By Adam Schabel
Cleveland State University freshman golfer Madison Butler claimed a medal after competing in her first ever collegiate golf tournament.
The women’s golf team finished third out of ten teams at the Roseanne Schwartz Invitational which took place at Mill Creek Golf Course in Boardman, Ohio.
“We were pretty happy about finishing third at the invitational,” Butler said. “I definitely think that we have a lot of confidence going into the next few events we have coming up.”
The tournament began on Sept. 4 and concluded on Sept. 5 with Butler helping the Vikings grab a top three finish.
Butler admitted to having some pre-match jitters but was able to settle in after the match began.
“At first, playing in my first collegiate tournament made me very nervous and anxious, but once I started playing I just got used to it and I loved it,” Butler said.
Butler was also the overall winner at the tournament as she finished first out of 62 players.
“Winning the tournament individually was definitely a really great honor, especially for my first collegiate event,” Butler said. “I think going forward I’m definitely going to be a little more confident going into events and know that I can put a good round out there.”
According to Cleveland State, Butler is just the fifth player in the history of the program to win a tournament. She is also the ninth player in the university’s history to medal at a tournament.
“It feels pretty cool knowing that my name is always going to be in CSU women’s golf history,” Butler said. “It’s a really cool honor to have.”
According to Cleveland State, Butler is the first Viking since Kaylee Neumeister to medal at an event. In February, Neumeister was a co-medalist at a tri-meet with Youngstown State University and Oakland University.
Butler shot a 72 in the first round of the tournament which put her at even-par heading into the second round. She then shot a 77 in the second round which gave her a total score of 149 after completing 36 holes. Butler finished ahead of four golfers — who tied for second place — by two strokes.
Butler has a lot of confidence not only in herself, but also in her teammates.
“I feel like I am a consistent player and when I am put into a team aspect, I feel like I always play better,” Butler said. “I always want to be able to put a good score out there to help the team try and win an event. The team is always going to have each other’s backs and I think knowing that makes us play really well together.”
The Vikings will hit the links on Sept. 18 and 19 when they play in the Cardinal Classic in Yorktown, Indiana.
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