Samford finishes fifth at John Kirk/Panther Intercollegiate
STOCKBRIDGE, Ga. – The Samford University women’s golf team tallied its fourth top-five finish of the 2012-13 season Tuesday as the Bulldogs placed fifth at the 20th Annual John Kirk/Panther Intercollegiate hosted by Georgia State University at Eagle’s Landing Country Club.
Samford finished the two-day, three-round competition with a total team score of 960 (328-318-314). The Bulldogs’ 54-hole total was good for a fifth place finish out of a field comprised of 14 teams.
The Bulldogs continued to improve in each round of play at the 14-team tournament and posted its best 18-hole score of the competition Tuesday. Samford turned in a third-round score of 314.
Individually, the Bulldogs were led by sophomore Bailey Gray, who carded a 54-hole score of 239 (82-77-80) and registered a 15th-place finish. The performance was her best of the 2012-13 campaign and topped her previous personal record of a 23rd-place finish at the Lady Paladin Invitational.
Samford’s Emily Stallings, Natalie Mitchell and Anna Heim also tallied top-30 finishes Tuesday. Stallings carded a second straight 78 in the third round of play and concluded the tournament with a 54-hole score of 240 (84-78-78). The Bulldogs’ sophomore native of Fayetteville, Ga., finished tied for 22nd place in the individual standings.
Mitchell and Heim closed out play in the John Kirk/Panther Intercollegiate tied for 28th place with identical scores of 242, while Alex Jasper posted a three-round tally of 246 (85-83-78).
Kent State rallied to win the team title of the two-day tournament with a final score of 931 (311-318-302). Old Dominion placed second with a 54-hole score of 942 (318-303-321), while James Madison and Georgia State tied for third place at 945.
Kimberley Bradbury of Old Dominion closed out play as the individual medalist on Tuesday as she held off a late rally from Kent State’s Jennifer Ha. Ha posted a 1-under par 71 in the final round of play to finish at 226 (74-81-71), while Bradbury carded a 77 to earn the three-stroke victory.
The Samford University women’s golf team will next be in action Monday as the Bulldogs head to Pinehurst, N.C., for the 2013 College of Charleston Invitational, which will be held at the pristine Pinehurst No. 6 Golf Course.
College of Charleston finishes 12th at Briar’s Creek Invitational
JOHNS ISLAND, S.C. – College of Charleston freshman Louise Olsson fired a career-best round of 69 to finish tied for seventh on the individual leaderboard on the final day of the inaugural Briar’s Creek Invitational held on Tuesday at The Golf Club at Briar’s Creek.
As a team, the Cougars climbed all the way from 14th to eighth place playing even through the front nine of the final round. The back nine proved more difficult and they finished 12th overall with a three-round score of 937 (+73).
Olsson previously shot a career-best round of 72 in the second round of the Palmetto Intercollegiate in the fall. Her 69 tied as the second-lowest round of the 18-team tournament, which included six top-50 ranked teams in the country. Olsson eagled hole No. 18 after narrowly missing an eagle putt in the second round.
Senior Vanessa Koechli also finished in the top 25 with a final-round score of 77 to put her at +16 for the tournament, which put her in a seven-way tie for 25th.
No. 23-ranked Notre Dame won team and individual medalist honors, shooting a three-round score of 906 (+42), which was eight strokes better than second-place Maryland (+50). The Fighting Irish’s Ashley Armstrong shot 1-over par for the tournament for the individual victory.
CofC will next host the Pinehurst Challenge on the Pinehurst No. 6 course on April 1-2 in Pinehurst, N.C.
Furman ties for 13th at Briar’s Creek, Wearn second
JOHNS ISLAND, S.C. – Furman’s Laura Wearn (+4) posted a career-best 5-under par 67 to claim a runner-up finish on Tuesday in the Briar’s Creek Invitational at the par-72, 6,088-yard Golf Club at Briar’s Creek on Johns Island.
The senior, who was tied for 10th place after shooting a first-round 77 and 4-over 76 in the second round, birdied seven of her final 18 holes to charge up the leaderboard. Wearn birdied four of her final seven holes and played the course’s four par-5s at 4-under par in the final round.
Ashley Armstrong (+1) of Notre Dame shot a final-round 72 to hold onto individual medalist honors and lead the Fighting Irish (+42) to an eight-stroke victory over second-place Maryland (+50). Coastal Carolina (+52), Campbell (+53) and Indiana (+54) rounded out the top five in an 18-team field that included six of the top 50 teams in the country.
Furman rallied from a slow start on Monday to card a 10-over 298 on Tuesday and claim a share of 13th place. Freshman Valentina Romero posted a 4-over 76 and senior Alexa Rancourt added a 5-over 77 for the Paladins.
Chattanooga finishes 15th at Briar’s Creek
JOHNS ISLAND, S.C. – The Chattanooga Mocs women’s golf team finished 15th in the Briar’s Creek Invitational on another long day on the Golf Club at Briar’s Creek. The 18 teams in the field had to complete the suspended second round (about six holes per team) before the final 18 Tuesday afternoon.
UTC ended the second round at 316 before shooting 313 on its later cards for a 54-hole total of 948. That put the Mocs two shots ahead of South Florida in 16th and nine strokes behind Wisconsin and Furman, which tied for 13th.
Freshman Isabella Loza led the team for the second straight tournament. She shot 79-81 to wind up tied for 43rd at 236. That was one stroke clear of fellow freshman Emily McLennan at 237. McLennan completed a 79 of her own Tuesday morning before leading her squad with a 76 for her final card.
Sophomore Mette Kryger was another shot behind McLennan at 238. Kryger also tallied a 79 in round two with a 77 in the final 18. Junior Jordan Britt ender her tourney at 242, while sophomore Agathe Sauzon was two behind her at 244.
Notre Dame swept team and medalist honors for the event. It overcame a 12-stroke deficit in the opening round to win by eight over Maryland and finish 10 clear of first-round leader Coastal Carolina. The Fighting Irish shot 906 with it 1-over par 289 over the last 18 holes, setting the tourney standard.
Ashley Armstrong got the individual win for Notre Dame. Her 1-over par 217 was three better than Furman’s Laura Wearn at 220 (+4) and four ahead of second round co-leader Brittany Henderson (Coastal Carolina) in third at 221.
The Mocs are back in action April 8-9 at the Web.com Intercollegiate. The tourney is played at Marsh Landing Country Club in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.