Oklahoma, No. 15 in the latest Golfstat rankings, rallied past No. 8 Arizona State in Sunday’s
final round to capture the team crown in the Clover Cup at Longbow Golf Club in
Mesa, Ariz.
Oklahoma’s Julienne Soo, a junior from Australia, captured
the individual title and delivered the team title to the Sooners with one
dramatic stroke, a chip-in for eagle on the 18th hole.
That gave the Sooners the best round of the day Sunday with
a 4-over-par 292 over the 6,184-yard, par-72 Longbow layout as the wind came up
and made conditions a little tougher. Their solid final round gave the Sooners
a 54-hole total of 7-over 871. The reigning NCAA champion Sun Devils, who
entered the final round with a four-shot lead over Oklahoma, finished up with a
10-over 298 to end up two shots behind the Sooners at 9-over 873.
Oklahoma has been on a roll
this spring with a team win in the Westbrook Spring Invitational at
Westbrook Village Golf Club’s Vistas Course in Peoria, Ariz. and a runnerup
finish to host Miami in the Hurricane Invitational at the Biltmore in Coral
Gables, Fla.
No. 63 Kentucky had a final-round 295 to finish third at
17-over 881. No. 49 Ohio State was another shot behind Kentucky in fourth at
18-over 882. The Buckeyes shared the lead with Arizona State after two rounds,
but struggled to a 307 in the final round. It was another six shots back to No.
45 Notre Dame in fifth at 24-over 888 after the Irish posted a final-round 302.
Notre Dame was coming off another solid showing, a
sixth-place finish in the Westbrook Spring Invitational. I am, by no means, an
NCAA golf bracketologist, but I have a feeling the Irish might still have some
work to do to assure themselves a spot when the NCAA Regional fields are selected.
Two-time reigning Colonial Athletic Association champion
Delaware finished eighth in the 16-team field at 907 after a final-round 306.
Soo’s dramatic chip-in at the 18th gave her a
4-under 68 in the final round, Sunday’s only sub-70 round, and a 5-under 211
total that was one shot better than Ohio State’s Jaclyn Lee, a junior from
Canada.
Backing up Soo for the Sooners was Hannah Wood, a senior from
Centennial, Colo. who finished alone in fifth at 1-over 217. Wood sandwiched a
1-under 71 in Saturday’s second round with a pair of 73s. Rylee Pedigo, a
senior from Fort Worth, Texas, finished tied for 18th at 7-over 223
after a final-round 76.
Valerie Tanguay, a senior from Canada, finished in a tie for
20th at 224 after a final-round 77. Tanguay elbowed her way into the
starting lineup after finishing tied for second while competing as an
individual in the Hurricane Invitational.
Kaitlin Milligan, a freshman from Norman, Okla. who has had
a strong spring, finished tied for 29th at 9-over 225 with a
final-round 75 that was a crucial counter for the Sooners.
Ohio State’s Lee had a final round of 1-under 71 to finish a
shot behind Oklahoma’s Soo at 4-under 212. Arizona State’s Sophia Zeeb, a
senior from Germany, also finished up with a 1-under 71 to take third in the
individual chase at 2-under 214.
The Sun Devils lost one of their top players, Linnea Strom
of Sweden, to the professional ranks during the midseason break, but the eight-time
national champions are still formidable.
Leading the way for Notre Dame were Emma Albrecht, a junior
from Ormond Beach, Fla., and Maddie Rose Hamilton, a junior from Louisville,
Ky., both of whom were in the group tied for ninth at 3-over 219.
Albrecht flashed a little of the form that earned an
invitation as an individual to the NCAA Columbus Regional last spring with a
4-under 68 before cooling off with a final-round 75. Hamilton opened with a
2-under 70 and added rounds of 74 and 75.
Abby Heck, a freshman from Memphis, Tenn., had three
consecutive 75s to finish tied for 29th at 9-over 225.
Junior Isabella DiLisio, the 2013 PIAA Class AAA champion as
a junior at Mount St. Joseph, found her form with a 1-over 73 in Saturday’s
second round, but a final-round 77 left her in a tie for 42nd at
229. Mia Ayer, a sophomore from Waco, Texas, was another shot behind DiLisio in
a tie for 44th at 230 after a final-round 79.
Notre Dame’s senior captain, Alison Snakard, a teammate of
DiLisio’s on Mount St. Joe’s 2013 PIAA Class AAA championship team, competed as
an individual and finished tied for 76th at 247 after a final-round
81.
Delaware was led by Ariane Klotz, a sophomore from New
Caledonia who finished tied for 13th at 5-over 221. Klotz had a pair
of 73s in the first two rounds before finishing up with a 75.
Valentina Mueller, a junior co-captain for the Blue Hens
from Switzerland, finished tied for 25th at 8-over 224 after a
final-round 74. Thitaree Sakulbunpanich, a freshman from Thailand, finished in
a group tied for 32nd at 10-over 226 after a final-round 75.
Sakulbunpanich solved the Longbow layout in the opening round with a 1-under 71
before struggling to an 80 in Saturday’s second round.
Delaware’s other junior co-captain, Ashley Dingman of
Fairfield, Calif. finished in a tie for 69th at 241 after carding an
82 in the final round. Rounding out the lineup for the Blue Hens was Isabella
Rimton, a sophomore from Sweden, who finished in a tie for 74th at
246 after struggling home with an 87 Sunday. Rimton’s 4-over 76 in the second
round was a counter for Delaware.
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