Kim, Yu power Vanderbilt to team crown in Cougar Classic; North Carolina finishes ninth

   Behind a pair of brilliant final rounds from individual champion Auston Kim, a sophomore from St. Augustine, Fla., and Leslie Yu, a junior from Duluth, Ga., Vanderbilt held off Atlantic Coast Conference champion Wake Forest and Southeastern Conference rival Florida to claim the team title in the Cougar Classic at the Yeamans Hall Club in Hanahan, S.C.

   The 2019-2020 season teed off with a shootout that ultimately went Vanderbilt’s way. Originally scheduled to be a three-day event, some after-effects from Hurricane Dorian prompted tournament officials to turn it into a two-day event with a double round Monday before an 18-hole windup Tuesday.

   Vanderbilt was locked in a tie with Wake Forest, which fell in the NCAA Championship’s Final Match at The Blessings Golf Club in Fayetteville, Ark. last spring, after two rounds. The Commodores opened with a sizzling 10-under 278 before adding a 6-under 282 over the 6,301-yard, par-72 Yeamans Hall layout for a 16-under 560 total at the end of Monday’s double round.

Wake Forest opened with a 5-under 283 before unleashing a sparkling 11-under 277 to also get it to 16-under through two rounds.

   But Kim fired a final round of 6-under 66 Tuesday to complete a stunning 16-under 200 performance over two days that gave her the individual title by seven shots. And Yu blitzed the Yeamans Hall course with an 8-under 64 in the final round to claim runnerup honors.

   They led the way as the Commodores posted an 11-under 277 in Tuesday’s final round for a 27-under 837 total, just one shot clear of Wake Forest, which put up a pretty imposing 10-under 278 for a 26-under 838 total.

   Hard-charging Florida also carded a sizzling 10-under 278 total in the final round to finish alone in third place, two shots behind the Demon Deacons at 24-under 840. The Gators had opened with rounds of 6-under 282 and 8-under 280 in Monday’s double round.

   It was another 15 shots back to perennial SEC power Arkansas in fourth place at 9-under 855 after the Razorbacks closed with a solid 8-under 280.

   Furman and Central Florida shared fifth place in the 17-team field, each landing on 2-under 862, seven shots behind Arkansas. The Paladins finished up with a 2-under 286 while the Knights moved up the team leaderboard with a final round of 9-under 279.

   It was a disappointing start to her senior season for Brynn Walker, a two-time PIAA Class AAA champion at Radnor, and North Carolina. The Tar Heels finished ninth at 3-over 867 after closing with a 4-over 292.

   Penn State opened a new season at Yeamans Hall as well with the Nittany Lions finishing in 15^th place at 34-over 898 after carding a final round of 12-over 300.

   Kim picked up right where she left off last spring when she won the individual title and led the Commodores to the team crown in the NCAA Auburn Regional. After opening with a sparkling 7-under 65, Kim added a 3-under 69 in Monday afternoon’s second round before closing with a 66 that gave her that remarkable 16-under 200 total.

   Yu had opened with an even-par 72 and added a 1-under 71 before her spectacular 8-under 64 gave her a runnerup finish at 9-under 207, seven shots behind her teammate.

   Abby Carlson, a senior from Lake Mary, Fla., gave the Commodores a third finisher inside the top 10 as she ended up in a tie for 10^th at 4-under 212 after closing with a 2-over 74. Carlson’s 4-under 68 in Monday afternoon’s second round made her the Vandy medalist in that round.

   Morgan Baxendale, a junior from Windermere, Fla., closed with a 1-over 73 to join the group tied for 47^th at 221. Baxendale had a strong showing in qualifying for match play in the U.S. Women’s Amateur this summer at Old Waverly Golf Club in West Point, Minn. as she finished tied for fifth.

   Rounding out the Vanderbilt lineup was Jayna Choi, a freshman from Collierville, Tenn. who finished among the group tied for 60^th at 223. Choi made her college debut with a 1-under 71 in the opening round that helped the Commodores get off to their fast start.

   Leading the way for Wake Forest was Emilia Migliaccio, a junior from Cary, N.C. and No. 10 in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Rannking (WAGR). Migliaccio sandwiched a 2-under 70 with a pair of 68s to finish third in the individual standings at 8-under 208, a shot behind Vanderbilt’s Yu.

   Migliaccio came home from last month’s Pan American Games in Lima, Peru with a pair of gold medals as she was the winner of the women’s individual competition and was part of the United States’ winning mixed team. Migliaccio was the ACC individual champion while leading the Demon Deacons to the conference team crown last spring.

   Migliaccio’s teammate, Vanessa Knecht, a sophomore from Switzerland, finished in a three-way tie for fourth place at 6-under 210. After opening with a 2-over 74, Knecht rattled off rounds of 3-under 69 and 5-under 67.

   A couple of Florida players, Sierra Brooks, a senior from Orlando, Fla. and No. 12 in the Women’s WAGR, and Addie Baggarly, a junior from Jonesborough, Tenn., joined Knecht in the trio tied for fourth at 210.

   Brooks, the runnerup in the NCAA Championship’s individual chase last spring, closed with a 1-under 71 while Baggarly sandwiched a 2-over 764 with a pair of 4-under 68s.

   Lauren Walsh, a freshman from Ireland, gave Wake Forest a third finisher inside the top seven as she ended up in a tie for seventh place at 5-under 211. Walsh contributed a 3-under 69 to the Demon Deacons’ strong finish.

   Walsh was joined at 211 by host the College of Charleston’s Victoria Huskey, a senior from Greenville, S.C., and Florida State’s Beatrice Wallin, a sophomore from Sweden.

   Huskey, the runnerup in the Colonial Athletic Association Championship last spring, got her senior season off to a flying start with a 6-under 66 before adding rounds of 74 and 71. After opening with a 4-under 68, Wallin added rounds of 70 and 73.

   North Carolina was led by Krista Junkkari, a freshman from Finland who was very impressive in her college debut. Junkkari opened with a 2-under 70 and added a 1-under 71 Monday afternoon before matching par with a 72 in Tuesday’s final round.

   Jennifer Zhou, a sophomore from China, opened with a 3-under 69 before adding rounds of 75 and 74 to finish among the group tied for 34^th at 2-over 218. Ava Bergner, a junior from Germany, posted four straight rounds of 2-over 74 to land among the group tied for 54^th at 6-over 222.

   Nicole Lu, a sophomore from Taiwan, struggled in Monday’s second round with an 81, but was solid otherwise with an opening round of 1-under 71 and a final round of even-par 72 as she finished in the group tied for 64^th at 224.

   Walker is one of North Carolina’s senior leaders, but she got off to a tough start in the Cougar Classic. After opening with a 2-over 74, Walker carded a solid 1-under 71 in Monday afternoon’s second round. But she struggled to a throw-out 80 Tuesday to end up in a tie for 69^th place at 225.

   Walker was coming off a strong summer during which she won the Women’s Golf Association of Philadelphia Match Play Championship at her home course of St. Davids Golf Club, reached the second round of the U.S. Women’s Amateur at Old Waverly and advanced out of the LPGA Qualifying Tournament Stage I by finishing in a tie for 15^th place.

   Senior Megan McLean, who starred scholastically at Voorhees High School, led the way for a Penn State team that must replace four-year starters Jackie Rogowicz, Cara Basso and Lauren Waller. McLean finished up with a 3-over 75 to end up in the group tied for 37^th place at 3-over 219.

   McLean’s 2-under 70 in Monday afternoon’s second round was the best round of the tournament for the Nittany Lions, who posted a pair of 299s in Monday’s double round before their closing 300.

   Mathilde Delavallade, a freshman from France, made a solid college debut as she finished among the group tied for 47^th at 221. Delavallade closed with a 1-over 73 after recording a pair of 74s in Monday’s double round.

   Sarah Willis, a sophomore from Eaton, Ohio, sandwiched a 79 with a pair of 74s to finish in the group tied for 73^rd at 227.

   Junior Olivia Zambruno, the 2016 PIAA Class AA champion as a senior at Greensburg Central Catholic, finished in 80^th place at 232. Zambruno, who lost in the final of the Pennsylvania Women’s Amateur to her former teammate Rogowicz this summer, registered a pair of 77s in Monday’s double round before closing with a 78.

   Another Penn State senior, Madelein Herr, a former Council Rock North standout, finished in a tie for 81^st at 233. Herr opened with a 77 before adding a pair of 78s.

   Herr got a chance to catch up with Walker, her partner in two strong runs in the first two editions of the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship. Team WalkHerr reached the semifinals in 2015 at Bandon Dunes and the quarterfinals in 2016 at Streamsong.

   Penn State coach Denise St. Pierre brought along redshirt freshman Taylor Waller, a Canon-McMillan product and younger sister of Lauren Waller, to compete as an individual. Taylor Waller had a tough start to her season, sandwiching an 84 with a pair of 80s to finish 93^rd at 244.

   Caroline Wrigley, the PIAA Class AAA champion as a senior at North Allegheny last fall, was solid in her college debut at Furman. Wrigley closed with a 2-under 70 to end finish among the group tied for 47^th place at 221.

   Wrigley is coming off a strong summer of golf that included a victory in the Pennsylvania Junior Girls’ Championship, trips to both the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship at SentryWorld in Stevens Point, Wis. and the U.S. Women’s Amateur at Old Waverly and a tie for 24^th in the Girls Junior PGA Championship at the Keney Park Golf Course in Windsor, Conn.