March 7, 2006

MOBILE, Ala. ---- Samford University women's golfer Maria Troche tied for fourth place at the 2006 USA Lady Jaguar Invitational hosted by the University of South Alabama at the Azalia City Golf Course.

After equaling her career best score on Monday, shooting a one-over-par 73, the Samford freshman fired a 75 (+3) on Tuesday to cap off the tournament with a combined score of 148. Troche's score landed her in a tie for fourth place, which is the highest finish she's had in her collegiate career.

"This was another solid performance for Maria," said Samford head coach Ian Thompson. "She shot very well today, and the fact that she was disappointed that she didn't shoot another 73 says something about the type of competitor she is. She's been flirting with par for some time now, and I expect she'll do it before the season is over."

The Bulldogs showed significant improvement as a whole on Tuesday, shaving off ten strokes in the second round to shoot a combined 319 and move up one position, to 15th overall, with a two-round score of 648.

After shooting a 90 (+18) in the first round, Kelly Stout improved to a 77 (+5) to finish with a combined score of 167, which tied her for 79th. Kellie O'Connell shot a 79 (+7) on Tuesday, a five stroke improvement from Monday. O'Connell turned in a combined score of 163 to tie for 69th place.

"I was pleased with our comeback, especially that of Kelly Stout and Kellie O'Connell," Thompson said. "I challenged them last night to do better, and they lived up to that challenge."

Samford returns home for their next tournament, when they host the Samford Intercollegiate on March 20-21 at the Timberline Golf course.