Harris wins Forest Oaks Fall Classic, Mercer finishes ninth
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Mercer sophomore Katy Harris fired a 1-over 73 on Tuesday to put the finishing touches an individual medalist performance at the UNCG Forest Oaks Fall Classic. Harris’ 73 combined with scores of 70 and 72 to help her outpace 95 other competitors at the event.
Mercer posted a team score of 309 in Tuesday’s final round to close the tournament in ninth place at 919. The Bears were just two strokes shy of sharing seventh place with James Madison and Charleston Southern, while Elon captured the team title at 899.
Harris was the only player to finish with a sub-par total, collecting seven birdies and an eagle to complete the event at 215 (-1). Her showing was highlighted by a terrific start, as the St. Simons Island, Ga., native was 3-under through three holes after opening with back-to-back birdies and a hole-in-one.
Harris ranked first among all participants in par-4 scoring (4.00) and tied for fourth best in both par-3 scoring (3.0) and par-5 scoring (4.92). The title marked the second of her collegiate career after earning the top spot at the 2013 Eat A Peach Collegiate.
Sophomore Marrin Hanna signed for a 77 on Tuesday to take 29th overall at 230. Freshman Hannah Mae Deems tied for 54th place at 237 following a final-round 78. Senior Sarah Louie Brown used 81 strokes on Tuesday and tied for 65th at 239. Senior Meredith Owen closed with an 82 and tied for 76th at 244.
Harris has registered Mercer’s top finish in the first two events of the season after tying for third at the Great Smokies Intercollegiate on Sept. 14. The Bears return to action on Oct. 11 at the LPGA Xavier Invitational in Daytona Beach, Fla.
UNCG finishes 10th at Forest Oaks Fall Classic
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNCG women’s golf team finished 10th overall in the UNCG Forest Oaks Fall Classic as the Spartans placed three individuals in the top 25 of the final standings Tuesday afternoon at the Forest Oaks Country Club.
The Spartans finished the 54-hole event with a score of 920, their lowest total of the year so far. UNCG opened the week with a 306 score before posting rounds of 312 and a 302 in the final round Tuesday. The Spartans’ final round score of 302 is their lowest round of the year and the lowest round since also posting a season-low score of 302 last year in round two of the Starmount Forest Tournament.
Elon took home the team honor this year with a three-round score of 899 (298-301-300), holding off Rollins in second place with a score of 905 (308-300-297) and Jacksonville in third place with a score of 908 (304-309-295).
Individually, Katy Harris of Mercer won with a 1-under-par 215 (70-72-73) as the only player under par for the 54 holes. Annette Lyche of UNCW was tied for second at 1-over-par 217 (73-77-67) with Shabril Brewer of James Madison (72-76-71).
Junior Sammie Buchanan and senior Berglind Bjornsdottir were tied for the Spartans’ top spot in 16th place overall, while sophomore Kristin Powers turned in a 21st-place showing for the Spartans.
Buchanan made the biggest push of the day for UNCG as she climbed 17 spots in the individual standings in the final round to finish 10-over-par 226. She opened the tournament with a 4-over-par 76 before carding a 6-over-par 78 in round two. She bounced back with the Spartans’ lowest round of the event, posting an even-par 72 in the final round.
Bjornsdottir also finished 10-over-par 226 in a tie for 16th place, her top finish of the year so far. She opened the event with an even-par 72 and a 3-over-par 75 in the first two rounds before posting a 7-over-par 79 in the final round. Powers was tied for 21st overall with an 11-over-par 227, her highest career finish. She carded three rounds of 77 or lower, including two rounds of 3-under 75 in the first and third rounds of the week.
Senior Andrea Rangel closed out the event in impressive fashion Tuesday as she recorded her career-best round with a 4-over-par 76. Rangel finished with a 246 (83-87-76) to finish in a tie for 80th place. Junior Jessica Madsen rounded out the lineup with a 249 (86-82-81), while sophomore Maddie MacClurg added a 244 (76-86-82) as an individual.
Joining the Spartans in the field on the 6,267-yard course were Appalachian State, Charleston Southern, Cincinnati, Elon, Gardner-Webb, High Point, Jacksonville, James Madison, Longwood, Maryland, Mercer, North Florida, Presbyterian, Radford, Rollins, UNCW and Winthrop.
Samford finishes third at Chris Banister Classic
GLENCOE, Ala. – The Samford University women’s golf team posted the second-best score of the 2014 Chris Banister Classic on Tuesday as the Bulldogs carded a brilliant final-round mark of 299 en route to a third-place finish at the 11-team event held at the par-72, 5,943-yard Silver Lakes Golf Course.
Samford bested second-place Morehead State by six strokes Tuesday but fell just short of its former Ohio Valley Conference rival by a mere four shots in the final team standings. The Bulldogs finished the three-day, 54-hole competition with a final team score of 920 (310-311-299), while Morehead State held on to second place at 916 (308-303-305).
Troy finished with the top two competitors in the tournament and collected the team title with a final score of 900 (305-303-292). The Trojans’ Fatima Fern Cano and Langley Vannoy placed first and second respectively in the individual standings with three-round scores of 1-over-par 217 and 2-over-par 218.
On Tuesday, Troy’s final round tally of 292 proved to be the best score of the tournament, while Samford’s mark of 299 registered as the second-best round of the entire 33-round event.
Individually, Samford’s Emily Stallings finished fourth in the 67-competitor field with a stellar three-day total of 7-over-par. Stallings, the Bulldogs’ talented senior from Fayetteville, Ga., opened the tournament with a sterling round of 1-over-par 73 and played steady throughout the event. She finished just six strokes out of the lead and three strokes out of third-place Jeanette Peterson of Morehead State.
Samford sophomores Arin Eddy and Haley Harrington finished tied for 15th place. Eddy, the Bulldogs’ native of Hartselle, Ala., carded a three-day total of 232 (79-79-74), while Harrington tied Stallings for the best round of the tournament Tuesday with a 1-over-par 73.
Harrington, Samford’s up-and-coming sophomore native of St. Francisville, La., concluded the event with a three-round total of 232 (80-79-73).
Additionally, the Bulldogs’ Bailey Gray finished tied for 20th place in the individual standings with a mark of 234 (79-79-76), while Sydney Needham notched a 24th-place performance at 236 (79-81-76).
All five of Samford’s starters finished among the top 24 competitors in the event. The Bulldogs were the only team in the tournament to achieve that feat.
Samford’s Kate Collom and Haley Wagner both competed as individuals and also turned in solid scores. Collom finished the event in sole possession of 30th place with a three-day tally of 239 (79-81-79), while Wagner turned in her best round of the tournament Tuesday and registered at 253 (85-85-83).
The Samford University women’s golf team will next be in action Oct. 20-22, as the Bulldogs are slated to close out their fall schedule in Starkville, Miss., at the 2014 Old Waverly Bulldog Invitational to be hosted by Mississippi State University at the Old Waverly Golf Club.