Samford wins FedEx Memphis Women’s Intercollegiate
GERMANTOWN, Tenn. – The Samford University women’s golf team opened its 2013 season in dominant fashion this week as the Bulldogs cruised to a six-stroke victory at the 12-team FedEx Memphis Women’s Intercollegiate held at the par-71, 6,150-yard Ridgeway Country Club. Tuesday’s championship marked Samford’s third straight title at the fall event.
In addition to the Bulldogs’ brilliant team performance Tuesday, Samford’s true freshman Sydney Needham earned individual medalist honors in the first tournament of her collegiate career.
Needham, the Bulldogs’ highly touted native of Carrollton, Ga., fired a sizzling 3-under par 68 on Tuesday to take a two-stroke win over teammate and defending 2012 champion Natalie Mitchell. Needham closed out the tournament with a three-round total of 219 (76-75-68), while Mitchell finished at 221 (77-74-70).
Last season, Samford won its second straight FedEx Memphis Intercollegiate with a 54-hole team score of 913. This season, the Bulldogs improved by 24 strokes as they posted a final three-round mark of 889 (303-297-289) and defeated Middle Tennessee (302-298-295=895) by six shots.
Rounding out the top-five teams in the tournament were Lamar University (310-301-297=908), North Texas (308-299-309=916) and Memphis (305-307-305=917).
Samford finished the 2013 FedEx Memphis Intercollegiate with three players in the top four of the individual standings. Needham and Mitchell placed first and second, respectively, while junior Bailey Gray earned a fourth-place finish with a 54-hole score of 223 (73-73-77).
The Bulldogs’ Emily Stallings also registered a top-15 performance as she finished tied for 14th place with a total score of 228 (77-75-76). Senor Alex Jasper carded a two-day mark of 235 (80-80-75), while true freshmen Haley Harrington (79-78-77 = 234) and Arin Eddy (80-79-82 = 241) competed as individuals.
Samford’s first-year head coach, Rachel Ingram, jumpstarted her career as a Bulldog in an impressive way Tuesday. This week’s FedEx Memphis Intercollegiate marked her first tournament as Samford’s head coach.
The Samford University women’s golf team will next be in action Monday as the Bulldogs travel to Waynesville, N.C., for the 2013 Great Smokies Intercollegiate to be hosted by Western Carolina University at the Waynesville Inn & Golf Resort.
Western Carolina finishes sixth at Golfweek Program Challenge
PAWLEY’S ISLAND, S.C. – Western Carolina newcomers Kristen Swindell and Kim Mitchell paced the Catamounts to a sixth-place showing at the season-opening Golfweek Program Challenge, which concluded Tuesday afternoon at the par-71, 6,038-yard Caledonia Golf & Fish Club.
Swindell fired rounds of 74, 75 and 74 for a three-day total of 223, while Mitchell rallied to card the lowest round by a WCU golfer in the event with a 1-under-par 70, to also finish at 223. The duo tied for 17th.
Coupled with the men’s team score of 865, Western Carolina finished fifth overall in the Program Challenge portion of the event with a combined score of 1,762. This year’s finish was two spots better than the Catamounts’ first trip a year ago, when they finished seventh. WCU’s women were also two positions better in the standings than in 2012.
Campbell again claimed the overall championship, edging Jacksonville State by one stroke, 1,741-1,742. Campbell’s women won the team title by 17 strokes with an 862, while the men were tied for ninth at 879.
WCU sophomore Taylor Allison advanced six positions in the final standings, placing 24th overall with a three-day total of 226. Rounding out WCU’s scoring five were freshman Olivia Landino, who placed tied for 32nd (230) in her first collegiate event, and sophomore Mariah Hopkins, who slipped into a tie for 42nd overall with a final-round 85 and a three-day tally of 234.
Western Carolina’s women return to their home course at the Waynesville Inn Golf Resort & Spa in Waynesville, N.C., for the 15th annual Great Smokies Intercollegiate, Sept. 16-17. A combined 13 teams, including three previous event champions, will vie for the tournament championship over 36 holes.
Furman finishes 16th at Cougar Classic
HANAHAN, S.C. – Sophomore Valentina Romero carded a team-best 74 on Tuesday to lead Furman (+46) to a 16th-place finish at the season-opening Cougar Classic at the par-72, 6,402-yard Yeamans Hall Club.
Romero (+9) birdied three holes on the back nine, finishing the day at 2-over par, to conclude the tournament tied for 47th. Paladin rookie Taylor Totland, who recorded two birdies on the back nine, carded a 75 in the tournament’s final day to secure a tie for 50th place. Sophomore Stephanie Carlozzi recovered with birdies on three of her last six holes Tuesday to finish the round 3-over par.
The University of Florida (-5) notched a one-stroke victory over second-place Clemson (-4), with College of Charleston (-3), NC State (-1) and Mississippi State (+7) rounding out the top five in a field of 20 teams. Florida’s Anna Young captured individual medalist honors with rounds of 73-71-67 to finish at 5-under par. NC State’s Brittany Marchand and Clemson’s Ashlan Ramsey and Sloan Shanahan (-4) tied for second place.
Furman returns to the course Sept. 20-22, when the Paladins entertain 16 teams at the Lady Paladin Invitational at the Furman Golf Course in Greenville, S.C.
UNCG finishes 19th at Cougar Classic
HANAHAN, S.C. – The UNCG women's golf team concluded play at the 11th annual Cougar Classic hosted by the College of Charleston at Yeamans Hall Golf Course on Tuesday. The Spartans finished the three-day, 54-hole event in 19th place.
The young Spartan team, which included two freshmen, two sophomores and a junior, posted a three-round score of 949 (314-319-316). Florida won the team title, coming from behind on the final day with a score of 859 (291-287-281) to edge out second-day leader Clemson by one stroke at 860 (285-282-293).
UNCG junior Berglind Bjornsdottir finished in a tie for 80th place with a score of 232 (76-74-82). Sophomores Lily Crane and Sammie Buchanan were tied for 91st place with 237 as Crane fired a 77-81-79 and Buchanan carded a 78-81-78. Freshman Margine Arguello ended the event with the Spartans' best round of the day Tuesday, posting a 5-over-par 77.
Individually, Ana Young of Florida won the event with a 5-under 211, including a final-round 67 to edge out three golfers in second place with 4-under par 212s.
The Spartans return to the course Sept. 20-22 as they travel to Greenville, S.C., for the Furman Invitational.
Wofford posts runner-up finish at Terrier Intercollegiate
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Wofford women’s golf team shot a final round 4-over-par 292, taking second place at the Terrier Intercollegiate on Tuesday from the Spartanburg Country Club.
The Terriers shot the best team score of the day but did not catch High Point, which shot 6-over-par 294 on both Monday and Tuesday for a winning total of 12-over 588. Wofford was eight strokes back after shooting 14-over 302 in the first round and finished six strokes behind the Panthers at 18-over 594.
The Terriers finished ahead of third-place Savannah College of Art and Design (607, +31), Appalachian State (623, +47), USC Upstate (627, +51), Presbyterian (648, +72) and The Citadel (693, +117).
Freshman Katy Funk had a solid debut to her collegiate career. After carding a 1-over-par 73 on Monday, the Spartanburg High School product shot a 1-under-par 71 on Tuesday to finish even-par and place second on the individual leaderboard. Funk had two birdies and no bogeys on the front nine of her final round and was bogey-free until a 15-foot putt for par on 18 lipped out. For the tournament, she finished with five birdies and five bogeys.
Sophomore Maegan Higgins earned fifth and senior Anne Marie Covar was sixth. Higgins shaved a stroke off her first-round 3-over-par 75 to shoot a 2-over 74 on Tuesday and finish with a 5-over 149. Covar shot a 1-over 73 on Tuesday to complete her tournament at 6-over 150.
The Wofford women’s golf team is back in action Friday, Sept. 20, beginning the Lady Paladin Invitational in Greenville, S.C.
Appalachian State finishes fourth at Terrier Intercollegiate
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Appalachian State finished up play in Wofford’s Terrier Intercollegiate on Tuesday, carding a 313 in the second round after firing a 310 in the first round on Monday for a total of 623. Appalachian State also had three golfers finish in the top 20 individually.
Haley Zagoria finished tied for seventh overall after shooting a 73 in the second round. Zagoria’s tournament total was 151. Finishing right behind Zagoria at 14th overall was Lily Yatawara, who tallied a 79 in round two for a total of 154.
Hannah Craver finished tied for 17th after shooting a second-round total of 77 for a two-day total of 157. Emily Stinson finished with an 84 in the second round and 161 overall to place in a tie for 27th. Madalyn Davis finished tied for 37th with a two-day total of 169 after firing an 85 on Tuesday.
Wen Jia Cao competed as an individual for the Mountaineers and finished 42nd with a total score of 196 after shooting a 97 on Tuesday.
The Mountaineers will return to action when they travel to Waynesville, N.C., for a tournament hosted by Western Carolina. It will span two days, starting Sept. 16.
The Citadel finishes seventh at Terrier Intercollegiate
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The duo of Eraina Manor and McKenzie Duncan each carded a 168 and finished tied for 32nd as The Citadel golf team opened the 2013-14 fall season in the Terrier Intercollegiate held at Spartanburg Country Club.
Manor (89-79=168), the lone Citadel player to fire a round in the 70s, and Duncan (82-86=168) paced a Bulldogs unit that placed seventh in the event with a team score of 693 (350-343).
The Cadets also included scorecards from Hollie Salvo (93-84=177) and Kellie Anderson (86-94=180), who placed 39th and 40th, respectively.
Big South Conference representative High Point won the event with a two-day score of 588 (+12), followed by host Wofford (594, +18) and Savannah College of Art & Design (607, +31).
High Point's Sarah Bae (72-71=143, -1) brought home top individual honors, finishing just one shot in front of Wofford's Katy Funk (73-71=144, E). Third-place finisher Alazne Urizar from Savannah College of Art & Design carded a 146 (73-73, +2) to finish three shots off the pace.
The Citadel returns to action on Sept. 24 when the team heads to Waynesville, N.C., for the Great Smokies Invitational.
Elon 11th at “Mo”Morial
BRYAN, Texas – For the second straight day, Elon's Sunna Vidisdottir led Elon with a 3-over-par 75 at The "Mo"Morial hosted by Texas A&M as the Phoenix sits 11th in a competitive field with a round to play.
Vidisdottir's 150 (75-75) has her in a tie for 24th out of the 70 golfers in the tournament. Of her first 36 holes, Vidisdottir has recorded pars on 25.
Katie Partridge has posted Elon's second-best score through two rounds. Partridge sits in a tie for 51st with a mark of 160 (76-84). She is followed by Emily Brooks, who is tied for 55th after a two-round score of 163 (80-83).
Rounding out the field for the Phoenix are Kathryn Buckingham and Taylor Wilkerson. Buckingham sits 65th after posting a 173 (87-86), while Wilkerson's 176 (88-88) has her 68th.
Leading the field is Kentucky's Haley Mills with a score of 142 (70-72).
Mills' performance also has the Wildcats first in the team standings with a mark of 586 (294-292). Host Texas A&M (290-304) and 16th-ranked Virginia (298-296) are tied for second with a 594. Fourth place is shared by UCF (296-300) and East Carolina (299-297) with a 596.
The Phoenix will compete in the final round of the tournament on Wednesday at the Traditions Golf Club.