LADY MOCS CLAIM LARRY NELSON TITLE BEHIND DE GROOT, WOLF

 

BRASELTON, Ga. ? Freshman Emma de Groot claimed medalist honors for the second straight tournament to lead the Lady Mocs to their first spring tournament victory and fourth overall as Chattanooga won the inaugural Larry Nelson Collegiate Invitational hosted by Kennesaw State University.

 

Chattanooga fired a third round 303 to combat a six-stroke deficit after round two on the 6,000-yard 71-par Chateau Course, to finish with a 928. That was three strokes better than South Alabama at 931 and future Southern Conference member Samford who carded a 933 team score. Belmont was fourth with a 947 and Central Arkansas was one stroke back in fifth with a 948. The other SoCon school in the tournament, Wofford, was sixth overall with a 950 team score.

 

De Groot, ranked 29th in the latest Golfstat.com rankings, entered the day in third and shot a tournament-low 71 in the final round to finish with a 9-over 222. This is her second win of her collegiate career. She claimed the title at the Samford Intercollegiate March 17-18 and led the Lady Mocs to a second place finish.

 

Wolf was tied for fourth after two rounds and shot 2-over on the day for her best finish with a 12-over 225 in second place. Kayla Stewart finished tied for 13th with a 234. Katie Taylor rounded out the scoring for Chattanooga with a three-round score of 247.

 

Belmont’s Lorie Warren shot a 1-over par in the final round to finish third and Wofford’s Alex Rankin who entered the day in a tie for first, carded back-to-back 77’s to finish fourth with a 227. Louisiana Monroe’s Angela Drane, also entering the final round tied for the top spot, finished fifth with a three-round total of 228.

 

The Lady Mocs will travel to Stanford, Calif., to participate in the Peg Barnard California Collegiate April 11-12. The Southern Conference tournament is set for April 20-22 at the Patriot’s Point Golf Course in Charleston, S.C.

 

 

Freshmen pair lead Terriers to sixth-place finish

CHATEAU ELAN, Ga. -- The two freshmen members of the Wofford women's golf team, Alex Rankin and Meredith Few, each finished among the top six individuals to pace the Terriers to a sixth-place team result at the Larry Nelson Collegiate Invitational Tuesday at the Chateau Elan Resort in Chateau Elan, Ga.

Rankin, who entered the final round tied for first, matched her second round score and finished with a 73-77-77--227 (+14) to place fourth among the 88 individuals.

Few registered the best finish of her collegiate career with a sixth-place tying 79-73-77--229 (+16). She was tied for fourth entering the last 18 holes on the par 71, 6,000-yard course.

Junior Erin Wells tallied her lowest score of the tournament during Tuesday's play and finished in a tie for 24th with an 83-79-76--238 (+25).

Her classmate, Colleen Rice, also trimmed strokes off her score during the final round. Rice recorded a 43-over par 89-88-79--256 to move into 69th place.

Sophomore Sarah Herbert rounded out the Terrier contingent by becoming the third Wofford player to shoot better Tuesday. She garnered a 78th-place tying result after carding a 94-90-79--263 (+50).

Chattanooga's Emma de Groot captured the individual championship with a 9-over par 222, while the Lady Mocs won the team title with a 76-over par 928.

The Terriers will wrap their regular-season schedule with a trip to New York, N.Y., to place in the Roar-EE Women's Invitational April 11-12.

Wofford Individuals:
T4--Alex Rankin, 73-77-77--227 (+14)
T6--Meredith Few, 79-73-77--229 (+16)
T24--Erin Wells, 83-79-76--238 (+25)
69--Colleen Rice, 89-88-79--256 (+43)
T78--Sarah Herbert, 94-90-79--263 (+50)

Top-10 Individuals:
1--Emma de Groot (Chattanooga), 77-74-71--222 (+9)
2--Christine Wolf (Chattanooga), 75-77-73--225 (+12)
3--Lorie Warren (Belmont), 77-77-72--226 (+13)
4--Alex Rankin (Wofford), 73-77-77--227 (+14)
5--Angela Drane (UL-Monroe), 75-75-78--228 (+15)
T6--Meredith Few (Wofford), 79-73-77--229 (+16)
T6--Darah Newell (South Alabama), 77-75-77--229 (+16)
8--Chelsea Harris (Austin Peay State), 73-80-77--230 (+17)
9--Sara Hunt (Samford), 80-75-76--231 (+18)
10--Katelyn Stanier (Samford), 75-78-79--232 (+19)

Team Standings:
1--Chattanooga, 319-306-303--928 (+76)
2--South Alabama, 309-310-312--931 (+79)
3--Samford, 313-308-312--933 (+81)
4--Belmont, 321-318-308--947 (+95)
5--Central Arkansas, 327-318-303--948 (+96)
6--Wofford, 324-317-309--950 (+98)
7--UL-Monroe, 331-306-316--953 (+101)
8--Daytona Beach C.C., 326-316-313--955 (+103)
9--Nicholls State, 321-319-317--957 (+105)
10--Kennesaw State, 332-315-321--968 (+116)
11--Austin Peay State, 323-331-317--971 (+119)
12--Troy, 341-316-326--983 (+131)
13--Mercer, 337-324-324--985 (+133)
14--Western Kentucky, 332-328-327--987 (+135)
15--Gardner-Webb, 340-318-333--991 (+139)
16--South Dakota State, 339-332-345--1016 (+164)
17--Tennessee State, 406-389-387--1182 (+330)

 

 

 

Western Carolina Women’s Golf Finishes Third at John Kirk / Panther Intercollegiate

 

Stockbridge, Ga. ? Western Carolina carded the third-lowest score in Tuesday’s final round with a 306 as a team to finish third at the 15th-annual John Kirk / Panther Intercollegiate held at the par 73, 6,144-yard Eagle’s Landing Country Club. Sophomore Desiree Karlsson trimmed eight strokes of her opening round score to card a one-under, 72, to rally for a top 10 finish to lead the Catamounts.

 

Western, playing without its two seniors Malin Fryk and Kandy Carland due to injury, posted its best team finish of the season. The two-day total of 618 ranks as the 19th-best, 36-hole tournament score in school history.

 

Georgia State, which saw its opening-day, eight-strike advantage evaporate on Tuesday, claimed the tournament team title on a one-hole, team playoff over Jacksonville State. The two squads finished tied at 613 after regulation, with the Panthers’ top four golfers each recording par on the first playoff hole ? the par 4 10th ? while the Dolphins only managed one par.

 

Individually, Mississippi State’s Suzanne Stanley claimed the individual medalist honors with a two-day total of 147, two strokes ahead of Maria Ringdahl from East Tennessee State and Maria Ronderos from Miami who tied for the runner-up position at 149.

 

Karlsson’s one-under on Tuesday was one of just two recorded on the final day and four turned in during the two-day event. The Ljunghusen, Sweden native finished tied for seventh to pace WCU, finishing with a two-day score of . Team first-round leader, sophomore Elin Mickelsson, finished tied with freshman teammate, Josefine Sundh, for 17th with a two-day score of 155. Mickelsson shot 79 on Tuesday, while Sundh improved by three strokes from Monday’s score, carding 76 on the final 18 holes.

 

Rounding out Western’s scorers for the tournament were freshman Katja Dammann (t-31st, 158) and sophomore Tiffany Schisler with her career-best, two-round score of 161, tied for 42nd.

 

All told, Western finished ahead of six women’s golf teams that entered the event ranked inside GolfStat’s top 70. The only ranked foe not eclipsed by the Catamounts was No. 35 Georgia State.

 

Western Carolina returns to action on April 7-8 at the River Landing Invitational, hosted by UNC Wilmington at the River Landing Golf Club in Wallace, N.C. The event will be WCU’s final tune-up before the Southern Conference Women’s Golf Championship April 20-22 at the Stono Ferry Golf Links in Charleston, S.C.

 

 

15th Annual John Kirk / Panther Intercollegiate

T 1 #35 Georgia State      300  313  613  +29

T 1 Jacksonville State     308  305  613  +29

  3 Western Carolina       312  306  618  +34

  4 #51 East Tennessee     318  304  622  +38

  5 #66 Mississippi State  313  310  623  +39

  6 #43 Augusta State      314  310  624  +40

  7 #70 Campbell           320  311  631  +47

  8 #69 Maryland           323  313  636  +53

  9 Arkansas-Little Rock   327  312  639  +55

 10 Elon                   325  315  640  +56

 11 Coastal Carolina       322  324  646  +62

 12 #68 Miami              326  326  646  +62

T13 Richmond               331  324  655  +71

T13 Xavier                 332  323  655  +71

 15 Memphis                335  322  657  +73

 

  3 Western Carolina       312  306  618  +34

 T7 Desiree Karlsson        80   72  152  +6

T17 Elin Mickelsson         76   79  155  +9

T17 Josefine Sundh          79   76  155  +9

T31 Katja Dammann           79   79  158  +12

T42 Tiffany Schisler        78   83  161  +15

 

 

Elon Finishes 10th at Panther Intercollegiate

STOCKBRIDGE, Ga. ? Samantha Widmer tallied a two-over-par 75 and Danielle Mills recorded a three-over-par 76 to lead all Elon golfers as the Phoenix finished the 15-team John Kirk/Panther Intercollegiate women’s golf tournament in 10th place Tuesday afternoon on the 6,144-yard Eagles Landing Country Club course.

Mills (78-76?154) ended up in a tie for 13th place while Widmer (82-75?157) claimed a share of 25th place in the 81-player event. Mississippi State’s Suzanne Stanley (73-74?147) captured medalist honors for the two-day, two-round, 36-hole tournament. Kelsey Johnson (Tied-55th/80-84?164), Tara McFadden (64th/86-81?167) and Taylor Johnson (Tied-65th/85-83?168) also contributed to the Elon effort.

Host Georgia State (300-313?613) out-dueled Jacksonville State (308-305?613) in a playoff to seize the team title. Western Carolina (312-306?618) placed third, followed by East Tennessee State (318-304?622), Mississippi State (313-310?623), Augusta State (314-310?624), Campbell (320-311?631), Maryland (323-313?636), Arkansas-Little Rock (327-312?639) and Elon (325-315?640), Coastal Carolina (322-324?646), Miami (326-326?652), Xavier (332-323?655), Richmond (331-324?655) and Memphis (335-322?657).