The final round magic the SIU women’s golf team had during its 2007 championship season eluded the team in its 2008 run.

The Salukis fell 11 strokes short of their second consecutive Missouri Valley Conference Championship, finishing in second place behind Illinois State. The Redbirds shot a total 941 and a final round best 325 to secure their first championship since 2005.

SIU shot a final round 335 to finish with a total score of 952 after shooting 310 and 307 in the first and second round, respectively.

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Coach Diane Daugherty said Tuesday’s final round was tough, especially after entering the final round within striking distance of first place.

“We were really right in there at the turn,” Daugherty said. “We were nine down and got back to within three, but we didn’t finish strong. We finished strong the last two days, but not today.”

Because of the performances of their top four scorers, the Salukis were able to keep pace with Illinois State for most of the tournament. SIU had four players finish in the top-20 overall, led by junior Kate Laegeler and senior Kelly Gerlach, who shot a total 236 and 237 to finish in fifth and sixth place overall.

Juniors Lauren May, who shot a final round 87, and Braidy Hood, who shot an 84, rounded out the scoring for SIU with 11th and 18th place finishes, respectively. Also competing for SIU were seniors Christine Zoerlein and Danielle Kaufman. Zoerlein finished tied for 30th overall and Kaufman finished 55th overall.

Drake sophomore Olivia Lansing shot a final-round 77 and posted a total score of 227 en route to capturing the individual top spot at the tournament.

The Salukis posted a first-day score of 310 to finish in first place after the first day, and shot 307 in the second round to finish one stroke off the lead entering the final day, but were unable to close the gap between themselves and Illinois State.

Gerlach and Laegeler each shot a first-round 75 to finish in a first-place tie overall. May shot a 78 to finish the first day tied in 11th place and Hood, who broke the MVC Championship all-time low 18-hole score and school record for best third round score with a final-round 68 in the 2007 tournament, finished in 24th place after shooting an 82 in the first round to round out the Saluki scoring.

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After two days, SIU had three golfers in the overall top-15. Gerlach shot a second-round 76 to finish in third place, Laegeler shot a 78 to finish in sixth overall and May shot a 76 to finish seventh overall. Hood again rounded out the Saluki scoring, moving up nine spots to finish tied for 15th overall.

Daugherty said it was a tough tournament because the Salukis were unable to finish strong after keeping close in the first two rounds.

“We’re disappointed right now because we didn’t win, but we are in second and there are eight teams behind us that would love to be in second,” she said.

Luis C. Medina can be reached at 536-3311 ext. 238 or [email protected].