Chattanooga leads Chattanooga Classic
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – It was rainy, nasty day at Council Fire Golf Club. The inaugural Chattanooga Classic had a weather delay and the course showed some teeth. Through it all, the Chattanooga Mocs women’s golf team persevered and take a seven-shot lead into Tuesday’s final 18.
The Mocs shot rounds of 298 and 296 for a 36-hole total of 594 (+18). Central Arkansas is in second at 601, followed by Western Kentucky in third at 613.
Agathe Sauzon is tied for second at 1-over-par 145. She turned in 75 and 70 to sit two shots off the pace set by Vanderbilt’s Morgan Ransom (143). Isabella Loza (147) is in sixth after cards of 74 and 73.
Emily McLennan is 11th at 150, while Cris Perez is tied for 13th at 152. Megan Woods rounded out the team scoring with a 159. Sarah Dolmovich (T17, 154) and DeeDee Russell (161) played as individuals.
Tuesday’s final round is a 9 a.m. shotgun start. The Mocs are paired on holes 1-5 with Central Arkansas and Western Kentucky. Admission is free.
Western Carolina finishes fourth at Mimosa Hills
MORGANTON, N.C. – Sophomore Bethany Galloway recorded her career-best finish, coming home amidst a tie for 10th place on Monday afternoon to lead Western Carolina to a fourth-place showing at the Mimosa Hills Intercollegiate, concluded at the par-72, 6,009-yard Mimosa Hills Country Club.
Western Carolina advanced one spot in the final team standings over the final 18 holes after carding a team score of 302 for a two-day total of 606.
Galloway followed up her opening round of 2-over-par 74 with a 4-over-par round of 76 on Monday to shoot 150 – her career-best 36-hole score. The Charlotte, N.C., product improved upon her previous career-best finish by seven spots – a 17th-place tie at the 2014 Great Smokies Intercollegiate.
Junior Kim Mitchell matched Galloway with a 4-over round of 76 on Monday, finishing tied for 13th to give WCU two inside the individual top 15. It was Mitchell’s fourth top-20 finish of the season and her second straight event placing among the top 15 finishers.
Sophomores Olivia Landino and Ashley Thompson posted the squad’s best final rounds with matching scores of 3-over-par 75. Landino moved up six spots in the final standings to finish tied for 17th overall with a two-day total of 153, while Thompson climbed 17 positions in the final round to place in a tie for 22nd with a score of 155. Catamount junior Mariah Hopkins (77-78) rounded out the WCU side, finishing in a tie with Thompson for 22nd.
Tournament host Appalachian State claimed the team title, edging runner-up – and first-round leader – St. Leo College by two strokes, 600-602. Charleston Southern was four strokes off the pace in third at 604 with Southern Conference foes WCU (606) and Wofford (609) rounding out the top five.
Riding a 1-under-par round of 71 on Monday, Winthrop’s Jennifer Dilger rallied to the top of the individual leader board to claim medalist honors with an even-par 144 (73-71). Wofford’s Lauren Dunbar finished in the runner-up position, two strokes in arrears at 146 (72-74).
Riding a string of four straight top-10 finishes – including back-to-back top-five showings – the Western Carolina women’s golf team turns its attention to the 2015 Southern Conference Championship, April 12-14 at the Savannah Quarters Country Club in Pooler, Ga. The Catamounts look to build upon last year’s fifth-place showing, seeking its third championship all-time – and first since 2007.
Dunbar runner-up, Wofford finishes fifth at Mimosa Hills
MORGANTON, N.C. – Senior Lauren Dunbar shot a 2-over-par 74 in Monday’s final round of the Mimosa Hills Intercollegiate, finishing runner-up to lead the Wofford women’s golf team to fifth place. The 12-team tournament was hosted at the par-72, 6,009-yard Mimosa Hills Golf and Country Club.
Dunbar earned her fourth top-five finish of the academic year. After an even-par 72 in Sunday’s opening round, she went into Monday tied for second. The Columbia, S.C., native held her ground to take home her fourth piece of hardware of her senior campaign – she won the Bearcat Classic and Winthrop Invite in the fall, followed by a third-place showing at the Low Country Intercollegiate in March.
Winthrop’s Jennifer Dilger won the individual crown. Dilger shot the low round of the day, carding a 1-under 71 to come from two shots back for the win. A final-round 5-over 77 dropped first-round leader Marie Coors to fourth.
As a team, the Terriers posted a final-round 18-over-par 306 to complete the 36-hole tournament at 33-over 609. The fifth-place finish earned Wofford its fifth top-five in its last six tournaments dating back to October.
Emiley Pagrabs carded Wofford’s best round of the day. The junior shot a career-best even-par 72 to climb eight spots up the leaderboard and finish tied for fourth. The fourth-place finish also marked a career best for the Wilmington, N.C., native and marked her fourth top-10 in her last five tournaments.
Freshman Lela Oakley tied for 22nd (+11), freshman Nicole Chin took 35th (+16) and sophomore Katy Funk finished 43rd (+19). Junior Maegan Higgins competed as an individual and tied for 29th (+13).
Next up is the 2015 Southern Conference Championship. For the first time, the tournament moves to the Savannah Quarters Golf Club in Pooler, Ga., Sunday, April 12, through Tuesday, April 14. It will be the 22nd annual tournament with the team champion advancing to an NCAA Regional.