Samford puts three in top 10 at Lady Bulldog Invitational
ATHENS, Ga. – Against some of the top-ranked players in the nation Saturday, the Samford University women's golf team turned the most heads at the Lady Bulldog Invitational hosted by the University of Georgia as the Bulldogs placed all five of their competitors in the top-20 of the prestigious 51-member field.
In the 36-hole individual tournament being held at the par-72, 6,335-yard University of Georgia Golf Course, Samford's Sydney Needham led the entire field after the first round with a stellar 1-under-par 71. Needham finished the tournament tied for third place with a 36-hole tally of 153 (71-82).
She ended the competition tied with Auburn's Jamie Yun and finished a stroke ahead of Tennessee's Daeun Song, as well as three strokes in front of hometown-favorite Georgia's pairing of Amira Alexander and Harang Lee.
The Bulldogs and Georgia were the only two teams to place three competitors in the top 10 on Saturday.
Samford's Needham placed third, while the Bulldogs' Emily Stallings finished tied for sixth place with a two-round score of 156 (75-81) and Bailey Gray earned a 10th-place marking by carding a 36-hole tally of 157 (77-80).
Had Saturday's tournament been a team event, Samford would have stood its own against some of the top-ranked squads in the nation. The Bulldogs were the only team in the event to earn four top-15 performances for a total score of 626.
Following top-10 finishes from Needham, Stallings and Gray, Samford's Haley Harrington earned a top-15 performance of her own with a solid two-round tally of 160 (80-80).
The Bulldogs' fifth-and-final score also proved to be a top-20 finish. Kate Collom turned in a score of 163 (77-86) and placed 19th in the talent-laden, 51-member field.
The Samford University women's golf team will next be in action Feb. 23-24, as the Bulldogs travel to Mobile, Alabama, for the annual USA Women's Invitational, which is being hosted by the University of South Alabama at the Azalea City Golf Course.
UNCG competes at Lady Bulldog Invitational
ATHENS, Ga. – The UNCG women’s golf team kicked off the 2015 spring season Saturday playing in the third annual Lady Bulldog Individual. The field included 51 golfers all playing as individuals instead of team golf on the par-72 6,331-yard UGA Golf Course for 36 holes.
Senior Berglind Bjornsdottir was the Spartans’ top performer, placing in a tie for 22nd overall. Bjornsdottir carded a first-round score of 85 before posting the lowest round of the day for UNCG with a 7-over-par 79. Junior Sammie Buchanan finished just two shots behind in a tie for 26th overall with a 166 (86-80).
Georgia’s Manuela Carbajo Re won the event with a 2-over-par 146 (76-70), while Emmie Pitela of Tennessee was second with a 4-over 148 (73-75). Only 15 golfers finished with a two-round score under 160 on the tough course.
Sophomore Kristin Powers was tied for 38th with a 174 (91-83), while junior Jessica Madsen was 42nd with a 176 (87-89). Spartan newcomer Emily Kurey made her UNCG debut Saturday and also posted a 176 (88-88).
Rounding out the Spartans’ lineup this weekend was senior Andrea Rangel with a 179 (90-89) and sophomore Maddi MacClurg with a 182 (91-91).
The Spartans return to the course March 1-3 at the Kiawah Island Classic for their first team event of the spring season. The event is held at the Osprey Point and Oak Point golf courses on Kiawah Island, S.C.