With two Indiana Golf Association golf tournaments last week and two more this coming week, Autumn Fateley entered this weekends’ Columbus City Women’s Tournament to have a little fun.
Despite having to play through a couple doses of rain, Fateley was able to do that on Saturday at Greenbelt. The recent Columbus East graduate carded an opening-round 84 to take a three-shot lead into today’s final round at Otter Creek.
“I was kind of happy,” Fateley said. “I more just came out here for fun because I had two other big tournaments this week. So this was just kind of a relaxing one, and I had a really great time.”
Fateley, who shot rounds of 41 and 43 on Greenbelt’s nine-hole course, is headed to Bellevue (Nebraska) on a golf scholarship.
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Last week, Fateley played in her first two tournaments of the summer. She finished fifth on Wednesday in an IGA event at Shadowood and fourth on Friday at West Lafayette Country Club.
“I played pretty good for the most part,” Fateley said. “It was just getting back into the swing of things, so I was pretty happy.”
Fateley, who is by far the youngest of the four women playing in the city tournament, holds a three-shot lead over Mary Sturgill.
Sturgill had a personal-best 44 on her first nine holes. Then, she did one better with a 43 on her second nine to finish with an 87.
“I am very pleased with the way I played today,” Sturgill said. “This is the best round that I’ve had out here at Greenbelt. I have a Monday Night League out here, and I’ve been shooting 49 every week.”
Sturgill, who shot a personal-best 91 Tuesday at Otter Creek, will look to make up the three-shot deficit today.
Meanwhile, the mother-daughter duo of Nita Pollitt and Lisa Carr comprised the other half of the city tournament field. Pollitt shot a 120, and Carr had a 147.
“We try to play as much as we can when work doesn’t get in the way,” Carr said. “She actually talked me into playing today.”
Pollitt lamented the fact that the tournament hasn’t attracted more women golfers.
“It’s really sad that more women don’t come out and play,” Pollitt said. “These tournaments used to be really big, and they were competitive, and now, four girls. Come on.”
The women will tee off at 10:10 a.m. today. The men, who played their first two rounds last weekend, will tee off from 8 a.m. through 9:57 a.m., also at Otter Creek.
Tanner Bennett and Coleman Glick are tied atop the men’s field at 145 and are in the final pairing with Ross Pushor, who is five shots back at 150. Ian Coffey, who had a 146 through 36 holes, had to withdraw because of a work-related trip to Turkey.
