVC Women's Championship the Schoolmaster course was a par 72 with a yardage of 6,025.