KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. – South Dakota junior Lexi Petersen led the South Dakota women's golf team with a 58^th place finish at the Edwin Watts/Kiawah Island Spring Classic Tuesday. The tournament, taking place in Kiawah Island, South Carolina, is the largest collegiate field in the country with 43 teams and 217 players.
 
Petersen shot a third-round 78 to finish with 227 strokes over the tournament. She totaled five birdies over the three rounds and was 22^nd in the field with an average of 3.07 strokes on par-3 holes. Senior Abby Dufrane finished five strokes behind Petersen with a 232 to finish tied for 102^nd position.
 
Petersen and Dufrane finished in the top-third of the field with 33 pars throughout the tournament.
 
As a team, South Dakota placed 36^th with 949 strokes over three rounds and two courses. On Tuesday, the Coyotes played Oak Point Golf Course, tallying 328 strokes for the round. Oak Point played 5,941 yards and to a par-72.
 
Katie Bartlett and Julia Hall each shot an 83 in the final round with Bartlett placing 179^th with 245 strokes. Hall placed 197^th with 252 strokes over three rounds. Jamie Benedict finished in a tie for 201^st position, shooting 254 strokes.
 
Host College of Charleston won the event with 872 strokes. Lucila Puente Rodriguez of Murray State, Valentina Giraldo of Jacksonville State and Lyberty Anderson of UNC Wilmington finished in a three-way tie for first place. Rodriguez shot 4-under-par in the final round to move up 10 positions for medalist honors.
 
South Dakota is back in action March 12-13 for the Bradley Spring Break Invitational in Farmer Branch, Texas.