The Kent State women’s golf team finished in fourth place Monday at the Schooner Fall Classic in Norman, Oklahoma.

The Flashes, led by sophomore Raksha Phadke at 5-under-par in the second round, climbed the leaderboards Sunday with their best round of the early fall season. Kent State shot 6-under-par in the second round, jumping from sixth place to second place. The Flashes had the tournament-high with 22 birdies.

The Flashes did not duplicate their performance in the final round, slipping two spots to fourth place, and finished the final round with a score of even par and 1-over-par overall.

Mississippi State ran away with the tournament victory at 21-under-par, winning by a margin of 19 strokes. Ally McDonald won the individual medal for the tournament with a score of 13-under-par.

“I was happy with the way they played overall,” Kent State coach Greg Robertson said about his team’s performance. “I think we can take a lot of positives from this week.”

There have been a lot of improvements on the team with many golfers playing well, and the team’s leadership has been solid, Robertson said.

The Flashes faced some adversity outside of the golf course—a canceled flight to Oklahoma. Kent State had to stay the night at an airport in Houston because of it.

“We didn’t get in until the afternoon of the practice round,” Robertson said. “Not one person complained about anything…we went about our business.”

Phadke was all about business, tying for eighth place at 2-under-par and leading the way for her team. She had her lowest score of her college career with a second-round score of 65.

“All around, my attitude, my putts, my shots and everything just gelled together in that one (second-round) round,” Phadke said. “I’ve been playing pretty consistent throughout.”

Behind Phadke to round out the Kent State lineup, sophomore Wad Phaewchimplee and junior Taylor Kim tied for 30th place at 3-over-par. Senior Jennifer Ha and senior Natalie Goodson were right behind their teammates with a score of 4-over-par, tying for 36th place.

The Flashes will now shift their focus to the Mercedes Benz Intercollegiate tournament in Knoxville, Tennessee, held Friday, Oct. 17.

Contact Ray Strickland at [email protected].