Maryland comes on strong in final round at the Biltmore to claim team title in Hurricane Invitational

   Last spring had to feel like a turning point for Maryland women’s golf coach Diane Contu.

   Her Terrapins got a ticket to the NCAA Auburn Regional, their first regional bid in seven years. They outperformed their 13^th seed, finishing just three shots behind Contu’s alma mater Tennessee in the battle for the sixth and final team berth to the NCAA Championship at The Blessings Golf Club in Fayetteville, Ark.

   Virunpat Olankitkunchai of Thailand did represent Maryland at The Blessings, though, as she finished in a tie for third in the Auburn Regional to earn a trip to nationals, the first Maryland woman to reach the NCAA Championship.

   And maybe Tuesday at the Hurricane Invitational at the Biltmore Golf Course, a Donald Ross classic in Coral Gables, Fla., will become another turning point for the Terrapins and Contu, in her sixth season at the helm in College Park.

   Maryland, ranked 53^rd in the latest Golfstat rankings, had four players better par to claim a six-shot victory over a field that included national power Arizona and four of the Terrapins’ Big Ten rivals.

Maryland had the best team round of the tournament, a 7-under-par 281 over the 6,100-yard, par-72 Biltmore layout, in Tuesday’s final round that gave it a 10-over 874 total.

   Olankitkunchai, a junior, and Xiaolin Tian, a senior from China, each carded a 2-under 70 and ended up among the foursome tied for third place at 1-over 217. Laura Van Rispaille, a junior from France, contributed another 2-under 70 that helped her get a piece of ninth place in the individual standings at 3-over 219.

   And Charlotte Lafourcade, also a junior from France, carded a 1-under 71 that enabled her to finish among the group tied for 12^th place at 5-over 221.

   Maryland began the day in fourth place, nine shots behind No. 54 TCU after the Terrapins battled some tough South Florida March winds for rounds of 1-over 289 and 304.

   And while TCU saw Maryland rally past it to capture the team title, the Horned Frogs probably left South Florida feeling pretty good about their share of second place with Arizona in a field that included a couple of their more highly-rated Big 12 rivals with a 16-over 880 total. TCU closed with an 8-over 296 after posting solid rounds of 3-over 291 and 5-over 293 in Monday’s double-round.

   Arizona, at No. 9 the highest-ranked team in the field, closed with a 1-over 289 to get a share of second place with TCU at 880. The Wildcats, out of the Pac-12, won the third national title in program history two years ago at Karsten Creek Golf Club in Stillwater, Okla. and reached the semifinals in defense of their title before falling to eventual champion Duke at The Blessings last spring.

   Still, it was a worthwhile trip a little out of its comfort zone for Arizona. The Wildcats won’t have to travel nearly as far if they, as is expected, earn a ticket to the NCAA Championship this spring at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz.

   Another Big Ten team, No. 50, Michigan capped a solid showing at the Biltmore as the Wolverines closed with a 299 to finish alone in fourth place at 27-over 891, 11 shots behind TCU and Arizona.

Michigan was led by individual co-champion Ashley Kim, a junior from Redondo Beach, Calif. who shared the title with Oklahoma State’s Maja Stark, a freshman from Sweden and No.  12 in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), at 1-under 215.

   TCU’s Big 12 rival Oklahoma, ranked 28^th, and another Big Ten entry, No. 30, Illinois, were three shots behind Michigan in a tie for fifth place at 30-over 894. The Sooners closed with the second-best team round of the day, a 5-under 283, while the Illini closed with an 8-over 296.

   No. 16 Oklahoma State, another strong entry from the Big 12, finished two shots behind their in-state rival Oklahoma and Illinois in seventh place at 32-over 896 after the Cowgirls closed with an 11-over 299.

   Host Miami, ranked 26^th, was another seven shots behind Oklahoma State in eighth place at 39-over 903 after the Hurricanes, out of the Atlantic Coast Conference, finished up with a 304.

   It was a disappointing trip to South Florida for another Big Ten entry, No. 76 Penn State. The Nittany Lions had their best round of the tournament, a 10-over 298, but finished in 10^th place in the 12-team field at 59-over 923.

   None of the Terrapins played particularly well in Monday afternoon’s second round as they fell behind with a 304. Olankitkunchai and Tian had started strong with respective rounds of even-par 72 and 1-under 71 before struggling, Olankitkunchai posting a 75 and Tian carding a 76. Van Respaillie had a 76 and Lafourcade posted a 77.

   But they put it behind them and played some great golf when it counted Tuesday.

   Rounding out the Maryland lineup was Maria Vittoria Corbi, a freshman from Italy who closed with her best round of the tournament, a 4-over 76 that left her in the group tied for 53^rd place at 234. None of her scores counted, but Corbi won’t soon forget what it felt like to be part of a winning team effort.

   Michigan’s Kim matched par in the final round with a 72 to earn a share of the individual title, her first college tournament victory.

   It was also the first college tournament win for co-medalist Stark in just her second start for the Cowgirls. Stark, who had opened with the best round of the tournament, a 6-under 67 Monday morning, closed with a 1-over 73 to join Kim at 1-under 215.

   Joining Maryland’s Olankitkunchai and Tian in the trio tied for third place at 1-over 217 were TCU’s Sabrina Iqbal, a sophomore from San Jose, Calif., and Arizona’s Vivian Hou, a freshman from Taiwan, each closing with a solid 1-under 71.

   TCU’s Trinity King, a freshman from Arlington, Texas, and Oklahoma’s Mikhaela Fortuna, a sophomore from the Philippines, finished in a tie for seventh place at 2-over 218.

   King had grabbed the individual lead with rounds of 1-under 71 and 2-under 70 during Monday’s double-round before cooling off with a 77 Tuesday. Fortuna matched par in the final round with a 72.

Joining Maryland’s Respaille in a tie for ninth place at 3-over 219 was Alice Gotbring, a sophomore from Sweden competing as an individual for Division II power Barry. Gotbring capped a solid showing at the Biltmore by matching par in the final round with a 72.

   Miami’s Renate Grimstad, a senior from Norway, had the best round of the day, a sparkling 4-under 68 that left her alone in 11^th place in her final Hurricane Invitational at 4-over 220. The Hurricane is a fixture on the early spring schedule, although it was not played last year while some touch-ups were done to the course at the Biltmore.

   Penn State was led by Mathilde Delavallade, a freshman from France, and senior Megan McLean, a Voorhees High product, both of whom landed among the group tied for 27^th place at 11-over 227. Delavallade, who has been the Nittany Lions’ most consistent performer in her rookie year, closed with a 2-over 74. McLean matched par in the final round with a 72.

   Sarah Willis, a sophomore from Eaton, Ohio, and senior Madelein Herr, a four-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier at Council Rock North, both landed among the group tied for 56^th place at 236.

Willis, who has played a lot of Florida golf in the last two months, including an appearance in the South Atlantic Amateur Championship – The Sally – in Ormond Beach in January, just couldn’t get it going at the Biltmore as she closed with a 78. Herr finished up with her best round of the tournament, a 5-over 77.

   Rounding out the Penn State lineup was junior Olivia Zambruno, the 2016 PIAA Class AA champion as a senior at Greensburg Central Catholic who bounced back from two tough rounds Monday with a 3-over 75 that left her in the group tied for 63^rd place at 238.

   Penn State head coach Denise St. Pierre brought along Isha Dhruva, a freshman from Katy, Texas, to compete as an individual and Dhruva, who missed the fall portion of the wraparound 2019-2020 season with an injury, earned some consideration for promotion to the first five with a solid showing. Dhruva matched par in the final round with a 72 to end up among the group tied for 31^st place at 228.