Carbondale Reporter

Kayla Sayyalinh showcased a strong performance in the final two rounds of the Clover Cup, held in Litchfield Park, Arizona. She recorded scores of 70 and 71, marking the lowest round by a Southern Illinois University (SIU) Saluki golfer this season and tying for 11th place among 66 participants.

Rory Weinfurther, Head Coach of the SIU Women's Golf team, praised Sayyalinh's consistent play throughout the tournament. "All around her game was good and she hit really good landing spots on the course," Weinfurther stated. "She was very determined to make birdies this week and stayed patient and calm throughout the round to perform the way she did."

The Saluki team's overall performance placed them 12th with a score of 918 (+78). Individual results included Kayla Sayyalinh tied for 27th at 220 (+10), Pihla Pennanen tied for 35th at 224 (+14), Allie Santos in 61st place at 233 (+23), Morgan Gindler in 65th at 241 (+31), and Kylee Vaughan finishing in 66th with a score of 262 (+52).

Despite some challenges during the tournament, Coach Weinfurther sees value in competing against high-level opponents as they approach their upcoming events. "I think we learned to take advantage of scoreable holes when we can and grind it out on some of those harder holes," said Weinfurther. "We may not have had a great first round but we weren't far off from some of the other teams in terms of score which is a good start for us as we enter our last two tournaments before conference."

The Salukis are set to take a brief hiatus before participating in the Coach Mo Classic in St. John's, Florida on March 31.

For further updates on SIU Women's Golf, follow them on X (@SIU_WGolf), Facebook (@Saluki Women's Golf), and Instagram (@siu_wgolf).