Individual champion Lindblad, Stone lead the way as LSU captures SEC team crown

    If you watched the final round of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship, you wouldn’t be shocked to learn that LSU emerged with its first title in 30 years when the Southeastern Conference Championship wrapped up on Easter Sunday at Greystone Golf & Country Club in Birmingham, Ala.

   LSU teammates Ingrid Lindblad, a junior from Sweden and No. 2 in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), and Latanna Stone, a junior from Riverview, Fla. and No. 36 in the Women’s WAGR, finished in a tie for second place at Augusta National, a shot behind the winner, Anna Davis, the precocious California teen.

   A couple of days after claiming the SEC’s individual crown, Lindblad dusted a formidable opponent, Florida’s Annabella Fuller, a junior from England and No. 42 in the Women’s WAGR, 6 and 5 in the title match as the Bayou Tigers claimed a 4-1 victory.

   The day after the SEC Championship final, Fuller learned she had been selected to represent Great Britain & Ireland in the Curtis Cup Match, which tees off in 42 days at one of America’s classic golf course, Merion Golf Club’s East Course in the Ardmore section of Haverford Township, for a third time.

   Stone found out in the middle of SEC Championship week that she had been selected to represent the United States in the Curtis Cup Match at Merion.

   In the SEC title match, Stone made a short putt on the 18^th hole to complete a 2-up victory over Maisie Filler, a sophomore from Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. for the clinching point for LSU.

   The Bayou Tigers also got a full point from Carla Tejedo, a sophomore from Spain who earned a 4 and 2 decision over countrywoman Marin Escobar, a junior for the Gators.

   LSU also got half-points from Elsa Svensson, a freshman from Sweden, and Jessica Bailey, a senior from England, as they battled Clara Manzalini, a senior from Italy, and Jackie Lucena, a junior from Chico, Calif., respectively, to draws.

   LSU came into SEC Championship week at No. 14 in the Golfstat rankings and their run to the crown only bumped the Bayou Tigers up a spot to No. 13. So, you might be a little surprised to see LSU seeded third in the NCAA Stanford Regional when the regional fields were unveiled Wednesday on The Golf Channel.

   The Golfstat rankings are relied on pretty heavily in the top seedings and, let’s face it, seedings in golf don’t matter all that much. LSU had a ton of momentum when it was to play host to the Baton Rouge Regional as the top seed a year ago and could only watch helplessly when week-long rains prompted officials to cancel the tournament and send the top six seeds to the NCAA Championship at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz.

   The seedings in that case sent LSU to the NCAA Championship, but the unexpected layoff from competing seemed to steal the Bayou Tigers’ momentum and they never really contended for a spot in the match-play bracket at Grayhawk.

   There was a two-hour-plus rain delay in the midst of LSU’s SEC title match with Florida, but, compared to what the Bayou Tigers went through during last year’s regional, it was a minor distraction.

   Lindblad had a difficult assignment in LSU’s 3.5-1.5 semifinal victory over perennial SEC power Alabama, but salvaged a half-point by battling Benedetta Moresco, a sophomore from Italy and No. 29 in the Women’s WAGR, to a draw.

   Stone pulled out a big point when she edged Polly Mack, a fifth-year player from Germany and No. 48 in the Women’s WAGR, 1-up.

   Tejedo claimed the second of her three match victories for the week as she pulled out a 1-up victory over Isabella Van Der Biest, a freshman from Kingsport, Tenn. Svensson was also a 1-up winner for the Bayou Tigers over the older of the Moresco sisters, Angelica Moresco.

   Alabama’s full point came from Emilie Overas, a junior from Norway who was a 5 and 3 winner over Bailey. The Crimson Tide are headed for the Franklin Regional, where they are the second seed.

   The march to the SEC final made it a pretty good week for Florida, which is No. 10 in the latest Golfstat rankings and is seeded second in the Albuquerque Regional.

   The Gators reached the SEC final with a hard-fought, 3-2 victory over Auburn, which was the top seed in the match-play bracket after edging LSU by two shots in three rounds of stroke play.

   Auburn is a veteran team that was the defending SEC champion. The Tigers moved up a notch in the Golfstat rankings from No. 20 to No. 19 with their showing at Greystone and are seeded fourth in the Stillwater Regional.

   Escobar’s 3 and 2 victory over Megan Schofill, a junior from Monticello, Fla. and No. 35 in the Women’s WAGR, was probably the turning point for Florida.

   Manzalini also contributed a 4 and 3 victory over Elena Sinz, a sophomore from Katy, Texas, and Filler gave the Gators a full point with her 2 and 1 decision over Anna Foster, a sophomore from Ireland.

   Kaleigh Telfer, a fifth-year player from South Africa, earned a point for Auburn with a tough, 2-up victory over Fuller. The Tigers’ other full point came from another of their veterans as Mychael O’Berry, a fifth-year player from Hoover, Ala. claimed a 4 and 3 verdict over Lucena.

   Highlighting the quarterfinal round was Alabama’s 3-2 victory over South Carolina, No. 3 in the latest Golfstat rankings. The Gamecocks had finished in third place after three rounds of stroke-play qualifying, a shot behind LSU.

   The Moresco sisters came up big for the Crimson Tide with Angelica Moresco pulling out a 1-up decision over Mathilde Claisse, a junior from France, and Benedetta Moresco earning a 3 and 1 verdict over Paula Kirner, a sophomore from Germany.

   Overas got the third point for Alabama as she had to go 22 holes to edge Justine Fournand, a junior from France.

   Hannah Darling, South Carolina’s outstanding freshman from Scotland and No. 12 in the Women’s WAGR, picked up a point for the Gamecocks with a 2 and 1 victory over Mack. Darling would find out after the SEC Championship that she would be a repeat selection on the GB&I team that will take on the United States in the Curtis Cup Match at Merion.

   South Carolina was awarded the top seed in the Tallahassee Regional.

   The Gamecocks will be joined in Tallahassee by defending national champion Mississippi, ranked 23^rd. Ole Miss is the four seed in Tallahassee.

   Ole Miss made it into the match-play bracket at Greystone, but suffered a 3-2 setback at the hands of Florida.

   Fuller came up big for the Gators with a 4 and 3 victory over Chiara Tamburlini, a junior from Switzerland and No. 87 in the Women’s WAGR. Tamburlini was one of the key players in the Rebels’ drive to an NCAA championship at Greystone a year ago.

   Manzalini edged Natacha Host Husted, a freshman from Denmark, 2 and 1, and Lucena picked up a full point for the Gators by cruising to a 6 and 5 win over Maddie May, a freshman from New Zealand.

   Ole Miss got wins from two of its veterans of the national title run last spring as Andrea Lignell, a junior from Sweden and No. 91 in the Women’s WAGR, needed 20 holes to edge Escobar and Julia Johnson, a senior from St. Gabriel, La. and No. 27 in the Women’s WAGR, claimed a 2 and 1 decision over Filler.

   Mississippi lost in the quarterfinals of match play at Greystone a year ago and a few weeks later was hoisting the familiar NCAA championship plaque.

   Lindblad, Tejedo, Svensson and Bailey all claimed match wins as LSU cruised to a 4-1 victory over Vanderbilt in the Bayou Tigers’ quarterfinal match. The Commodores moved up five spots in the Golfstat rankings from No. 40 to No. 35 following the SEC Championship.

   The Commodores will get to stay at home as the sixth seed in the NCAA Franklin Regional, which will be played at the Vanderbilt Legends Club.

   Schofill, Foster, Sinz and O’Berry won their matches and Telfair earned a half-point with a draw as Auburn opened match play with a 4.5-.5 victory over Tennessee.

   Behind Schofill, the runnerup to Lindblad by a shot in the individual standings, Auburn was the picture of consistency in finishing atop the team standings in three days of qualifying for match play.

   Auburn carded a three straight rounds of even-par 288 over the 6,331-yard, par-72 Greystone layout to finish two shots clear of LSU with an even-par 864 total that gave it the top seed in the match-play bracket.

   Lindblad’s final round of 6-under 66 earned her the individual crown and helped the Bayou Tigers nearly catch Auburn for the top seed in match play. LSU was three shots behind Auburn after opening with a 3-over 291 and added a 1-over 289 in the second round that left the Bayou Tigers four shots behind Auburn going into the final round.

   A final round of 2-under 286, which matched the low team round of the three rounds of stroke play, left  LSU with a 2-over 866 total, two shots behind Auburn.

   Lindblad had matched par in the opening round with a 72 and trailed Schofill by three shots in the individual chase going into the final round after posting a 4-under 68 in the second round. Lindblad then relied on the same power and precision she displayed in her runnerup finish at Augusta National to win the title.

   The Swede still trailed by a shot as she sat in the fairway of the 478-yard, par-5 18^th hole at Greystone. In a swirling wind, Lindblad bombed a 5-wood on the green from 220 yards away. She then curled in a 38-foot eagle putt to complete her final-round 66 for a 10-under 206 total.

   South Carolina opened with a 1-over 289 and added a 2-over 290 in the second round before matching  par in the final round with a 288 that left the Gamecocks a shot behind LSU in third place with a 3-over 867 total.

   Ole Miss matched the low team round of the stroke-play portion of the tournament with a final round of 2-under 286 to finish in fourth place with a 12-over 876 total, nine shots behind South Carolina. The Rebels had opened with a 4-over 292 before struggling a little with a 10-over 298 in the second round.

   Two of the SEC’s perennial powers, Florida and Alabama, finished in a tie for fifth place, each landing on 16-over 880, four shots behind Ole Miss.

   After opening with a 1-over 289, Florida struggled a little with a 299 in the second round before finishing up with a 4-over 292. The Crimson Tide bounced back from an opening-round 302 with a 2-over 290 in the second round before matching par in the final round with a 288.

    Vanderbilt finished a shot behind Florida and Alabama in seventh place with a 17-over 881 total. After opening with a 298, the Commodores registered a 5-over 293 in the second round before closing with a solid 2-over 290.

   No. 59 Tennessee grabbed the final spot in the match-play bracket as the Volunteers finished six shots behind Vanderbilt in eighth place with a 23-over 887 total. Tennessee bounced back from an opening-round 305 with a 2-over 290 before finishing up with a 4-over 292.

   The Volunteers did not hear their named called for a regional team berth, but Tennessee will be represented at the Franklin Regional by Mikayla Bardwell, a senior from Lewisville, Texas who finished in third place in the individual chase at Greystone, four shots behind Schofill with a 5-under 211 total.

   After opening with a 75, Bardwell torched the Greystone layout with a scintillating 9-under 63 before closing with a 73. The 63 was an SEC Championship record and a Tennessee program record.

   Schofill led the way for Auburn with her runnerup finish in the individual standings. She added a 5-under 67 in the second round to her opening-round 70 and led the hard-charging Bardwell by a shot and Lindblad by three going into the final round. Schofill closed with another 2-under 70 to finish a shot behind Lindblad with a 9-under 207 total.

   Backing up Schofill for Auburn was O’Berry as she finished among a trio of players tied for sixth place at even-par 216 total. O’Berry matched par in the second round with a 72 after opening with a 1-under 71 and finished up with a 73.

   Telfer bounced back from an opening-round 77 with a 74 in the second round before matching par in the final round with a 72 to finish among the group tied for 30^th place with a 7-over 223 total.

   Sinz opened with a solid 1-over 73 and added a 75 in the second round before finishing up with a 77 to end up in the group tied for 36^th place with a 225 total. Rounding out the Auburn lineup was Foster, who struggled in the second round with an 80, but posted an opening-round 74 and closed with a 1-under 73, both crucial counters for the Tigers, as she finished among the group tied for 49^th place with a 227 total.

   Georgia’s Jo Hua Hung, a senior from Taiwan, closed with a sparkling 5-under 67 to finish three shots behind Tennessee’s Bardwell in fourth place in the individual standings with a 2-under 214 total. After matching par with a 72 in the opening round, Hung added a 75 in the second round.

   Mississippi State’s Julia Lopez Ramirez, a freshman from Spain, got it going in the second round with a 5-under 67 after opening with a 76. Lopez Ramirez matched par in the final round with a 72 to finish alone in fifth place, a shot behind Hung with a 1-under 215 total.

   Joining Auburn’s O’Berry in the trio tied for sixth place at even-par 216 were Vanderbilt’s Auston Kim, a senior from St. Augustine, Fla., and South Carolina’s Rydqvist.

   After opening with a 1-under 71, Kim added a 76 in the second round before closing with a 3-under 69. Rydqvist bounced back from an opening-round 76 with a 1-under 71 in the second round before finishing up with a 3-under 69.

   Two of the Ole Miss veterans, Tamburlini and Johnson, and South Carolina’s standout freshman Darling rounded out the top 10 in the individual standings as they shared ninth place, each signing for a 1-over 217 total.

   After opening with a 70, Tamburlini struggled to a 79 in the second round before closing with a solid 4-under 68. Johnson added a 73 in the second round to her opening-round 74 before finishing up with a 2-under 70.

   Darling opened with a 1-under 71 and added a 74 in the second round before matching par in the final round with a 72.