The Seton Hall women’s golf is off to a torrid start to the fall season, receiving third and first place results in their first two tournaments.
At the Nittany Lion Invitational on Sept. 21 and 22, the Pirates were especially clinical at the top, as Sarah Fouratt and Maddie Sager tied for first place as individual champions with one other competitor for the tournament.
The duo each had their own successes throughout the two days. Sager was an impressive 5-under-par on the Saturday portion of the event. Fouratt, on the other hand, shot a 68 on a par-72 on the Sunday leg. Fouratt’s impressive performance tied her for a Seton Hall record for lowest score on a par-72 round.
Further, Sager and Fouratt’s total score of 214 is a new three-round low score for the Pirates record book. Winning on the individual level is special for any player, but when you can do it with a teammate, it makes it that much better.
“It’s so exciting to hold the team record with my teammate and to start off on such a strong foot,” Sager said. “It’s fun to be in a winning environment where we can push each other to be better, and I’m really excited to see how much farther we can go.”
Due to the hot start from Sager, Fouratt and the whole team, which also returns Lizzie Win, among others, momentum is high for the program in the hunt for a Big East Championship. After finishing in third place at last year’s dance, Sager has high hopes heading into the season to coincide with the strong start.
“I think our big goal has always been to win Big East as a team, and I am confident we can take first this year,” Sager said. “My personal goal is to win more tournaments individually, including Big East. As a senior, I really want to make the most of my last year and see how far I can take my game.”
Heading into the rest of the season, the impact of the Nittany Lion Invitational and the subsequent Princeton Invitational cannot be understated. At Princeton, Fouratt finished in fourth and Sager finished in eighth, adding to the already looming confidence.
“Starting the season off with a win is a major confidence booster, and that’s a big motivator to continue to stay focused and dialed in during practice and play,” Sager said. “It’s really great to see our hard work pay off right away, but the goal is to always be improving. With such a high standard now and that goal, we are bound for success this year. When we shoot for the moon, we are bound to land among the stars.”
With that, it’s easy to ride the momentum from tournament to tournament, but it is equally as easy to lose it with a poor performance. Looking ahead, the group will attempt to keep up the results at the annual Delaware Lady Blue Hen Invitational and the Idle Hour Collegiate Championship in Macon, G.A.
“As always, there is room for improvement and we’ve been very focused in practice on making those improvements,” Sager said. “With four seniors this year, I am confident that we are all here to be the best we can be and make the most out of our last year. For us, that means success atQur tournaments and a win at Big East.”
Kevin Kopf can be reached at kevin.kopf@student.shu.edu . Find him on Twitter @KevinKopfHWH.
