THE RUNDOWN
The Patriots leave their first event of the spring season with some hardware thanks to impressive performances at the Southern Invite on Monday. They earned a five-stroke lead over conference foe West Texas A&M, and were led by sophomore Ella Cheek. Cheek finished the tournament at one-over to place fourth overall.  

In their first round, DBU carded the tournament-low team score of four-over despite the chilling temperatures early in the morning. Freshman Sidney Robertson led out in this endeavor, carding an impressive round of 69 (-2). Ella Cheek finished her second nine in the red, totaling one-over for her opening round. Gracie Grant contributed a two-over 73, and Jordan Karrh and Eryn Garza finished their rounds at three-over. 

In the second 18, Ella Cheek led out with an even-par performance thanks to an under-par finish on her final nine holes. Sidney Robertson and Jordan Karrh posted scores of 75 (+4) and Gracie Grant shot a 77.  

DBU earned a five-stroke win over West Texas A&M, who was followed by Rogers State in third place. Individually, Arnie Taguines of UT Tyler earned first place honors with her one-under finish, followed by a tie for second place between Rogers State's Lydia Sitorus and St. Mary's Savannah Dupre. To view the final leaderboard, click here.  

THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW 

• The Southern Invite was shortened to 36 holes on Sunday afternoon. The final round scheduled for Tuesday was canceled due to projected weather.  

• This marks DBU's third consecutive year to win this event. In 2023, they finished three strokes ahead of West Texas A&M, and in 2024, they boasted a 28-stroke lead over Henderson State.  

• This marks Ella Cheeks fourth top-five finish in six events. She has one first-place finish under her belt, when she topped the field by five strokes at the DBU Classic. 
   

INSIDE THE NUMBERS 

1- DBU led the field in both par fours and par fives. They were even-par in their par-five play, which was two strokes better than St. Mary's. 

4.67- Cheek led the field in par five play, averaging 4.67 strokes per hole. Jordan Karrh was fourth in this statistic, averaging 4.83 strokes.  

22- In 36 holes, DBU combined for 20 birdies. Ella Cheek and Sidney Robertson contributed a team-high of five birdies each.  

HEAD COACH KENNY TRAPP ON THE WIN 
"I'm proud of the girls for hanging in there to get the win on a tough day. It was nice to finally finish a little better after we struggled some with finishing events in the fall. Anytime you can win without your best golf is a good sign. We have a quick turnaround as we head to Florida this weekend. We will have to make some adjustments and be ready." 

UP NEXT 
The Patriots travel to Lakeland, FL where they will compete in the Lady Moc Classic on February 24-25.