BEAUMONT, Texas – No. 24-ranked Midwestern State is one of five teams competing in the Cardinal Challenge at Beaumont Country Club. The first two rounds of the 54-hole event are scheduled to be played on Monday, and the final 18 holes will be played on Tuesday.

Midwestern State is coming off an impressive win at the Hardscrabble Invitational in Fort Smith, Arkansas, last week.

The victory was the 18th tournament title in the history of the program. The Mustangs finished 54-over 899 to defeat Arkansas Tech by five strokes after shooting 15-over 299 in the final round at Hardscrabble Country Club.

Mary Kerr was the runner up to Ellen Spigner of Arkansas Tech on the individual leaderboard. Kerr shot a 3-over 73 in the final round and finished five strokes behind Spigner. The sophomore from Friendswood, Texas, had eight birdies on eight different holes throughout the 54-hole event and finished at 10-over 220.

Romane Lacoste played the best round of the tournament as she shot an astounding 4-under 66 in the final round and finished in third place at 12-over 222. Lacoste, who won the tournament while playing with Northwestern Oklahoma State last season, finished with seven birdies over the final 18 holes.

Kodi Nolen finished in fifth place at 18-over 228 after shooting an 8-over 78 in the third round.  The senior from Midlothian, Texas, finished the tournament with seven birdies.

Alli Reily closed with an 8-over 78 to finish in a three-way for sixth place at 19-over 229.

Kaetie Samuels, a freshman from Flower Mound, Texas, finished in a three-way tie for 34th place at 32-over 242.

Midwestern State led the tournament with 33 birdies and had the fewest bogeys with 78 through 54 holes. The Mustangs were the only squad in the 14-team field to shoot under par through three rounds on the par 5s. Midwestern State was 4-under on the three par-5s at Hardscrabble Country Club.

Kerr, Reily, Nolen and Madison Wert all competed in the Cardinal Challenge last spring, when Midwestern State finished second in a field of seven teams. The Mustangs were 49-over 913, 12 strokes better than the host from Lamar, but 31 strokes behind the champions from Texas State.

Makenna Henry, who is now a graduate assistant golf coach for the Mustangs, finished third on the individual leaderboard at 7-over 223, five strokes behind Yvonne Chamness of Texas State, who won the title.

Reily opened with a 3-over 74 and had back-to-back rounds of 5-over 77 to finish tied for eighth place at 12-over. 

Wert, who was competing as an individual, shot a 1-over 73 in the first round and finished tied for 14th at 16-over.  Nolen tied for 18th at 19-over, and Kerr tied for 22nd at 24-over.

This year, the Mustangs will be competing against Lamar, Western Illinois, Incarnate Word and Blinn College.

Beaumont Country Club opened in 1907 on the banks of the Neches River and is one of the oldest clubs in Texas. The course was originally designed by Alex Findlay, who was touted as the "Father of American Golf."

The course was renovated in 2004 but maintains the natural beauty of the wooded setting. The course is known for its enormous pine trees, narrow fairways, deep fairway bunkers and undulating greens.

The forecast calls for a warm, partly sunny day on Monday with a high in the mid-80s and a southerly wind at 10 mph. There is a chance of a passing shower on Tuesday, but it should be breezy and warm for the final round.

MIDWESTERN STATE LINEUP

1.    Mary Kerr
2.    Alli Reily
3.    Romane Lacoste
4.    Kodi Nolen
5.    Emme Darnold
IND     Madison Wert
IND    Kaetie Samuels
IND     Samantha Truong