Bird wins third straight city title

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May 12, 2012

Bird wins third straight city title

By Jim Henry Globe Sports Editor The Joplin Globe Sat May 12, 2012, 11:53 PM CDT

Natalie Bird’s third consecutive victory in the Greater Joplin Women’s Golf Association City Championship was her most impressive.

After shooting 75 at Briarbrook and 77 at Schifferdecker last weekend, Bird closed with a 2-over-par on Saturday at Twin Hills Golf and Country Club for a 226 total, a 14-stroke improvement over last year’s winning score.

Bird finished 27 shots ahead of the field after winning each of the previous two years by a dozen shots.

“Part of it is I had kind of a shaky school year,” said Bird, who just completed her junior year at Missouri Western. “The fall I struggled, and in the spring I finished third twice and second twice, so I couldn’t really capitalize and win. I was determined to win here. I think that made a big impact on how I played.”

Only six shots separated the next five players.

Jo Poyzer carded a final-round 80 and climbed into second place with 253, followed by Missy Little 255, Kerry Helton 256, Leigh Ann Hackney 257 and Deb McFarland 259.

Bird carded one birdie and three bogeys at Twin Hills. The birdie came on the par-3 fifth hole when she hit a pitching wedge within four feet of the pin.

“Honestly all three rounds I didn’t hit really good iron shots,” Bird said. “Probably my 75 at Briarbrook had the most solid iron shots. Last Sunday and today, I hit some good ones here and there but it wasn’t like I was firing it at the hole every time. I was playing the up and down game quite a bit.”

Back problems contributed to Bird’s problems this past school year.

“I got a back injury last summer, and I was in physical therapy and dealing with that over and over,” she said. “A back injury in golf, I’m sure you know how that goes. It’s not fun, but the spring I was getting on the right track.

“There was one girl in my conference I just couldn’t beat (Cassie Lowell from Northwest Missouri State). Seriously, every time we played it was neck and neck, and she’d beat me every time. She’s a good player.”