THURSDAY RECAP -- FRIDAY RECAP
Oak Brook, Ill. - The field came calling on Saturday afternoon at Oak Brook Golf Club, but
Marin Halvorsen had a date with history that would not be denied. The Thunder senior charged down the stretch in the final round at the CCIW Championships as the leaderboard tightened, sinking birdie on two of her last four holes to secure her third-consecutive CCIW Championship. In doing so, Halvorsen becomes the first three-time champion in CCIW Women's Golf History and just the second golfer in CCIW history to accomplish the feat, joining Millikin's Brad Kay (1983-85).
Teeing off well before her two closest competitors, Halvorsen kept her steady play with a string of pars until a five-over stretch on holes five, six, and seven opened the door to the field. Marin recovered to birdie the eighth and made the turn at four-over par for the day. Leading by seven shots at the beginning of the day, that lead evaporated after a triple bogey-par-bogey at 12-14 brought Carthage's Kate Munro to within just one shot despite being six holes behind. Halvorsen then answered the call down the stretch, recording birdie at 16 and again at 18 to create some breathing room as the rest of the field attempted to catch up to her score in the clubhouse at 225.
Despite an eagle at the 16th, Munro finished five strokes back along with Jenna DeMay of Illinois Wesleyan at 230. Lexi Onsrud of Illinois Wesleyan was fourth at 234.
Theresa Stanger finished in 25th place with a three-round score of 271 and
Sasha Danielson was 31st after a 281.
Illinois Wesleyan won the team title with a three-round score of 949. Carthage was second at 965 and Augustana came in third at 993. Millikin was fourth at 1046 and Elmhurst finished fifth at 1086. Rounding out the team scores was Carroll at 1140 and North Central at 1141.
FRIDAY RECAP
Tied for the lead after Thursday's opening round at the CCIW Championships,
Marin Halvorsen sent an emphatic message to the field on Friday afternoon. The Thunder senior birdied her final hole of the day to finish with an even-par round of 72 at Oak Brook Golf Club, putting herself on the verge of history heading into Saturday's final round.
Halvorsen started the day with birdies on two of the first four holes of the day, making the turn at one-under par for the day. After bogeys on 12 and 13, Halvorsen ran off four straight pars and capped her day with birdie on 18 to finish even for the day and at only three-over for the tournament with a score of 147. The two-time defending CCIW Champion will tee off at 12:40 pm on Saturday with a seven-shot lead over Jenna DeMay of Illinois Wesleyan and an eight-shot cushion over Lexi Onsrud of Illinois Wesleyan and Carthage's Kate Munro.
Theresa Stanger remained in the Top 20 on the leaderboard, finishing Friday's round in 18th place with a second round score of 88 to sit at 175 for the weekend.
Sasha Danielson is tied for 30th overall after a Friday round of 98 settled her at 186 for the weekend. With only three golfers recording scores, Wheaton will not finish in the team standings for the tournament.
Illinois Wesleyan padded its lead on Friday, finishing the day with a team score of 631 to lead Carthage by 25 strokes heading into the final round. Augustana is third at 669 followed by Millikin (701), Elmhurst (731), Carroll (760), and North Central (769).
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THURSDAY RECAP
The Thunder women's golf team kicked off its participation in the 2021 CCIW Championships under ideal conditions on Thursday at Oak Brook Golf Club. The Thunder have three players in the top-20 on the individual leaderboard after Thursday's first round including
Marin Halvorsen who is tied for the lead. The tournament will continue with the second round on Friday and the final round on Saturday.
Marin Halvorsen entered this weekend's tournament seeking to become the first three-time CCIW Women's Golf Champion in conference history. After 18 holes, she found herself tied atop a crowded leaderboard. Halvorsen's round of 75 was equaled by Jenna DeMay of Illinois Wesleyan and Kate Munro of Carthage. Lexi Onsrud of Illinois Wesleyan sits just one shot behind the trio at 76.
Theresa Stanger is tied for 16th overall with a round of 87, one shot ahead of teammate
Sasha Danielson who is tied for 18th after an 88.
Maddie English carded a round of 96 to tie for 36th.
Illinois Wesleyan is perched on top of the team standings after a team round of 311. Defending champion Carthage is in second at 324 followed by Augustana at 338 and Wheaton at 346. Millikin is fifth at 355 followed by Elmhurst at 364, Carroll at 380 and North Central at 389.
