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 13^th 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 15^th 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 18^th 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 29^th 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.