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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Gold Rush
Ole Miss Finishes Sixth at The Gold Rush
2/28/2017 | Women's Golf
RESULTS: ROUND 1 
| ROUND 2 | ROUND 3
PHOTOS: GALLERY 1| GALLERY 2 | GALLERY 3
SEAL BEACH, Calif. - The Ole Miss women's golf team finished sixth in The Gold Rush at Old Ranch Country Club, holding its spot in the team standings on the final day.
The Rebels improved their team score by 40 strokes from a year ago at this same event and venue, shooting 298-301-304--903 for their fourth finish of seventh or better this season. After an eventful 54 holes in California, head coach Kory Henkes was proud of the growth of her team.
"I love how the team is always willing to learn and improve," Henkes said. "Over the last few days, we have had some breakthroughs with the players regarding mental and physical aspects of the game. We are doing a better job of facing challenges head-on and tackling them in a more efficient manner. We'll take a lot of positives from this tournament to gain momentum for our next event in Arizona."
Bentley Rebounds
Senior Madisen Bentley registered the best individual tournament score for the Rebels, playing in the individual slot.
The University Place, Wash. native finished with a 74-75-74--223 to finish in a tie for 15th place, the fifth top-20 finish of her career. Coming off a trying two days in Port St. Lucie, Florida, Bentley felt right at home back on the West Coast.
"I put my old TaylorMade putter back in my bag this week and it made a huge difference on the greens," Bentley said. "We improved from last year's performance at this tournament by 40 strokes, but I think the team is hungry to do better and keep improving."
Hermansson Exacts Revenge in Round 3
After a forgettable first day in Seal Beach, freshman Pi-Lillebi Hermansson returned to the course Tuesday looking for revenge, and she got it in the form of a team-best 73 in the third round.
The Djursholm, Sweden native carded an 81 and a 77 in the first two rounds, far off her own personal standards, but she found a successful formula in the final 18 holes.
"I obviously wanted to have some revenge," Hermansson said. "My mental goal was to be 100% committed to every shot. The major reason my score lowered was that I hit a lot of good drives and kept the ball in play."
Rebel Round-Up
Sophomore Kie Purdom closed the tournament as the top counting Rebel at 75-74-77--226. The Lexington, Kentucky native tied sophomore Martina Flori for the team's best score in Round 2 and tied her career record for a 54-hole low, set in the 2015-16 Memphis Intercollegiate.
Like Hermansson, senior Maria Toennessen improved her play as the tournament played out, shaving two strokes off her score in each round to finish with a 78-76-74--228.
All six Rebels to compete finished in the top-40, a first in the Henkes Era. Ole Miss logged all five participants in the top 50 earlier this season in the Ron Moore Women's Intercollegiate. However, all Rebel competitors haven't finished in the top 40 since the the Samford Intercollegiate in March 2015, where the team's lowest finisher was 29th.
Team Standings
1. San Jose State: 289-287-293--869
2. Brigham Young: 293-292-295--880
3. Idaho: 297-300-286-883
4. Long Beach State: 296-298-294--888
5. Gonzaga: 300-291-301--892
6. Ole Miss: 298-301-304--903
7. UC Irvine: 302-305-300--907
8. Colorado State: 305-299-308--912
9. Fresno State: 305-308-302-915
10. Nevada: 306-307-303--916
11. Santa Clara: 304-308-305--917
12. Boise State: 309-312-312-933
13. UC Riverside: 311-315-313--939
14. Montana: 313-313-324--950
Ole Miss Players
* T15. Madisen Bentley 74-75-74-223
T25. Kie Purdom: 75-74-77--226
T33. Maria Toennessen: 78-76-74--228
T33. Katy Harris: 70-77-81--228
T36. Martina Flori: 75-74-80--229
T39. Pi-Lillebi Hermansson: 81-77-73--231
* = Competing as an individual
Up Next
The Rebels will now have one week of rest and preparation before they head west once again for the Mountain View Collegiate in Tucson, Arizona. The three-day, 54-hole tournament will run March 10-12.
For all Ole Miss women's golf news and information, go to OleMissSports.com, and follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissWGolf and Facebook at Ole Miss Women's Golf.
Players Mentioned
