Behind co-medalist Wallin, West Georgia rallies to claim title in The Savannah Intercollegiate

 

   West Georgia, behind individual co-medalist Milton Wallin, a sophomore from Sweden, claimed its first team title in its first year as a Division I program in The Savannah Intercollegiate, which wrapped up on a chilly, windy Sunday at the Club at Savannah Harbor in Savannah, Ga.

   The plan was for a double round Saturday, but darkness halted play late in the second round. The second round was completed Sunday morning followed by the final round.

   Pretty sure Savannah got the bottom end of the blossoming Nor’easter that pounded us here in the Northeast later in the day with a foot of snow (way more closer to the Jersey Shore) and high winds, which sent Sunday’s final-round scores soaring.

   West Georgia, in its first season as a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN), trailed Creighton, out of the Big East, by seven shots with a bunch of teams between the Wolves and the Bluejays when the second round was finally completed Sunday morning.

   West Georgia, in the spring opener of its wraparound 2025-2026 season, had opened with a 9-over 297 over the 7,131-yard, par-72 Savannah Harbor layout and added a solid 4-over 292 in the second round.

   Then the Wolves went out and handled the difficult conditions a little better than everybody else, closing with an 11-over 299 for a 24-over 888 total that was two shots better than Iona, a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) representative, and four shots better than Creighton and Longwood, a Big South Conference representative.

   Wallin got it in red figures in each of the first two rounds with back-to-back 1-under 71s and held it together in the wind and the cold in a 1-over 73 in the final round that gave him a share of first place with Longwood sophomore Hunter Swidzinski, the PIAA Class AAA champion as a senior at Butler in 2023, each landing on 1-under 215.

   Wallin’s win was also the first individual victory for a West Georgia player at the Division I level.

   Swidzinski trailed Wallin by a shot going into the final round as he matched par in the second round with a 72 after opening with a 1-under 71. He matched par again in the final round with another 72 to get a share of the individual crown, the first individual title of his collegiate career.

   Wallin and Swidzinski were the only players to finish under par for 54 holes on a tough golf course in tough conditions.

   West Georgia had another player finish in the top 10 as Max Winnersjo, a sophomore and, like Wallin, a Swede, finished among a group of eight players who finished in a tie for seventh place at 5-over 221.

   Winnersjo opened with a 2-over 74 and added a 4-over 76 in the second round before closing with a 1-under 71 that was critical to West Georgia’s closing kick.

   Iona matched par in the opening round with a 288 and added a 10-over 298 in the second round before closing with a 304 that gave it a runnerup finish with a 26-over 890 total that was two shots behind West Georgia.

   The Gaels had two of the players in the large group tied for seventh place at 5-over, Sean Richards, a junior from Parkland, Fla., and Jennings Oelke, a freshman from Tigard, Ore.

   Richards was even-par going into the final round as he opened with a 1-under 71 and added a 1-over 73 in the second round before struggling in the tough conditions of the final round with a 77. Oelke opened with a sparkling 2-under 70 and added a 4-over 75 in the second round before closing with a 76.

   Creighton, at No. 153 the highest-ranked team in the Scoreboard, powered by clippd, rankings in the field, and Longwood shared third place as each ended up two shots behind Iona with a 28-over 892 toal.

   The Bluejays got the jump on the field with a sparkling opening round of 5-under 283, the only team round under par for the weekend. They still had the lead following an 11-over 299 in the second round before struggling to a 310 in the difficult conditions of the final round.

   Creighton had two players finish among the top six in the individual standings as Grant Feldman, a senior from Austin, Texas, shared fourth place with Bradley’s Carter Stevenson, a junior from Marquette Heights, Ill., at 3-over 219 and Gavin Gerch, a sophomore from Lincoln, Neb., finished alone in sixth place at 4-over 220.

   After opening with a solid 2-under 70, Feldman added a 1-over 73 in the second round before closing with a 76. Gerch opened with a sizzling 5-under 67, easily the best individual round of the weekend, and added a 3-over 75 in the second round before struggling a little in the final round with a 78.

   The Lancers, behind Swidzinski, opened with a 5-over 293 and added a 10-over 298 in the second round before finishing up with a 301 to get a share of third place with Creighton.

   Morehead State, an Ohio Valley Conference entry, finished a shot behind Creighton and Longwood in fifth place with a 29-over 893 total. The Eagles were solid in the first two rounds, opening with a 5-over 293 and adding a 294 in the second round. But, like most of the field, Morehead State struggled in the final round, closing with a 306.

   Morehead State had two players in that eight-player logjam tied for seventh place at 5-over in Seamus Bogan, a sophomore from Clover, S.C., and Remy Stalcup, a junior from Lake Orion, Mich.

   After matching par in the opening round with a 72, Bogan added a 3-over 75 in the second round and finished up with a solid 74. Stalcup sandwiched a 1-over 73 in the second round with a pair of 74s to join Bogan in the large group at 5-over.

   It was the spring opener for Villanova, like Creighton, a Big East representative, and the Wildcats finished in ninth place in the 18-team field with a 36-over 900 total. Villanova opened with a 10-over 298 and added a 299 in the second round before closing with a 303.

   Backing up Wallin and Winnersjo for West Georgia were Tyler Nesci, a senior from Australia, and Thomas Romani, a sophomore from Switzerland, both of whom landed among the group tied for 42^nd place at 12-over 228.

   Nesci bounced back from an opening round of 5-over 77 by matching par in the second round with a 72 before closing with a 79 in Sunday’s difficult conditions. Romani added a 2-over 74 in the second round to his opening-round 78 before finishing up with a 76.

   Rounding out the West Georgia lineup was Luke Sienkiewicz, a junior from Germantown, Tenn. who finished in the group tied for 63^rd place with a 233 total. Sienkiewicz recorded back-to-back 3-over 75s in the first two rounds before struggling to an 83 in the final round.

   Fairfield’s Rasmus Ditzinger, a sophomore from Sweden – the Savanna Harbor layout seemed to agree with the Swedes in the field – finished a shot behind the co-medalists Wallin and Swidzinski in third place in the individual standings with a 2-over 218 total.

   Ditzinger matched par in the second round with a 72 after he had opened with a 1-under 71 before closing with a 3-over 75.

   Ditzinger and the Stags captured the team title in the MAAC Championship last spring and earned a trip to the NCAA’s Reno Regional, the first appearance in a regional in the program’s history. Fairfield shared 12^th place in The Savannah Intercollegiate with Colgate, out of the Patriot League, each landing on 46-over 910.

   Bradley’s Stevenson had the individual lead when the second round was finally completed Sunday morning as he signed for a second straight 2-under 70. A final round of 7-over 79 dropped him back into a tie for fourth place with Creighton’s Feldman at 3-over.

   Rounding out the gang of eight tied for seventh place at 5-over were Sacred Heart’s Pablo Lacayo, a freshman from Nicaragua, Colgate’s Jayden Freedman, a sophomore from Boca Raton, Fla., and Purdue Fort Wayne’s Brock Reschly, a junior from Middlebury, Ind.

   Lacayo opened with a solid 2-under 70 and added a 3-over 75 in the second round before closing with a 76. Freedman came on strong after struggling to an 80 in the opening round as he added a 1-under 71 in the second round and closed with a 2-under 70, the best round of the day in the cold, windy conditions.

   After opening with a 1-under 71, Reschly added a 2-over 74 in the second round before finishing up with a 76.

   Leading the way for Villanova were seniors Matt Zerfass, a three-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier at Emmaus, and Ryan “Coop” Pamer of Hudson, Ohio as both landed among the trio tied for 25^th place at 8-over 224.

   Zerfass had finished off the fall portion of Villanova’s schedule by capturing the individual title and leading the Wildcats to the team crown in the Big 5 Championship at The 1912 Club.

   After opening with a solid 2-under 70, Zerfass added a pair of 5-over 77s.

   Pamer, winner of the Big 5 individual title in the fall of 2024 at Aronimink Golf Club, added a 1-over 73 in the second round to his opening-round 76 before closing with a 75.

   Brockton English, a graduate student from Shelby Township, Mich., backed up Zerfass and Pamer as he finished in the group tied for 28^th place at 225. English, who transferred out to the Main Line from Drexel, opened with a 5-over 77 before adding back-to-back 2-over 74s in the final two rounds.

   Vibhav Alokam, a sophomore from Ypsilanti, Mich., finished among the group tied for 38^th place at 227 for the Wildcats as he registered back-to-back 3-over 75s in the first two rounds before closing with a 77.

   Rounding out the Villanova lineup was Nathan Marion, a junior from San Antonio, Texas who finished in the group tied for 80^th place with a 236 total. After opening with a 5-over 77 and adding a 79 in the second round, Marion closed with an 80.

   Villanova head coach James Wilkes used the opportunity of the spring opener to allow four other players to escape what has become an endless winter in the Philadelphia area and get in some competitive reps in Savannah while competing as individuals.

   Joshua Lavely, a senior from Kewadin, Mich., had a decent showing, sandwiching a 2-over 74 in the second round with a pair of 77s as he finished in the group tied for 42^nd place at 228.

  Peter Barros, a junior from Bethesda, Md., finished among the group tied for 91^st place at 239 as he opened with a solid 2-over 74, but struggled mightily with an 86 in the second round before closing with a 79.

   Ian Love, a sophomore from Chicago, Ill., ended up in the trio tied for 96^th place at 241 as he opened with a 4-over 76, but couldn’t solve the Savannah Harbor layout after that, posting an 84 in the second round before closing with an 81.

   Rounding out the Villanova contingent was Luke Leonard, a freshman from Jupiter, Fla. who finished in a tie for 103^rd place at 245. After opening with a 79, Leonard carded an 82 in the second round before closing with an 84.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Balanced Arkansas edges Vanderbilt by a shot to capture team title in Watersound Invitational

 

   It wasn’t exactly a spring to remember for Arkansas golf a year ago, but the Razorbacks seemed to have turned the disappointment of last year into determination in the wraparound 2025-2026 season.

   Arkansas rallied with a 5-under-par 275 in the final round Wednesday to capture the team title in Watersound Invitational, edging Southeastern Conference rival Vanderbilt by a shot at The Third Course at the Watersound Club in Panama City, Fla.

   It was the second tournament title of the season for Arkansas, which also claimed the crown in its home event, the Blessings Collegiate Invitational at its home course, the Blessings Golf Club, in the fall.

   Arkansas grabbed the lead with a sparkling 11-under 269 over The Third Course, which measures 7,252 yards and plays to a par of 70, in last Monday’s opening round and fell six shots behind Vanderbilt when the Commodores ripped off a 13-under 267 in Tuesday’s second round.

   But a solid final round gave Arkansas a 19-under 821 total, one shot better than Vanderbilt’s 18-under 822 total.

   Arkansas only had two players finish in the top 10 and one of them, Thomas Curry, a junior from Texarkana, Ark., was competing as an individual.

   But the five Razorbacks that comprised the starting lineup all finished among the top 21. Maybe nobody was great, but everybody was pretty good and that was good enough to edge powerful Vanderbilt for the team title.

   Erich Fortlage, a sophomore from Portugal, joined Curry in the group of five players who finished in a tie for seventh place at 5-under 205.

   Fortlage fueled Arkansas’ fast start with a sparkling 4-under 66 in the opening round and matched par in Tuesday’s second round with a 70 before closing with a 1-under 69.

   After opening with a 3-under 67, Curry carded back-to-back 69s in the final two rounds to join the quintet at 5-under. Curry didn’t count for Arkansas at The Third, as the course at Watersound is commonly referred, but in the run of a long season, he absolutely did count.

   Curry is part of a standard that’s been set with this Arkansas team. Fall off a little and there’s another guy ready to take your spot.

   Last spring, Arkansas failed to advance to the NCAA Championship at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif. as a nine seed in the Amherst Regional. Somehow the Razorbacks dropped three spots in the Scoreboard, powered by clippd, rankings from No. 8 to No. 11 in the aftermath of the Watersound victory.

   Vanderbilt was also at the Amherst Regional last spring and advanced to the NCAA Championship by finishing second as a three seed. The Commodores, however, were unable to earn a spot in the match-play bracket at La Costa, making it a disappointing spring by their standards.

   Vanderbilt opened with a 7-under 273 and then went really low with that 13-under 267 in Tuesday’s second round. The Commodores closed with a 2-over 282 to finish a shot behind Arkansas at 20-over.

   Vanderbilt was led by Michael Riebe, a freshman from Eincinitas, Calif. who shared medalist honors with two other freshmen, Texas Christian’s Nathan Miller of Dallas, Texas and Mississippi’s Daniel Tolf of Sweden as all three ended up at 9-under 201.

   In college golf these days, it’s not unusual for a freshman to make an immediate impact. These kids arrive on the scene ready to compete and the top of the leaderboard in the Watersound made that point abundantly clear.

   Tolf carded back-to-back 5-under 65s in the first two rounds to take a four-shot lead into the final round. Tolf backed off a little with a 1-over 71 in the final round.

   That allowed Vandy’s Riebe and TCU’s Miller to catch him at 9-under.

   Riebe opened with a sparkling 6-under 66 and fell five shots behind Tolf with a 1-under 69 in Tuesday’s second round. Riebe, however, closed with a bookend 66 to get a share of medalist honors.

   After opening with a 1-under 69, Miller joined Riebe at 5-under with a 66 through two rounds. Miller then closed with another 4-under 66 to join Tolf and Riebe at 9-under. It was the first collegiate victory for each player.

   Vanderbilt had another strong showing from Wells Williams, a senior from West Point, Miss. who joined the quintet tied for seventh place at 5-under.

   Williams, the last freshman to earn an individual victory for Vandy three years ago, added a 3-under 67 in Tuesday’s second round to his opening-round 68 before matching par in the final round with a 70.

   Upstart TCU, behind Miller, finished eight shots behind Vanderbilt in third place with a 10-under 830 total.

   The Horned Frogs, out of the Big 12, matched par in the opening round with a 280 and then added back-to-back 5-under 275s in the final two rounds. TCU climbed a couple of spots in the Scoreboard rankings from No. 43 to No. 41 with its strong showing in the Watersound.

   TCU was unable to advance to the NCAA Championship last spring as a nine seed in the Auburn Regional.

   Florida State, an Atlantic Coast Conference power, was a shot behind TCU in fourth place with a 9-under 831 total.

   The Seminoles were solid throughout, adding a 3-under 277 in Tuesday’s second round to their opening-round 276 before closing with a 278.

   Florida State was led by Tyler Weaver, a senior from England and No. 9 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) who ended up a shot behind the three co-medalists in fourth place with an 8-under 202 total.

   Weaver was a member of the Great Britain & Ireland team that fell to the United States in the Walker Cup Match last summer at the Cypress Point Club on northern California’s Monterey Peninsula.

   The Luke Clanton era at Florida State ended up one frustrating shot out of a match-play berth in last spring’s NCAA Championship at La Costa.

   The Seminoles moved up two spots in the Scoreboard rankings from No. 41 to No. 39 following their fourth-place finish in the Watersound.

   Mississippi, behind Tolf, finished two shots behind Florida State in fifth place with a 7-under 873 total.

   Ole Miss was only four shots behind Vanderbilt going into the final round after the Rebels opened with a 10-under 270 and added a 2-under 278 in Tuesday’s second round. Ole Miss closed with a 5-over 285.

   Ole Miss reached the semifinals of the NCAA Championship at La Costa last spring before falling to eventual national champion Oklahoma State. The Rebels lost Michael La Sasso, the NCAA individual champion at La Costa last spring, to LIV Golf during college golf’s midseason pause.

   Ole Miss remained at No. 9 in the Scoreboard rankings following its fifth-place finish in the Watersound.

   Michigan State, a Big Ten representative, finished a shot behind Old Miss in sixth place in the 12-team field with a 6-under 834 total.

   After opening with a 2-over 282, the Spartans added a 2-under 278 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a solid 6-under 274 that matched the low team round of the final round.

   Michigan State had a pair of finishers in the top seven as Ashton McCulloch, a graduate student from Canada, finished alone in fifth place with a 7-under 203 total and Caleb Bond, a senior from Williamston, Mich., joined the quintet tied for seventh at 5-under.

   After matching par in the opening round with a 70, McCulloch recorded a sparkling 5-under 65 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a 68.

   Bond also matched par in the opening round with a 70 and added a 1-under 69 in Tuesday’s second round before finishing strong with a 4-under 66.

   Michigan State was unable to earn a trip to the NCAA Championship as a 10 seed in the Tallahassee Regional last spring.

   Backing up Fortlage for Arkansas was Niilo Maki-Petaja, a junior from Finland, as he finished in a tie for 12^th place at 3-under 207. Maki-Petaja contributed back-to-back 3-under 67s to the Razorbacks’ cause in the first two rounds before finishing up with a 3-over 73.

   Gerardo Gomez, a sophomore from Mexico, was just behind Maki-Petaja in the group tied for 14^th place at 2-under 208 as he opened with a 2-under 68, added a 3-over 73 in Tuesday’s second round and contributed a 3-under 67 to Arkansas’ closing kick.

   Rounding out the Arkansas lineup were two of the players among the group tied for 21^st place at 1-under 219, Cam Smith, a junior from Shelbyville, Ky., and the Razorbacks’ most familiar player, senior John Daly II, the son of the two-time major champion from Clearwater, Fla. and No. 55 in the WAGR.

   Smith opened with a solid 2-under 68 and matched par in Tuesday’s second round with a 70 before closing with a 1-over 71.

   Daly, who reached the quarterfinals of last summer’s U.S. Amateur at The Olympic Club in San Francisco before falling to eventual champion Mason Howell, matched par in Tuesday’s second round with a 70 after opening with a 1-over 71 and then contributed a 2-under 68 to Arkansas’ closing push.

   Mississippi State’s Jackson Skinner, a freshman from Birmingham, Ala., finished alone in sixth place in the individual standings, a shot behind Michigan State’s McCulloch with a 6-under 204 total. Skinner opened with the low individual round of the tournament, a sizzling 6-under 64 and then matched par in each of the final two rounds with a pair of 70s.

   Rounding out the fivesome tied for seventh place at 5-under was Kentucky’s Jacob Settles, a sophomore from Winchester, Ky., as he added a sparkling 4-under 66 in Tuesday’s second round to his opening round of 1-over 71 before closing with a 68.

   A familiar name from his days as a standout on the Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour, Jack Tarzy, was in the lineup for Navy, a Patriot League representative.

   Tarzy, a senior from Medford, N.J. who played scholastically at The Hun School of Princeton, finished in the group tied for 38^th place with a 2-over 212 total. Tarzy was really solid, opening with a 2-under 68 and matching par in the second round with a 70 before closing with a 4-over 74.

   The Midshipmen finished last of 12 teams with a 31-over 871 total.

   Was hoping for a Nick Gross sighting at the Watersound, which was hosted by Alabama. The Crimson Tide, out of the SEC, finished in eighth place with a 3-under 837 total.

   Not only was Gross, the PIAA Class AAA champion as a junior at Downingtown West in 2021, not in the lineup, but Alabama brought three players to compete as individuals for its home tournament and Gross wasn’t in that group either.

   Haven’t heard about any injuries. They don’t put out an injury report in college golf like they do for the NFL. It might just be that Gross, a sophomore, is getting beat out in the team qualifiers for Alabama’s tournaments. I’ve seen some pretty good players have trouble making it out of team qualifiers.

   It might be as simple as a guy going through a swing change. It will be interesting to see how this plays out as the spring wears on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Auburn stays hot with victory in Moon Golf Invitational; Texas A&M's Borovilos cruises to individual title

 

   Don’t look now, but Auburn is on a nice little roll.

   The Tigers made it two straight tournament titles to start the spring portion of the wraparound 2025-2026 season and claimed their fourth victory of the season this week by rallying in the final round to edge Southeastern Conference rival Texas A&M by three shots in the Moon Golf Invitational hosted by Louisville at Suntree Country Club in Melbourne, Fla.

   Auburn had opened its spring campaign with a team win in the UCF Challenge, presented by PDI at Eagle Creek Golf Club in Orlando, Fla., last month.

   The Tigers had been led at Eagle Creek by Katie Cranston, a senior from Canada and No. 71 in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) who captured the individual crown.

   In the Moon Golf Invitational, Cranston was the lowest finisher in the Auburn lineup, ending up in the group tied for 33^rd place with a 5-over 221 total.

   But good teams pick each other up and, even with Cranston not at her best, Molly Brown Davidson, a sophomore from Springville, Ala., stepped up with a runnerup finish in the individual standings with a 3-under 213 total.

   Auburn opened with a 4-over 292 over the 6,443-yard, par-71 Suntree layout and crept within three shots of Texas A&M with a 5-under 283 in Monday’s second round. The Tigers then closed with a 6-under 282 for a 7-under 857 total.

   Auburn entered the week at No. 8 in the Scoreboard, powered by clippd, rankings, but moved up to No. 5 on the strength of its second straight tournament win.

   Brown Davidson opened with a solid 2-under 70 and added a 2-over 74 in Monday’s second round before contributing a 3-under 69 to Auburn’s strong finish to end up four shots behind Texas A&M’s Vanessa Borovilos, a sophomore from Canada and No. 34 in the Women’s WAGR.

   Auburn got another strong showing from Charlotte Cantonis, a freshman from Tampa, Fla. who finished in a tie for eighth place with Texas’ Farah O’Keefe, a junior home girl from Austin, Texas and No. 6 in the Women’s WAGR, each landing on even-par 216.

   Cantonis struggled to a 7-over 79 in the opening round, but bounced back in a big way with the low round of the tournament, a 7-under 65 in Monday’s second round, before matching par in the final round with a 72.

   Auburn had a disappointing finish to its 2024-’25 season, failing to advance to the NCAA Championship as a three seed in the Gold Canyon Regional.

   Texas A&M, which moved up from No. 6 in the Scoreboard rankings to No. 4 in the aftermath of its runnerup finish at Suntree, opened up a three-shot lead over Auburn going into the final round as the Aggies opened with a 3-under 285 and added a 1-under 287 in Monday’s second round. Texas A&M matched par in the final round with a 288 to end up three shots behind Auburn with a 4-under 860 total.

   Borovilos added a sparkling 4-under 68 in Monday’s second round to her opening-round 70 to take a three-shot lead into the final round. She closed with a 1-under 71 to cruise to the second individual win of her collegiate career with a 7-under 209 total.

   Borovilos had finished in a tie for ninth place to lead Texas A&M to a third-place finish in a loaded field in the Therese Hession Regional Challenge, the opener to the Aggies’ spring campaign, last month at the Palos Verdes Golf Club in Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.

   Texas A&M got another top-10 finish in the individual standings from Natalie Yen, a freshman from West Linn, Ore. who ended up among a trio of rookies tied for 10^th place along with LSU’s Ryleigh Knaub of Debary, Fla., and Mississippi State’s Ines Belchior of Portugal, each landing on 1-over 217.

   After opening with a 1-over 73, Yen matched par in each of the final two rounds with back-to-back 72s.

   Texas A&M fell short of a trip to last spring’s NCAA Championship when the Aggies lost out in a playoff to Purdue after finishing in a tie for fifth place as a four seed in the Lubbock Regional. Texas came out on fire in the fall, winning four times in five starts to open the wraparound 2025-’26 season.

   Mississippi State made it a sweep of the top three spots for the SEC as the Bulldogs finished 11 shots behind Texas A&M in third place with a 7-over 871 total.

   Mississippi State, the runnerup to Auburn in last month’s UCF Challenge, added a 3-under 285 in Monday’s second round to its opening round of 9-over 297 before closing with a 1-over 289.

   The Bulldogs, who moved up from No. 16 to No. 11 in the Scoreboard rankings in the aftermath of the Moon Golf Invitational, were led by Belchior, who finished among that trio tied for 10^th place at 1-over.

   Belchior added a 1-over 73 in Monday’s second round to her opening-round 76 before finishing strong with a 4-under 68.

   Mississippi State advanced to last spring’s NCAA Championship at the La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif. by finishing in fourth place as a four seed in the Gold Canyon Regional, but was unable to earn a spot in the match-play bracket at La Costa.

   Reigning Atlantic Coast Conference champion Wake Forest finished a shot behind Mississippi State in fourth place with an 8-over 872 total.

   The Demon Deacons matched par in Monday’s second round with a 288 after opening with a 5-over 293 before closing with a 3-over 291.

   Wake Forest was led by Macy Pate, a junior home girl from Winston-Salem, N.C. and No. 38 in the Women’s WAGR, and Anne-Starre den Dunnen, a senior from The Netherlands, as they shared third place in the individual standings with LSU’s Elsa Svensson, a graduate student from Sweden competing as an individual, and UCF’s Pimpisa “Sandwich” Sisutham, a senior from Thailand and No. 82 in the Women’s WAGR, the quartet landing on 2-under 214.

   Pate opened with a 2-under 70 and added a 1-over 73 in Monday’s second round before closing with a 1-under 71. Den Dunnen bounced back from an opening round of 3-over 75 with a sparkling 5-under 67 in Monday’s second round before matching par in the final round with a 72.

   Wake Forest, which retained its No. 7 spot in the Scoreboard rankings following its fourth-place finish in the Moon Golf Invitational, reached the NCAA Championship by capturing the team title as a two seed in the Lubbock Regional last spring, but never got it going at La Costa.

   A couple more SEC representatives, Tennessee and Florida, finished in fifth and sixth place, respectively, in a strong 17-team field.

   The Volunteers, who moved up from No. 22 to No. 19 in the Scoreboard rankings in the aftermath of the Moon Golf Invitational, bounced back from an opening-round 299 with a solid 2-under 286 in Monday’s second round before closing with a 4-over 292 that left them five shots behind Wake Forest with a 13-over 877 total.

   Tennessee was led by Manassanan Chotikabhukkana, a senior from Thailand who finished alone in seventh place in the individual standings with a 1-under 215 total. After opening with a 2-over 74, Chotikabhukkana recorded a 1-under 71 in Monday’s second round before closing with a 2-under 70.

   Tennessee advanced to last spring’s NCAA Championship by finishing in fourth place as a six seed in the Lubbock Regional, but were unable to earn a spot in the match-play bracket at La Costa.

   Florida, which dropped from No. 5 to No. 8 in the Scoreboard rankings following its showing at Suntree, was very consistent, registering a pair of 5-over 293s in the first two rounds and finishing up with a 4-over 292 to end up a shot behind Tennessee with a 14-over 878 total.

   It was the third tournament of the spring already for Florida, which was coming off a fourth-place finish in that tough field in the Therese Hession Regional Challenge.

   The Gators reached the NCAA Championship last spring by finishing in a tie for third place in the Charlottesville Regional, but were unable to earn a spot in the match-play bracket at La Costa.

   Backing up Brown Davidson and Cantonis for Auburn were Anna Davis, a junior from Spring Valley, Calif. and No. 14 in the Women’s WAGR, and Carys Worby, a redshirt senior from Wales, as they both ended up among the group tied for 13^th place at 2-over 218.

   Davis, a member of the U.S. Curtis Cup team that fell to Great Britain & Ireland at Sunningdale Golf Club in Berkshire, England two years ago and likely to make the U.S. team again for this year’s Curtis Cup Match at Bel-Air Country Club in Los Angeles, Calif., opened with a 1-over 73 and added a 75 in Monday’s second round before contributing a key 2-under 70 while Auburn was rallying for the team win in the final round.

   Worby also got off to a slow start with an opening round of 3-over 75, but she matched par in Monday’s second round with a 72 and closed with a 1-under 71 to join the group at 2-over.

   Cranston, coming off that victory in the UCF Challenge, opened with a 2-over 74 and matched par in Monday’s second round with a 72 before closing with a 75 to end up at 5-over.

   Anne Fernandez, a sophomore from Singapore, competed as an individual for Auburn and finished alone in 62^nd place with a 227 total. Fernandez opened with a 1-over 73 and added a 75 in Monday’s second round before struggling in the final round with a 79.

   Sisutham, UCF’s senior standout, closed with a sparkling 4-under 68 to get her share of third place at 2-under.

   The Knights, a Big 12 representative, finished in a tie for ninth place with the ACC’s Duke at 21-over 885. UCF fell two spots in the Scoreboard rankings from No. 15 to No. 17 in the aftermath of the Moon Golf Invitational.

   LSU’s Svensson closed with a sizzling 6-under 66 to join the quartet tied for third place at 2-under. Svensson had posted back-to-back 2-over 74s in the first two rounds. She certainly earned some consideration for a spot in the first five for LSU.

   The Tigers also got a top-10 individual showing from the freshman Knaub, who matched par in the final round with a 72 to join the trio tied for 10^th place at 1-over. Knaub had opened with a 2-over 74 before adding a 1-under 71 in Monday’s second round.

   LSU finished in 13^th place in the team standings with a 32-over 896 total and dropped two spots in the Scoreboard rankings from No. 32 to No. 34 in the aftermath of the Moon Golf Invitational.

   Speaking of talented freshmen, Duke’s Avery McCrery, the pride of Wilmington, Del., had a solid showing, finishing among the group tied for 25^th place with a 4-over 220 total. McCrery’s game showed some rust in an opening round of 5-over 77, but she bounced back with a 2-under 70 in Monday’s second round before closing with a 1-over 73.

   Katie Li, a junior from Basking Ridge, N.J., is one of the veterans for the Blue Devils these days. She finished in the group tied for 49^th place with a 7-over 224 total. Li also showed some rust in an opening round of 5-over 77, but improved with a 73 in Monday’s second round before closing with a 74.

   The Dookies, who maintained their No. 13 spot in the Scoreboard rankings, shared ninth place with UCF at 21-over 885.

   Duke was without its star freshman, Rianne Malixi, who rose to No. 18 in the Women’s WAGR following her victory in the Blue Devils’ spring opener, the Sea Best Intercollegiate at San Jose Country Club in Jacksonville, Fla.

   Malixi of the Philippines was half a world away finishing in a tie for third place in the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific at Royal Wellington Golf Club in New Zealand.

   Kiera Bartholomew, a junior at Virginia from Wake Forest, N.C., finished in 79^th place with a 234 total. Bartholomew, who played out of Indian Valley Country Club in Telford as a youngster before heading south to North Carolina, bounced back from an opening-round 80 with a 1-over 73 in Monday’s second round before closing with an 81.

   The Cavaliers, another ACC entry, finished in 16^th place with a 46-over 910 total. Virginia fell from No. 38 to No. 42 in the Scoreboard rankings following the Moon Golf Invitational.