DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Kelsey Hayward, of Seekonk and formerly of St. Mary Academy-Bay View in East Providence, collected the first individual victory of her college playing career after she won the the Lonnie Barton Invitational held at the LPGA International Champions Course, March 10 and 11, for the Sacred Heart University women’s golf team.
Hayward, a junior for the Pioneers, opened the tournament with a 1-over par score of 73 to hold the lead. She faltered a bit in Round 2, shooting a 78 to finish regulation in a share of first place with Fairleigh Dickinson’s Mariana Juaristi to force a playoff that Hayward eventually won on the first extra hole.
As a team, Sacred Heart tied with Saint Francis University (Pennsylvania) for second with scores of 640. Juaristi’s Fairleigh Dickinson side won the team title with a score of 628.
In her high school days, Hayward, a four-time All-Stater and an All–New England performer as a senior, was among the leaders of the first Bay View squad to ever earn entry into state team championship. Hayward began her collegiate career at Mount St. Mary’s in Maryland but left the school when the women’s golf program was cut at the end of the 2012-13 term.
Hayward is a History/Pre-Law major at Sacred Heart, located in Fairfield, Conn.