Bradley University Athletics

Women’s Golf Set For Johnie Imes Invitational

Barathwaj Rudraboina

Johnie Imes Invitational Live Scoring

Women's Golf 9/28/2018 11:00:00 AM

PEORIA, Ill. -- Bradley Women's Golf returns to action after a week off from competition, with the Braves heading to Columbia, Mo., for the Johnie Imes Invitational Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at the par-72 Club at Old Hawthorne.

The 13-team field for the 2018 Johnie Imes Invitational features three teams ranked in the top 90 of the latest Golfweek.com ratings, including #53 Mercer, #66 Missouri and #90 Florida International. Two other Missouri Valley Conference squads join the Braves in the three-day event, in Illinois State and Missouri State. The rest of the field features Arkansas State, Florida Gulf Coast, Fresno State, Arkansas-Little Rock, Northern Illinois, UMKC and Wichita State.

Play gets underway Monday with tee times starting at 8 a.m. and Tuesday's second round will also start with 8 a.m. tee times. The Johnie Imes Invite concludes with a single round Wednesday which will feature an 8 a.m. shotgun start. BradleyBraves.com will provide links to live scoring via Birdiefire.com throughout the event.

Bradley is coming off a fourth-place team finish at the Cardinal Classic (Sept. 17 & 18) in Yorktown, Ind., where junior Megan Medinger placed fifth to pace the Braves at five-over par 221 as she earned the first top-10 finish of her Bradley career. Medinger owns a team-best 74.67 stroke average on the young season and has already played more rounds this season (6) than she did during the entire 2017-18 campaign.

Last year, Bradley finished seventh of 14 teams at the 2017 Johnie Imes Invitational and the Braves will be playing in the event for the eighth time, missing just the 2010 and 2016 tournaments.

Seniors Frankie Saban and Brooke Thompson tied for 29th at eight-over 224 to help lead the Braves in last fall's trip to Columbia, Mo. Saban has been among Bradley's top three finishers in 15 consecutive tournaments dating back to the 2017 Spring Break trip to Texas. She tied for 15th at the Cardinal Classic for her first top-20 finish of the year and the 12th of her career.

The most experienced player on the roster, Saban currently ranks 21st in Bradley history with 85 career rounds played and will likely move into a tie with Kelly Dillon for 16th in career rounds at Bradley at 88 next week.

Thompson is coming off her best 54-hole score since last year's Johnie Imes Invitational, after tying for 34th at the Cardinal Classic earlier this month at 231. Last year, she shot 76 or better in all three rounds of the Johnie Imes Invite as she sandwiched a pair of 74's around a second-round 76.

Junior Taylor Ledwein is third on the team this fall with a 76.50 stroke average. She tied for 48th at last year's Johnie Imes Invitational (230), turning in rounds of 79, 74 and 77. Ledwein has averaged 75.80 per round over her last five efforts.

The Braves will have another week off from competition following the Johnie Imes Invitational, before closing out the fall schedule Oct. 15 & 16 with the MVC Preview in Chesterton, Ind.

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