Chattanooga wins Starmount Fall Classic
GREENSBORO, N.C. – It was a clean sweep for the Chattanooga Mocs women’s golf team as Agathe Sauzon led her squad to the Starmount Fall Classic championship. Sauzon shot a career-low 3-under par 210 to claim medalist honors.
She saved her best for last, birdieing four of the final five holes to propel the Mocs to the two-shot win over Campbell (878). The team’s 876 is the third-best total in the program’s six years of play.
Sauzon carded a career-low 69 (-2) over her final 18. Her total of 210 (-3) was one stroke shy of Christine Wolf’s (2008-11) record of 209 in the 2011 JMU Eagle Landing Invitational.
She was joined in the top five by Chattanooga native Jordan Britt. The senior was one of three Mocs to set a new career-low 54-hole total, shooting 217 (+4). Emily McLennan was the third, shooting 220 (+7) tying for 11th.
Isabella Loza and Porsche Campbell rounded out the scoring at 232 and 238, respectively. Campbell matched McLennan’s 77 Tuesday to combine with Sauzon (69) and Britt (75) for the 298 team score.
The Fighting Camels’ Kaylin Yost finished second individually at even-par (213). Maryland was third at 884, while Western Carolina ended up fourth at 898.
The Mocs are six days away from their next event, the Lady Pirate Intercollegiate. Played next Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 7-8, the 54-hole event takes place at Greenville Country Club in Greenville, N.C.
Western Carolina finishes fourth at Starmount Fall Classic
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Led by redshirt sophomore Kristin Swindell in a tie for seventh, Western Carolina put two individuals inside the top 20 to advance three positions in the final team rankings, placing fourth at the UNCG / Starmount Fall Classic, which concluded Tuesday at the par-71, 6,265-yard Starmount Forest Country Club.
The seventh-place tie marked the WCU career-best for Swindell, as well as the second top-10 finish for the transfer from Bradenton, Fla., this fall. For the Catamounts, the fourth-place finish is the third-straight top-10 and second consecutive top-five finish this season.
First-day leader Chattanooga held off a hard-charging Campbell squad by two strokes, 876-878, to claim top team honors. The Camels were eight strokes better than the Lady Mocs on Tuesday (290-to-298), chipping away all but two of UTC’s 10-stroke lead entering the day. Maryland shot 884 to finish third, eight strokes off the pace, with WCU (898) fourth and High Point in fifth with an even 900.
Entering her final round tied for 12th overall, Swindell matched her best round of the event with a 1-over-par 72 on Monday to finish the tournament at 6-over 219, advancing five positions with a three-round score that ranks tied for 10th in program history.
Behind Swindell, sophomore Taylor Allison finished tied for 17th, likewise moving up five positions in the final standings after opening the final 18 holes in a tie for 22nd overall. The Elizabeth City, N.C., native shot 2-over 73 for the second consecutive round for a career-best 54-hole score of 222.
Freshman Olivia Landino continued her consistent play, carding a 5-over 76 for the third straight round on Tuesday to finish tied for 33rd at 15-over-par 228. The Hermitage, Pa., product countered five bogeys and a double-bogey on the par-4 sixth with a pair of pars in her third round.
Rounding out WCU’s finishing order was sophomores Mariah Hopkins (37th, 230) and Kim Mitchell (63rd-t, 239). Hopkins fired a 5-over-par 76 on Tuesday, advancing seven spots in the final standings. Mitchell moved up three spots in the final order with a 79, settling after four bogeys among her first six holes to play nine straight holes even-par before closing double-bogey, bogey and bogey.
Playing unattached as individuals, WCU’s freshmen Bethany Galloway and Ashley Thompson finished tied for 65th and 73rd, respectively. The two managed to par 18 of their combined 36 holes on Tuesday, with Galloway shooting 81 and Thompson finishing with a round of 82.
Western Carolina returns to action Oct. 12-13 with the longest trip in program history. The Catamounts travel to Palm Desert, Calif., for the Cowgirl Desert Intercollegiate, hosted by the University of Wyoming. WCU's trip to California marks the farthest west a Catamount women's golf team has ever ventured, surpassing the previous trips of Cordova, Ill., in the 2003-04 season and Baton Rouge, La., in the 2007 NCAA East Regional.
Elon places ninth at Starmount Fall Classic
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Elon women's golf team fired a final-round mark of 305 on its way two a three-round score of 910 (307-298-305) to finish ninth at the UNCG Starmount Fall Classic on Tuesday.
Leading the way for the Maroon and Gold was Sunna Vidisdottir, who earned a tie for 17th out of the 84 participants with a final tally of 222 (71-76-75). Over her three rounds, Vidisdottir carded nine birdies, tied for the sixth-most in the tournament. Three of her birdies came in Tuesday's third and final round of play.
Kelsey Badmaev recorded 37 pars over her 54 holes, tied for the fifth-highest number of pars during the event, on her way to tying for 24th. Badmaev finished with a 225 (78-72-75).
In a tie for 38th was Emily Brooks, who consistently posted rounds of 77 throughout the tournament on her way to a 231. She bested Kathryn Buckingham by four strokes. Buckingham's 235 (84-73-78) placed her in a tie for 48th. Buckingham was one of just eight players to notch an eagle during the tournament.
Finally, Katie Partridge shot a 242 (81-78-83) to tie for 70th.
Competing as an individual, Taylor Wilkerson finished with a 236 (80-74-82) to tie for 53rd.
Medalist honors were claimed by Chattanooga's Agathe Sauzon, who finished at three-under with a 210 (70-71-69).
Sauzon's strong play helped lead the Lady Mocs to the team title as well. No. 71 UTC held off No. 59 Campbell for the victory, 876 (289-289-298) to 878 (299-289-290).
The rest of the top five consisted of Maryland (884), No. 98 Western Carolina (898) and No. 67 High Point (900).
The Phoenix finished ahead of No. 95 Wofford (911), Richmond (925), Gardner-Webb (927), Charleston Southern (933), North Florida (936) and host UNCG (940) in the 15-team field.
Elon will be back in action next Monday and Tuesday at the Lady Pirate Intercollegiate in Greenville, N.C.
Wofford finishes 10th at Starmount Fall Classic
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Wofford College women’s golf team shot a final round 24-over-par 308 Tuesday at the UNCG Starmount Fall Classic, finishing the 15-team, 54-hole tournament in 10th place at 59-over-par.
The Terriers’ final-round total matched that of their first round. Wofford’s best round was its second, which it completed Monday afternoon, carding an 11-over-par 295 at the Starmount Country Club to begin Tuesday tied for eighth place.
Leading Wofford for the second straight tournament was junior Lauren Dunbar, who tied for 21st place with an 11-over-par 224. Dunbar’s final round was a 5-over 76, which included 14 pars, three bogeys and one double-bogey. Dunbar topped the Wofford leaderboard last weekend at the Lady Paladin Invitational as well, with a three-round total of 7-over-par 223.
Tied with Dunbar at 6-over-par to start Tuesday’s final round were senior Anne Marie Covar and freshman Katy Funk. Funk carded an eagle on the par-4, 470-yard 18th hole and added a birdie two holes earlier on No. 16, but collected five bogeys and two double-bogeys the rest of the way to shoot a final-round 6-over-par 77 and finish tied for 24th place. Covar started on No. 9 and had just two bogeys through her first nine holes but posted four bogeys and a double-bogey through the final nine to shoot a 7-over-par 78 and take a tie for 27th place.
Sophomore Maegan Higgins completed the tournament at 27-over-par and tied for 65th but had an improved final-round score of 5-over-par 77. Senior Alex Hendricks finished in 76th place at 32-over-par.
The Wofford women’s golf team is back in action next Monday, beginning the two-day CSU Wendy’s Invitational in Mount Pleasant, S.C.
UNCG finishes 15th at Starmount Fall Classic
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNCG women’s golf program held its annual fall tournament this week and wrapped up play at the UNCG/Starmount Fall Classic on Tuesday with the final round of the 54-hole event held at the Starmount Forest Country Club.
Chattanooga won the team portion of the event with an 876, edging out Campbell by two strokes for the title at 878 and Maryland at 884. The Mocs also edged out the Camels in the individual standings, as Agathe Sauzon finished with a 3-under 210 (70-71-69), while Kaylin Yost of Campbell was even-par 213 (69-72-72). High Point’s Sarah Bae came in third with a 214 (70-70-74).
The Spartans as a team finished 15th overall with a three-round score of 940 (313-302-325). Sophomore Sammie Buchanan tied her career-best finish, placing 11th overall with a 7-over 220 score. Buchanan opened with a 77 before carding her career-best round of 69 Monday afternoon. She followed that up with a 4-over-par 75 in the third and final round Tuesday.
Junior Berglind Bjornsdottir was the Spartans’ second finisher in 38th place overall. Bjornsdottir opened with a 73 in round one before carding rounds of 78 and 80 to finish with a 231. Freshman Kristin Powers turned in a 241 (81-76-84) to finish in a tie for 68th place overall.
The Spartans return to action for the final time this fall Oct. 25-27 as they travel to Wilmington, N.C., for the Landfall Tradition.