Rutgers women’s golf secured a fifth-place finish at the Route 66 Invitational honoring Dale McNamara, held in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. The Scarlet Knights moved up three spots in the final standings, finishing ahead of Big Ten rivals Minnesota and Wisconsin among the 14 teams in the field.
Rutgers was one of only four teams to record an even or better team score in the third round. Redshirt senior Grace Lu and sophomore Joline Truong led the team with top 10 finishes, placing sixth and tied for seventh, respectively. Lu closed with a two-under-par 69 in the final round and finished with a total score of two-under-par 211 (70-72-69), making her one of six golfers in the 81-player field to finish under par after three rounds.
Arkansas claimed the team title with an 11-under-par 841 (278-280-283). Oklahoma finished second at eight under par, and Tulsa took third at 17 over par. Oklahoma’s Savannah Barber won the individual title with an 11-under-par 202 (68-66-68).
Lu produced five birdies and nine pars in her third round. She led Rutgers with 12 birdies over three rounds and tied for sixth overall. This marked Lu’s second consecutive top 10 result this fall. “Overall, my game was pretty steady today,” Truong said. “I hit lots of greens in the first round, so I just tried to stay calm and keep that going. I gave myself some good looks at birdie, stayed patient, and trusted the putts to drop. Hopefully, I can carry that momentum into tomorrow’s final round.”
Truong also achieved her second straight top 10 finish after tying for 10th at the Princeton Invitational. She recorded an even-par 71 in the third round and made birdies on holes five and eleven.
Junior Emily James and sophomore Judy Amano each shot one-over-par 72s in their final rounds, helping them finish 57th and 61st overall. Junior Krystal Li tied for 72nd.
The team will send individuals to compete at the Lehigh Invitational from October 25-26 in Bedminster, New Jersey.
