Western Carolina wins Great Smokies Intercollegiate, Allison repeats
WAYNESVILLE, N.C. – Western Carolina’s scoring five closed the 16th annual Great Smokies Intercollegiate strong, each shooting even-par or better on Sunday as the Catamounts carded a final team round of 3-under-par 285 to rally to the top of the team leader board and successfully defend its team championship at the par-72, 5,932-yard Waynesville Inn – Golf Resort & Spa.
WCU (575) won the tournament by seven strokes over runner-up Western Kentucky, which turned in a final team round of even-par 288 for a score of 582. First-round leader – and Southern Conference newcomer – Mercer slipped into third in the final team standings at 584. USC Upstate and Presbyterian finished tied for fourth to round out the top five finishing squads.
For the Catamounts, this year’s tournament championship is its ninth in the 16 years of hosting the Great Smokies Intercollegiate. It also represents the 30th all-time team championship for the WCU program. All told, the Catamounts have finished first or second in 12 of the 16 Great Smokies Intercollegiate tournaments all-time.
One of the bigger individual story lines entering the 2014 event continued to play true on Sunday. Two-time defending event champion Taylor Allison, who was not among WCU’s scoring five after preseason qualifying, played through the adversity as an individual to make tournament history.
Allison fired a final-round 3-under-par 69 to edge sophomore teammate Olivia Landino to become the first women’s golfer in tournament history to win three individual crowns, let alone claiming the top honors for a third straight year.
Allison countered two bogeys with five birdies, including three on the back nine to shoot 3-under par 69. Coupled with her 1-under opening round, the Elizabeth City, N.C., native finished the home event at 4-under-par 140 – tied for the ninth-best 36-hole score in tournament history.
Landino, who entered Sunday in the runner-up spot, finished second to her unattached teammate while pacing the Catamounts’ scoring five with a final round of 1-under-par 71. The Hermitage, Pa., product posted her career-best round of 2-under 70 in Saturday’s opening round.
First-round individual leader Katy Harris of Mercer finished third in a tie with WCU’s Mariah Hopkins and Georgina Blackman from Western Kentucky, three strokes off the pace at 1-under-par 143.
For the Catamounts, Hopkins shot even-par on Sunday, countering a pair of bogeys with two birdies, one on either nine. Redshirt junior Kristin Swindell finished sixth, shooting 1-under-par 71 on Sunday to advance in the final standings. The Bradenton, Fla., product played her first nine holes at 1-over before birdies on No. 3 and No. 6 moved her to one-under. She bogeyed the 17th to move back to even-par but closed with a birdie to finish 1-under for the round.
Junior Kim Mitchell was six strokes better in the final round, carding an even-par 72 to advance into a tie for 11th-place overall in the final standings. Sophomore Ashley Thompson, a native of Haywood County, carded her career-low round of 1-under-par 71 – seven strokes better than her opening day – to finish tied for 13th overall. Thompson sank a 60-foot birdie putt on the par-3 seventh to highlight five birdies on the day.
Like Allison, sophomore Bethany Galloway competed unattached, finishing tied for 17th overall, also her best career placement. Galloway shot a career-best round of 1-over-par 73 on Saturday and finished with a two-day total of 151 .
Western Carolina returns to tournament action next weekend at the Lady Paladin Invitational, Sept. 21-23 at the Furman University Golf Course in Greenville, S.C. The event is scheduled for 54 holes spread over three days.
Mercer finishes third at Great Smokies Intercollegiate
WAYNESVILLE, N.C. – Mercer sophomore Katy Harris registered the top finish for the women’s golf team at the Great Smokies Intercollegiate on Sunday, tying for third place with a two-round total of 143. As a team, Mercer shot 296 in Sunday’s final round to take third place at the Waynesville Resort and Spa.
Host Western Carolina got sub-par rounds from three players on Sunday, shooting 285 to capture the tournament title at 575. Western Kentucky jumped into second place with a 582 total after a round of 288 Sunday.
Mercer’s 296 came on the heels of an opening-round 288 to place the Bears 29 strokes ahead of USC Upstate and Presbyterian.
Harris followed a stellar 4-under 68 on Saturday with a 75 on Sunday to outpace 34 other competitors. Her eight birdies in two rounds tied for second-best among the tournament field.
Freshman Hannah Mae Deems tied for seventh place overall in her first collegiate event, shooting 72-73. Sophomore Marin Hanna took home 10th place at 147 after carding a 76 Sunday.
Senior Meredith Owen improved upon her first-round total by five strokes with an even-par 72 and tied for 13th place. Senior Sarah Louie Brown shot back-to-back 82s and tied for 31st place.
Mercer is back in action on Sept. 29, opening the Proehlific Fall Classic at Forest Oaks Country Club in Greensboro, N.C.
The Citadel finishes seventh at Great Smokies Intercollegiate
WAYNESVILLE, N.C. – The Citadel's Kellie Anderson and Eraina Manor tied for 27th place after firing a two-day score of 159 (+15) in the Great Smokies Intercollegiate held at Waynesville Inn, Golf Resort & Spa.
Manor (84-75-159) established a new single-round career low on Sunday by carding a 75. Her round was four shots off a program-record set by Erica Pellegrini at the same course and tournament two years ago.
Anderson, who also enjoyed a solid performance this weekend, tied her single-round career low on Saturday when she fired a 76. In Sunday's closing round she fired an 83 to tie Manor with a 159.
Cameron Little, competing in her first tournament for the Bulldogs, finished in 30th after posting a 161 (84, 77).
Rounding out The Citadel lineup was Renata Sucha (86-84-170, +26) and Hollie Salvo (92-88-180, +36).
As a team, The Citadel shot a 649 (330-319, +73) over the weekend. Meanwhile, Western Carolina (290-285-575, -1) successfully defended its team crown with a seven-shot victory over Western Kentucky (294-288-582, +6).
The Catamounts' Taylor Allison (71-69-140, -4) overtook teammate Olivia Landino (70-71-141, -3) to become the first woman's golfer in tournament history to capture three individual crowns, all in succession.
The Dogs return the links in two weeks they head to Hilton Head, S.C., to compete in the Lady Bearcat Invitational hosted by Lander University.
ETSU finishes seventh at Mary Fossum Invitational
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Placing three players in the top 21 individually, the ETSU women’s golf team wrapped up play Sunday in the Mary Fossum Invitational with a seventh-place finish in the 15-team field at the Forest Akers West Golf Course.
For the tournament, sophomore Linda Dobele posted the best effort for an ETSU player, finishing tied for 17th individually. Meanwhile, teammates Vivienne Chin and Dominika Czudkova ended the event 20th and tied for 21st, respectively.
In the team competition, Notre Dame bested Michigan State by four strokes, while Florida International’s Meghan MacLaren finished the event at 5-over-par 221 to take the individual championship by one stroke over Gabrielle Shipley of Grand Valley State.
During Sunday’s final round of play, ETSU sophomore Rachel Pollock and Czudkova both posted team-best rounds of 5-over-par 77. For the event, Pollock finished tied for 35th, while freshman Allyson Dunn made her collegiate debut by finishing tied for 48th.
The Bucs will return to action next Sunday at the Lady Paladin Invitational hosted by Furman University in Greenville, S.C.
UNCG tied for 20th at Powerade Cougar Classic
HANAHAN, S.C. – UNCG junior women’s golfer junior Sammie Buchanan fired an even-par 72 in round one of the Powerade Cougar Classic to lead the Spartans Sunday afternoon at the Yeamans Hall Club. Buchanan sits in a tie for 19th place after the first of three rounds, while the Spartans are tied for 20th as a team.
Round two is set for a 9 a.m. shotgun start with UNCG slated to begin on holes Nos. 16-18.
Buchanan, the Spartans’ stroke average leader last season, fired three birdies, three bogeys and 12 par scores in the opening round. She is four strokes out of second place and seven strokes behind first-round leader Sierra Sims of Wake Forest, who carded a 7-under 65 in round one.
Senior Berglind Bjornsdottir is second for the Spartans after 18 holes, as she sits in a tie for 57th place. Bjornsdottir posted a 3-over-par 75 in round one with one birdie, four bogeys and 13 par scores in the solid round.
Sophomore Kristin Powers and junior transfer Jessica Madsen each carded 8-over-par 80 scores Sunday. Sophomore Maddi MacClurg rounded out the Spartan lineup with a 9-over-par 81.
The Spartans are tied for 20th place overall with Penn State after posting a 19-over-par 307 score Sunday. Wake Forest leads the event after 18 holes with a 6-under-par 282 and was one of just three teams to shoot under par.
Wofford ninth at William & Mary Invitational
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – Freshman Nicole Chin led the Wofford women’s golf team through the opening round of its first fall tournament, firing a 2-over-par 74 on Sunday at the William & Mary Fall Invitational to hold a tie for fifth place.
The tournament is being held at the par-72, 5,948-yard Kingsmill Resort, Plantation Course in Williamsburg, Virginia. The College of William & Mary is hosting the three-day, three-round competition, with 13 teams and 70 players in the field.
Wofford sits in ninth place after the first round. The Terriers opened the 2014-15 campaign with a 29-over-par 317 and are just 10 shots back of second, shared by Appalachian State and Morehead State. Elon leads the field at 12-over-par.
Chin showed she has the tools in her collegiate debut to be a consistent starter in the Terrier lineup. The freshman carded three birdies and played the four par-5s at 2-under. She is tied with two others in fifth and is just two shots back of tournament leader Alexandra Austin of Radford.
The Terriers had at least one player from all four academic classes starting in their fall opener. Sophomore Katy Funk – a Southern Conference All-Freshman Team selection last spring – came in with a 6-over 78 and is tied for 26th, senior Lauren Dubar – an All-SoCon pick last year – shot a 10-over 82 and junior Maegan Higgins posted an 11-over 83. Freshman Lela Oakley rounded out the five Terriers competing, matching Higgins’ 83.
The Wofford women’s golf team will play the second round of the William & Mary Fall Invitational on Monday and conclude the tournament with the third and final round at Tuesday.