Following the best 54-hole performance in program history, WKU Lady Topper junior golfer Mary Joiner was named Conference USA Women’s Co-Golfer of the Week on Wednesday.
Joiner credits the late Phillip Hatchett for teaching her to play golf well. She took lessons from him in his role as teaching pro in Russellville. Hatchett was WKU men’s coach when his life was tragically ended on a Logan County highway this spring.
This is the sixth C-USA weekly honor of Joiner’s career. She won three in a five-week span last spring as a sophomore. Dating back to last season, Joiner has won four of the last seven Golfer of the Week awards.
The Franklin native claimed her latest prize by notching a four-shot individual win in WKU’s season opener at South Alabama’s USA Intercollegiate.
The individual title was the fifth in the career of Joiner, who already held the program record. She claimed another record by finishing the tournament with a three-day total of 208 (71-68-69), three shots better than Ellinor Haag’s previous WKU benchmark of 211 set in 2014.
Joiner owns five of the top six 54-hole scores in Lady Topper history.
She came into the final day of the tournament three shots back, but quickly surged ahead for an early lead. She shared the tournament lead with 14 total birdies.
Joiner helped the Lady Toppers finish third as a team and record an 868 total, which shattered the previous 54-hole program record by 10 strokes.
WKU, which is coached by Adam Gary, returns to action next week at the Boston College Intercollegiate in Canton, Mass.