SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Sophomores Loy Hee Ying of ETSU and Haylee Harford of Furman have been named the Southern Conference Women’s Golfers of the Week for all competition from April 5-11. The selections are made by the league office and are the final ones of the 2017 season.
Loy and Harford share the league’s weekly award after tying for medalist honors at the Brickyard Collegiate on Tuesday, each shooting 3-under-par 213 to sit atop the 85-golfer field.
Harford, a Leavittsburg, Ohio, native, opened with a 1-under 71 in Monday’s first round and backed that up with a 1-over 73 to sit on top of the leaderboard after the first day of competition. Loy, meanwhile, shot an even-par 72 in the first round and added a 73 in the second to sit in a tie for second, one shot behind Harford.
Harford added a 3-under 69 Tuesday to tie for medalist honors for the third time this academic year and second time this spring. Her effort helped the ninth-ranked Paladins to the team win in the 15-team field, which also included No. 21 Texas A&M and No. 42 Augusta. Six SoCon teams were in the field, as UNCG, Samford, Chattanooga and tournament host Mercer joined Furman and ETSU at the tournament.
Loy, from Baru, Kulaijaya, Malaysia, shot a 4-under 68 Tuesday to break The Brickyard Golf Club at Riverside’s course record and move up one spot into a tie for first with Harford. The round was the eighth in Loy’s two-year collegiate career below 70 and propelled her to her second win in her last four events. She helped the Bucs to a sixth-place team finish.
Loy and Harford lead the league in scoring average, with Loy pacing the SoCon with a 72.15 mark and Harford directly behind her at 72.22.
The weekly award is the third of the season for both Loy and Harford. It’s also the fourth career honor for both.
All nine league schools are finished with the regular season and will return to action at the Southern Conference Women’s Golf Championship on April 23-25 at the Country Club of Lexington in Lexington, South Carolina. Furman is the two-time defending team champion, while Chattanooga’s Megan Woods is the reigning medalist after winning the individual title in a playoff over the Paladins’ Alice Chen last year.
Also nominated: Hannah Mae Deems (Mercer), Kate Collom (Samford) and Holly Morgan (Chattanooga).
2017 SoCon Women’s Golfer of the Week
March 1 Haylee Harford, Furman
March 8 Haylee Harford, Furman
March 15 Loy Hee Ying, ETSU
March 22 Loy Hee Ying, ETSU
March 29 Monica San Juan, Chattanooga
April 5 Alice Chen, Furman
April 12 Haylee Harford, Furman/Loy Hee Ying, ETSU
-www.SoConSports.com-