JONESBORO, Ark. – The UT Arlington women's golf program is in just its third year of existence, but Madigan Murray set a mark on Tuesday which could stand for some time as she destroyed the program record with a bogey-free 6-under 66 as part of the Mavericks' record-setting final round at Arkansas State's Lady Red Wolves Classic.
 
Murray, who finished as the co-runner-up, smashed the previous program record of 69, which was held by three players – including Murray – to aid in UTA's first-ever under-par team round. As a group, the Mavs shattered their own team record in the final round with a 3-under 285 total – seven shots better than the previous low mark.
 
"It was just a matter of time before Madigan finished out a round; she's been under par at some point in every round this year. She's been close, but today was a big break-through for her," commented head coach Catherine Matranga. "She struck the ball the well every round, and it was extremely rewarding to see her to post a score like this with how great she's been playing."
 
In addition to Murray, fellow junior classmate Kate Tran – who also had a share of the previous program-record 69 – signed for a final-round 1-under 71, representing a tie for the 7th-best round in program history. Furthermore, competing as an individual, freshman Kinsey Ray set a career- and season-best even-par 72 in the final round to tie for the 14th-best round in program lore.
 
All told, UTA finished in 4th place in the nine-team event with a three-round 883 (+19) total – establishing another program record as the previous low 54-hole mark were a pair of 904s (+40). The Mavs were just two shots out of a tie for 2nd place as Lipscomb and Southern Illinois (both 881 totals) finished eight shots back of tournament champion and host Arkansas State (873).
 
"We were poised to shoot this type of round twice yesterday, but we unfortunately couldn't close it out on a tough stretch of the course," Matranga added about her team's performance. "So I knew we were playing well and up and down the lineup we were striking the ball well on a score-able course. Our overall confidence was just so much better this week; we came out and took care of business and that's all I can ask of them."
 
Murray tied for 2nd place in the field of 54 as she matched a program record for low 54-hole total with a 2-under 214 total, tying the mark established by Ava Schwienteck in the program's initial 2017-18 campaign. Murray rolled in six birdies as part of her clean final-round scorecard to finish just three shots behind the medalist. The co-runner-up showing is the best of her career – bettering a T-7 from a few weeks ago.
 
Murray started on hole 5 and converted birdies on the 6th, 12th, 13th, 18th, 1st and 4th holes en route to the brilliant round.
 
Tran's 71 capped a strong 3-over 219 performance which is now tied for the 4th-best 54-hole score in program history with Sydney Garber from last year. Tran tied for 7th overall, representing her first-career top-10 showing. Tran began her round with an opening bogey on the 6th hole, but rolled in three birdies while only making one bogey the rest of the day.
 
Connor Howard and Garber both signed for final-round 74s, as Howard tied for 30th overall with a 228 total and Garber posted a solo 33rd finish with a 230 total. The 2-over performance by Howard set the sophomore's career-low round as well.
 
Rounding out the UTA lineup scoring for the day was Janane Tan with a final-round 77 as part of a 237 total. Ray tied for 44th with a 239 total as she rebounded nicely from rounds of 83 and 84 on Monday. All told, every UTA member shot 77 or better in the final round on the 6,138-yard Sage Meadows Country Club layout.
 
The Mavs will now have a two-week break in competitive action before returning to Arkansas for the team's final fall tournament at the Little Rock Women's Golf Classic Oct 27-29 from Diamante Country Club in Hot Springs Village.
 
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THE NEW HOME OF UTA GOLF: Texas Rangers Golf Club
The recently-opened state-of-the-art Texas Rangers Golf Club is the new home of the UT Arlington's men's and women's golf programs. The world's only Major League Baseball-branded golf course, TRGC is the result of a $24 million renovation and updated routing of the former Chester W. Ditto Golf Course at Brown Boulevard and Collins Street, just a few miles north of UTA's campus. The Home of UTA Golf was designed by UTA alumni John Colligan and Trey Kemp of Arlington-based Colligan Golf Design. It features an expansive 23-acre practice area, and a new 33,871-square-foot clubhouse – set to open in early 2020 – will feature a full-service restaurant and bar, covered patio overlooking the golf course, pro shop, locker rooms and numerous rental and event spaces. For more information about TRGC, click here.