Terms and conditions

Terms and Conditions of www.http://tmacteesoff.blogspot.com/ Below are the Terms and Conditions for use of www.http://tmacteesoff.blogspot.com/. Please read these carefully. If you need to contact us regarding any aspect of the following terms of use of our website, please contact us on the following email address - tmacgolf13@gmail.com. By accessing the content of www.http://tmacteesoff.blogspot.com/ ( hereafter referred to as website ) you agree to the terms and conditions set out herein and also accept our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to any of the terms and conditions you should not continue to use the Website and leave immediately. You agree that you shall not use the website for any illegal purposes, and that you will respect all applicable laws and regulations. You agree not to use the website in a way that may impair the performance, corrupt or manipulate the content or information available on the website or reduce the overall functionality of the website. You agree not to compromise the security of the website or attempt to gain access to secured areas of the website or attempt to access any sensitive information you may believe exist on the website or server where it is hosted. You agree to be fully responsible for any claim, expense, losses, liability, costs including legal fees incurred by us arising from any infringement of the terms and conditions in this agreement and to which you will have agreed if you continue to use the website. The reproduction, distribution in any method whether online or offline is strictly prohibited. The work on the website and the images, logos, text and other such information is the property of www.http://tmacteesoff.blogspot.com/ ( unless otherwise stated ). Disclaimer Though we strive to be completely accurate in the information that is presented on our site, and attempt to keep it as up to date as possible, in some cases, some of the information you find on the website may be slightly outdated. www.http://tmacteesoff.blogspot.com/ reserves the right to make any modifications or corrections to the information you find on the website at any time without notice. Change to the Terms and Conditions of Use We reserve the right to make changes and to revise the above mentioned Terms and Conditions of use. Last Revised: 03-17-2017

Wednesday, September 19, 2018

Alabama finishes strong to claim title in ANNIKA Intercollegiate; UCLA's Tavatanakit takes individual crown


   Let’s face it, when Alabama accounted for three of the four semifinalists in the U.S. Women’s Amateur at the Golf Club of Tennessee, did you really think the Crimson Tide wouldn’t be a dominant team when the 2018-’19 season teed off?
   Alabama, which was a frustrated runnerup in the NCAA Championship at Karsten Creek Golf Club after an outstanding 2017-’18 campaign, took a day to get untracked in the ANNIKA Intercollegiate at the Royal Golf Club in St. Elmo, Minn.
   Then the Crimson Tide unleashed a powerful closing kick with a 13-under 275 in Tuesday’s second round and an 11-under 277 in Wednesday’s final round for a 28-under 836 total that gave them a two-shot victory over a field that might not be matched for sheer talent until the 2018-’19 NCAA Championship convenes at The Blessings Golf Club in Fayetteville, Ark. next spring.
   UCLA, led by individual champion Patty Tavatanakit, a sophomore from Thailand and No. 8 in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), had just one shot more than Alabama over the final two rounds, matching the Tide’s 13-under 275 in the second round and finishing up with a 10-under 278, to take runnerup honors at 26-under 836.
   The two-time reigning Pac-12 champion Bruins are pretty formidable themselves.
   UCLA’s cross-town rival, Southern California, finished third, five shots behind the Bruins at 21-under 843 after a final round of 6-under 282. Two-time reigning Big 12 champion Texas was four shots behind the Trojans at 17-under 847 after finishing up with a 7-under 281 Wednesday.
   Two-time reigning ACC champion Duke, which had surged to a two-shot lead after the first two rounds, cooled off considerably with a 5-over 293 that still left the Blue Devils alone in fifth at 14-under 850. Reigning Southeastern Conference champion Arkansas was two shots behind Duke in sixth at 12-under 852 after the Razorbacks carded a 3-under 285 in the final round.
   It was another 17 shots back to reigning national champion Arizona and South Carolina, runnerup to Arkansas in the SEC’s match-play final last spring, the two teams finishing tied for seventh in the elite 12-team field at 5-over 869.
   The remarkable thing about Alabama’s performance was that none of its players finished in the top five in the individual standings.
   Jiwon Jeon, a junior from South Korea and No. 9 in the Women’s WAGR, was a key addition to the Alabama program after being one of the top players in the junior college ranks at Daytona State College in Daytona Beach, Fla.
   After struggling to an opening round of 5-over 77, Jeon’s talent was on display as she fired a 7-under 65 in Tuesday’s second round and finished up with a 5-under 67 for a 7-under 209 total that left her among a trio of players tied for sixth at 7-under 209.
   Another big addition to the Alabama lineup was Kenzie Wright, a junior from Frisco, Texas who transferred to Tuscaloosa from SMU. Wright came up huge in the first two rounds for the Crimson Tide, firing a pair of 67s. But she backed off with a 6-over 78 in the final round to finish in the group tied for 13th at 4-under 212.
   Of course, when two of your teammates are two of the top five players in the Women’s WAGR, you know they’ve got your back.
   Lauren Stephenson, a senior from Lexington, S.C. and No. 5 in the Women’s WAGR, carded a solid 2-under 70 in the final round to finish in the group tied for 15th at 3-under 213. Kristen Gillman, a junior from Austin, Texas and No. 3 in the Women’s WAGR, fired a 3-under 69 in the final round to finish among the group tied for 18th at 2-under 214.
   Stephenson lost to Jeon in the U.S. Women’s Amateur semifinals in an epic 23-hole battle. Gillman knocked off Jeon, 7 and 6, in the scheduled 36-hole final to capture her second U.S. Women’s Amateur title, adding to the one she won as a 16-year-old in 2014 at Nassau Country Club on Long Island.
   Gillman and Stephenson were two of the leading ladies on the U.S. team that reclaimed the Curtis Cup from Great Britain & Ireland in a dominating 17-3 victory at Quaker Ridge Golf Club in Scarsdale, N.Y. in June. They are two seasoned, veteran players.
   And then there is Angelica Moresco, a sophomore from Italy who carded a solid 1-under 71 in the final round to easily erase Wright’s mis-step and allow her to finish among the group tied for 29th at 1-over 217.
   Moresco was there every step of the way in Alabama’s march to the NCAA Championship’s Final Match as a freshman and gained a ton of experience. You get better at golf just hanging around with players like Gillman and Stephenson.
   It’s possible, even likely, that some of the players who teed it up in the ANNIKA Intercollegiate will turn professional in the break between the fall and spring campaigns that make up a college season.
   As I mentioned when Southern California’s Robynn Ree earned her tour card in the LPGA Qualifying School’s Final Stage last December, if you’re a college coach at that level, you hope the players you’re recruiting are setting their personal goals high.
   Tavatanakit flashed that kind of ability in Wednesday’s final round, ripping off a brilliant 9-under 63 to edge yet another Southern California phenom, Malia Nam, a freshman from Kailua, Hawaii, by a shot.
   You know, just seven straight birdies from No. 9 through No. 15 and an eagle on the par-5 finishing hole. Just an 8-under 28 on the back nine. Ridiculously good. It gave Tavatanakit a 13-under 203 total and she had to do all that to win by a shot.
   Nam finished up with a 3-under 69 for a 12-under 204 total. Arkansas’s Dylan Kim, a senior from Plano, Texas and No. 30 in the Women’s WAGR, was another shot behind Nam in third at 11-under 205 after a final round of 2-under 70.
   Duke’s Ana Belac, a junior from Slovenia, held the lead after two rounds, but backed off with a 1-over 73 in the final round. She still finished fourth at  10-under 206.
   Stanford’s Andrea Lee, a junior from Hermosa Beach, Fla. and No. 4 in the Women’s WAGR, carded a 1-under 71 in the final round to finish alone in fifth at 8-under 208.
   UCLA’s Lilia Vu, a senior from Fountain Valley, Calif. and No. 2 in the Women’s WAGR, joined Alabama’s Jeon in the group tied for sixth at 7-under 209 after a final-round 71. Vu and Lee were also part of that winning U.S. Curtis Cup team along with Alabama’s Gillman and Stephenson.
   Texas’ Kaitlyn Papp, a talented sophomore from Austin, Texas, rounded out the trio at 209 as she matched par in the final round with a 72.
   Jennifer Chang, a sophomore from Cary, N.C., gave Southern Cal two players in the top 10 as she had her third sub-par round of the tournament, a 2-under 70, to finish in a tie for ninth with Northwestern’s Stephanie Lau, a senior from Fullerton, Calif., at 6-under 210. Lau also finished up with a 2-under 70.

No comments:

Post a Comment