Cnops captures Kiawah Island title, Spartans finish second
KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. -UNCG's Fanny Cnops fired a final round 71 on her way to a one-stroke victory in the Edwin Watts/Kiawah Island Intercollegiate, which concluded Tuesday at Oak Point. Cnops' effort helped the Spartans finish second in the 33-team tournament.
Cnops finished her three rounds of play at 2-under par 214 (72-71-71), edging Augusta State's Christine Duschek-Hansen by one stroke.
It's the second career victory for Cnops, and her second straight win dating back to the fall season. Cnops also won the Palmetto Intercollegiate, which was also played at Oak Point, last October.
"This is the third or fourth straight tournament that Fanny has gone into the final round with the lead," said head coach Emily Marron. "She's learning how to handle the pressure and that's a great sign for the future. Fanny is so easy to coach. She's unbelievable sometimes because she's so talented but she always plays for the team and not just for herself. We're very proud of her."
UNCG finished second overall at 899 (307-297-295) in their first tournament of the spring season. The Spartans came in behind Augusta State (877), and finished ahead of Southern Conference foes Elon (903), College of Charleston (910) and Western Carolina (938).
"Finishing second was definitely a team effort, said Marron. "Even though we didn't win it felt like we did. Augusta State kind of ran away and hid from everyone so we made up our minds Monday night that we wanted to finish second and we did. The confidence level of this team is pretty high right now. We go into every tournament expecting to contend."
While Cnops was earning the victory, several other Spartans enjoyed solid performances, most notably fellow freshman Berglind Bjornsdottir. After suffering through an opening round 82, Bjornsdottir rebounded in the final two rounds by shooting 72 and 74, respectively, to finish tied for 31st at 228.
Courtney Taylor shot 73 on Tuesday and finished tournament play tied for 43rd at 230 (77-80-73), while Ana Lucia Martinez tied for 55th at 232 (81-74-77). Begona Sarabia tied for 134th at 245 (77-81-87).
The Spartans next compete at the JMU Invitational, March 9-11 in Jacksonville, Fla.
2 UNCG 307 297 295 899
1 Fanny Cnops 72 71 71 214
T31 Berglind Bjornsdotir 82 72 74 228
T43 Courtney Taylor 77 80 73 230
T55 Ana Lucia Martinez 81 74 77 232
T134 Begona Sarabia 77 81 87 245
Elon Finishes Tied for Third in Strong Kiawah Island Intercollegiate Field
KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. -- In a field which featured seven of the top 100 NCAA Division I women's golf teams, the Elon Phoenix placed third at the Kiawah Island Intercollegiate. In its first tournament of the spring, Elon shot a 903 (303-296-304).
No. 80 Augusta State led from wire-to-wire and finished the tournament with a score of 877 (286-296-295). No. 78 UNCG (307-297-295--899) rallied past the Phoenix on the final day to finish second while 54th-rated Campbell also ended with a 903 (306-298-299) to tie Elon for third in the 33-team field.
The Phoenix was led by Martyna Mierzwa who posted a 223 (75-72-76) to tie for 10th in the field of 179 players. She was followed by Diana Davis who shot a 225 (78-71-76) to finish in a tie for 14th.
In a tie for 17th was Virginia Mayer who carded a 226 (74-77-75) over her three rounds of competition. Lauren Lebak's tally of 230 (76-77-77) placed her in a tie for 43rd.
Finally, Kristi Ingram shot a 234 (80-76-78) to finish in a 63rd-place tie.
The other four ranked teams in the field were No. 65 Chattanooga (10th, 309-302-310--921), No. 75 Middle Tennessee State (7th, 313-304-298--915), No. 81 Longwood (T15th, 310-312-309--931) and No. 89 College of Charleston (5th, 313-305-292--910).
SoCon rivals Western Carolina (21st, 317-304-317--938) and The Citadel (33rd, 346-342-330--1018) were also amongst the field.
The Phoenix will look to continue its strong start at the JMU/Eagle Landing Invitational which begins on March 9 in Jacksonville, Fla.
SAMFORD WOMEN'S GOLF: BULLDOGS TAKE THIRD PLACE AT USA LADY JAGUAR INVITATIONAL
--- Samford's Butts, Heim, Turner and Mitchell all earn top-15 finishes ---
MOBILE, Ala. --- The Samford University women's golf team opened its 2012 spring season with a third-place finish Tuesday as the Bulldogs carded identical first and second round scores of 307 at the 10th Annual USA Lady Jaguar Invitational at the Azalea City Golf Club (par 72, 6,051 yards).
Samford concluded the rain-shortened 36-hole competition with a total team score of 614, and finished just seven strokes behind first-place South Alabama (304-303 = 607) and five strokes behind second-place Butler (306-303 = 609).
"We played well enough on the front nine to get ourselves into position, but we just didn't close out the back nine the way we wanted to," said Samford head coach Ryan Mayberry. "We have some things to work on, so next time out we'll be able to finish stronger."
So far in the 2011-12 campaign, the Bulldogs have tallied top-five finishes in five of their six tournaments, including championship titles at the Chris Banister Gamecock Classic and the Memphis Invitational. Tuesday's third-place finish at the 2012 USA Lady Jaguar Invitational proved to be Samford's third best finish of the season.
The Bulldogs completed this week's tournament with four individuals ranked among the top 15. Senior Sarah Butts paced the squad with a 36-hole score of 5-over-par 149 (74-75), while junior Anna Heim also tallied a top-10 finish by placing ninth with a two-round total of 7-over-par 151 (75-76). Butts, Samford's native of Carrollton, Ga., finished the USA Lady Jaguar Invitational tied for fifth place.
Junior Kayla Turner turned in an 11th-place performance Tuesday as she carded a 36-hole score of 153 (77-76) at the Azalea City Golf Club. Turner was followed closely by teammate Natalie Mitchell, who tallied a two-round total of 154 (78-76). Mitchell concluded the tournament tied for 14th place out of 71 competitors.
Samford's Bailey Gray concluded Tuesday's competition with a 36-hole score of 158 (78-80), while Alex Jasper carded a two-round mark of 167 (86-81).
Louisiana-Monroe's Lina Lagergren earned individual medalist honors at the 2012 USA Lady Jaguar Invitational as she carded a tournament-best score of 147 (76-71). South Alabama's Kristin Golightly and Ingrid Hagen both finished tied for second place at 148, as did UAB's Caitlin Watts.
The Samford University women's golf team will next be in action March 9-11 at the James Madison Invitational being held at the Eagle Landing Golf Course in Orange Park, Fla.
COUGARS FINISH STRONG IN FINAL ROUND TO PLACE IN TOP 5 AT EDWIN WATTS/KIAWAH ISLAND CLASSIC
KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. - Four members of the College of Charleston women's golf team carded rounds of 3-over par or better to lead the Cougars to a strong finish in the final round of the three-day Edwin Watts/Kiawah Island Classic held on Tuesday afternoon at Cougar Point Golf Course.
The top 19 teams advanced to Cougar Point, while the other 14 teams finished out the largest collegiate tournament in the country at Oak Point Golf Course.
CofC placed fifth after finishing the second round in 11th at +42. The Cougars improved 13 strokes on the final day to turn in a final-round score of 292. It marked the team's second top 5 finish of the season behind a fourth-place outing at the Nittany Lion Invitational on Oct. 2.
Junior Kathy Boehm (Munich, Germany) led the Cougars with a three-round 5-over par 221 after shooting even par on the final day of tournament play. It was her second top 10 finish of the year next to tying for third at the Nittany Lion Invitational.
Junior Vanessa Koechli (Greer, S.C.) shot the lowest individual round of the tournament by a CofC golfer with a final-round one-under 71 followed by a two-over 74 by junior Anna Martin (Easley, S.C.). Senior Leigh Whittaker (Baden-Baden, Germany) also contributed to the final-round comeback with a three-over 75.
"I thought we played our best round of the year," CofC Head Coach Jamie Futrell said. "I am very proud of our team. We talked about having a winning attitude and being confident (going into the final round). It is fun when you watch them actually take to heart what you said. They really went out and did it today. This gives us some momentum going into a huge tournament at LSU next week. We will need every bit of that momentum going forward. Overall, it was a great day with a great finish."
UNCG's Fanny Cnops took home individual medalist honors with a 2-under par 214. Meanwhile, Augusta State claimed the team title with a three-round score of 582 (+6) which was 17 strokes better than their nearest opponent in second-place Elon (+23) and tied for third-place Campbell (+28) and UNCG (+28).
"Kiawah Island Resort is one of the best resorts in the country and they do a great job of running high-quality tournaments," Futrell said. "Everything ran really smoothly for us and we would like to thank all of the staff and volunteers for their help over the last three days."
Up next, the Cougars will travel to the LSU/Cleveland Classic hosted by LSU on March 9-11 at the University Club in Baton Rouge, La.
EDWIN WATTS/KIAWAH ISLAND CLASSIC
February 26-28, 2012
Cougar Point and Oak Point Golf Course
at Kiawah Island, S.C.
FINAL TEAM RESULTS
1, Augusta State, 286-296-295-877 (+13). 2, UNCG, 307-297-295-899 (+35). 3T, Campbell, 306-298-299-903 (+39). 3T, Elon, 303-296-304-903 (+46). 5, College of Charleston, 313-305-292-910 (+46). 6, Daytona State College, 314-296-301-911 (+47). 7, Middle Tennessee State, 313-304-298-915 (+51). 8T, Jacksonville State, 307-305-307-919 (+55). 8T, Old Dominion, 315-295-309-919 (+55). 10, Chattanooga, 309-302-310-921 (+57). 11, Oral Roberts, 318-308-301-927 (+63). 12, Arkansas-Little Rock, 309-312-307-928 (+64). 13, Bucknell, 322-298-309-929 (+65). 14, St. John's, 322-299-309-930 (+66). 15T, Longwood, 310-312-309-931 (+67). 15T, Georgetown, 324-301-306-933 (+67). 15T, Akron, 314-302-315-931 (+67). 18T, Mercer, 315-310-308-933 (+69). 18T, Charleston Southern, 322-305-306-933 (+69). 20, Morehead State, 315-320-302-937 (+73). 21, Western Carolina, 317-304-317-938 (+74). 22, Illinois State, 326-305-312-943 (+79). 23, Arkansas State, 310-321-313-944 (+80). 24, Newberry College, 317-309-319-945 (+81). 25, Richmond, 317-312-321-950 (+86). 26, Presbyterian College, 325-303-323-951 (+87). 27, Winthrop, 329-304-320-953 (+89). 28, William & Mary, 331-300-323-954 (+90). 29, High Point, 331-300-324-955 (+91). 30, Marshall, 325-303-333-961 (+97). 31, Radford, 327-308-328-963 (+99). 32, IUPUI, 336-311-324-971 (+107). 33, The Citadel, 346-342-330-1018 (+154).
FINAL COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
9, Kathy Boehm, 74-75-72-221 (+5). *17T, Ainhoa Nogales, 77-72-77-226 (+10). 26T, Vanessa Koechli 79-77-71-227 (+11). 48T, Leigh Whittaker, 80-76-75-231 (+15). 63T, Anna Martin, 80-80-74-234 (+18). 101T, Kathryn Miranda 82-77-79-238 (+22). *109T, C.C. Buford, 85-74-81-240 (+24). *127T, Regina Rosas, 85-76-82-243 (+27). *162T, Walker McLear, 86-81-86 (+37).
*competed as individuals
Chattanooga Ends up 10th at Edwin Watts/Kiawah Island Classic
Jordan Britt had today's low round for the Mocs with a 75
KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. --- The Chattanooga Mocs finished 10th at the Edwin Watts/Kiawah Island Classic Tuesday afternoon at Cougar Point Golf Club. UTC shot 310 for the final 18 to end up with a three-day total of 921.
Maria Juliana Loza (Bucaramanga, Colombia) was the top finisher for the Mocs. Loza tied for 31st at 228. Jordan Britt (Chattanooga, Tenn.) was three shots behind her at 231 tying for 48th. Britt had the low round of the day for Chattanooga with a 75 (+3).
Mette Kryger (Nivaa, Denmark) tied for 63rd at 234. Marion Duvernay (Publier, France) and Yushira Budhram (Johannesburg, South Africa) completed the event tied for 91st and 109th, respectively. Sophie Weilguni (Langenlois, Austria) played as an individual ending tied for 59th at 233.
Augusta State led wire-to-wire to claim the team title at 13-over par 877. The Jaguars topped second-place UNCG (899) by 22 strokes. Campbell and Elon tied for third at 903.
UNCG's Fanny Cnops finished as medalist at two-under par 214. She topped Augusta State's Christine Duschek-Hansen by a single shot at one-under 215. Natalie Wille (ASU) and Erin Selfridge (Daytona State) tied for third at one-over 217.
The Mocs return to the course March 9-11 to defend their title at the JMU Eagle Landing Invitational in suburban Jacksonville, Fla. UTC (team) and former standout Christine Wolf (Igls, Austria) set records winning the team and individual crowns.
MOCS:
T31) Maria Juliana Loza 77-73-78 228 (+12)
T48) Jordan Britt 79-77-75 231 (+15)
T63) Mette Kryger 73-80-81 234 (+18)
T91) Marion Duvernay 82-79-76 237 (+21)
T109) Yushira Budhram 80-73-87 240 (+24)
T59) Sophie Weilguni (I) 77-79-77 233 (+17)
Western Carolina Women's Golf Finished 21st at Kiawah Island
Catamounts to face Appalachian State in University Cup on Wednesday
Kiawah Island, S.C. - Western Carolina matched its opening round 317 on Tuesday to slip into a final standing of 21st with a three-day total of 938 at the spring-opening Kiawah Island Intercollegiate held at the Cougar and Oak Point Golf Courses. Freshman Sofie Kvarnstrom led the Catamounts, matching senior Blaire Minter's final round 77 to shoot a team-best 234, finishing tied for 63rd.
Opening her final round on the 14th hole on the back nine, Kvarnstrom recorded two bogies and a pair of double-bogies on her first eight holes. However, she rallied with consecutive birdies on the par-4, 10th and par-5, 11th to move back to five-over for the round.
Three Catamounts finished amidst a tie for 91st in the final standings. Minter, classmate Rachel Nelson and freshman Maria Kjelldorff all shot 237 for the 54-hole event. Minter was even through seven holes on Tuesday before three bogies and a double on her next five holes relegated her to five over par. The Marietta, Ga., native carded a birdie on the par-3 No. 12 to move to four over, but bogeyed her final hole to finish five-over, 77.
Kjelldorff countered eight holes of bogey-or-worse with a pair of birdies to shoot 80 while Nelson struggled on the final 18 with nine scores over-par with just one birdie to shoot 83. Rounding out WCU's finishers was the Catamounts' first-round leader, freshman Katy Kile, who shot 239 for the event to finish in a tie for 106th overall.
Augusta State led from start to finish claiming tournament team honors, shooting 295 on Tuesday to finish the 54-hole event 22 strokes ahead of second-place UNC Greensboro (877-to-899). Campbell finished tied for third with Southern Conference-foe Elon at 903 with tournament host and league-member, College of Charleston, rounding out the top five teams with a score of 910.
Other SoCon squads included Chattanooga in 10th-place at 921 and The Citadel in 33rd at 1,018 for the event.
UNCG's Fanny Cnops posted a three-round score of two-under 214 to edge Christine Duschek-Hansen of Augusta State for the individual medalist honors. ASU's Natalie Wille and Erin Selfridge from Daytona State College finished in a two-way tie for third, three strokes in arrears at 217.
Both Western Carolina men's and women's golf teams return to action on Wednesday, Feb. 29, in co-ed head-to-head play against archrival Appalachian State in the University Cup held at the Mimosa Hills Country Club in Morganton, N.C. Teaming one member of the men's team with a women's golfer, the two squads will battle head-to-head in match-play, as well as in scoring average. WCU looks to defend its title from a season ago.
Baumgartner Fires Final Round 77 at Edwin Watts/Kiawah Island Classic
Kiawah Island, S.C. - Senior Bree Baumgartner shot a final round 77 to close with a three-day total of 246 (+30) as The Citadel's golf team finished 33rd at the Edwin Watts/Kiawah Island Classic played on the Cougar Point and Oak Point courses in Kiawah Island.
The Bulldogs (330, +154) finished 141 strokes behind first place Augusta State which captured the event title with a 54-hole team score of 877 (+13). The Jaguars finished in front of UNC Greensboro (899, +35), Campbell (903, +39), Elon (903, +39) and College of Charleston (910, +46), who rounded out the top five.
Baumgartner saved her best round for last, firing a 77, after scores of 82 and 87 on the first two days of the tournament, tying for 140th among individual players. Sophomore Erica Pellegrini placed 170th at 258 after carding a final round 72.
Freshman Devin Lowe earned 172nd place with a final total of 260 (+44) on rounds of 87, 88 and 85.
Fellow rookie Kellie Anderson turned in rounds of 95, 84 and 87 to finish in 176th at 266 (+50). Senior Alanna Jean-Keith rounded out the team with a 267 (+51) following rounds of 92, 83 and 92.
Top individual honors went to UNC Greensboro's Fanny Cnops, who closed with a 71 on Tuesday for a three-day total of 214 (-2). She was followed by Christine Duschek-Hansen (215, -1), Natalie Wille (217, +1), Erin Selfridge (217, +1) and Alheli Moreno (219, +3) to complete the top five of the leaderboard.
Next up on the tournament docket will be a stop in Hilton Head for the Hilton Head Invitational on March 3rd.