The Tigers displayed poise and much talent in their fall campaign, creating much to look forward to in spring.

Missouri women’s golf showed great improvement over the course of the 2024 fall season, and has created greater faith among Missouri golf fans for when spring season comes around.

Right out the gate, the Tigers stumbled at the Bettie Lou Evans Invitational after finishing eighth out of 11 teams. It was not the strong team performance Missouri was hoping for, but they did have a few great individual performances.

Fleur van Beek had her first top-10 finish of the season, ending in a tie for 10th and carding a +4 over three rounds. Ffion Tynan was the next Tiger to place – in 27th. She had a dominant performance the first two days of the tournament; however, she struggled on the last day with an 8-over par shot.

But when the Tigers stepped on home turf in Columbia, they shifted into a new gear and had a podium finish, placing second out of 13 teams. The tournament was shortened a day due to rain, but Missouri was able to climb from fourth to second by the end of the tourney. Individually, Fleur van Beek had another stand out performance and claimed her second consecutive top-10 finish. Ffion Tynan had a comeback in this tournament, ending in fifth place. What stuck out about her performance was how she improved 15 spots on the final day.

After the strong home campaign, the Tigers went into hot and cold mode. At the Blessings Collegiate in Arkansas, Missouri struggled heavily as they finished in ninth place out of 10 teams. The tournament in Fayetteville is known for its challenging course, and the last time Missouri stepped on the course, they placed dead last in the competition. Unfortunately, their scores this year, while improved, once again proved the rocky conditions true.

The best score came from Ffion Tynan, who carded a 10-over par. Tynan came out the gate strong on day one with a team leading 3-under par score after day one, before staggering down the standings alongside her teammates.

Meanwhile, when Missouri landed in the state which shall not be named, they found their way back to the podium.

Once again, very hot and cold. Maybe this article or the next episode of Majority Rules should be feature the theme song by Katy Perry, “Hot and Cold”. Just a thought.

After day one at the Marilynn Smith Sunflower Showdown, Missouri was in third place before notching the best team score (290) to move into second overall. The Tigers had five players in the top 20, but only four accounted for the team score, as Melanie Walker was entered as an individual and finished in second place.

I’m a very superstitious person and I’d like to think my previous article on Rock M that named two Tigers to look out for is a slight reason to thank Walker’s strong performance. As I mentioned, “Last year, she was the first female golfer in school history to be named SEC Golfer of the Week and she won’t be slowing down anytime soon.”

Walker’s second place finish matched not just her best collegiate appearance so far, but the best of the season. Her other top-two finish was at the 2023 Johnie Imes Invitational. Therefore, it is clear that she will not be slowing down and is a key player to watch in the spring.

Another tournament to be slightly halted by rain was the final tournament of the fall campaign: the White Sands Bahamas Invite. Fleur van Beek once again helmed the team ending in a tie for ninth, her third top-10 finish of the season. Ffion Tynan followed van Beek in a tie for 13th place, carding a 6-over par.

Sans the Blessings Collegiate Invitational, Missouri had a solid performance as a team this season and their steady progression looks promising for the spring campaign.

Comparing this part of the season to the 2023/2024 season, the Tigers improved from #79 nationally to #57. Additionally, their two top three finishes coming in the fall campaign is HUGE for the morale of the team.

The last time Missouri notched more than two top three finishes in an entire season was 2015-16. They have a prime opportunity to break this record when they co-host the MountainView Collegiate tournament in Tucson, Arizona to kick off the 2025 spring season.

The Tigers will also look to snap their three year streak of placing 14th out of 14 at the SEC Championship.