Beatrice Wallin, a junior from Sweden, is No. 10 in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), and the Florida State team she plays for is No. 5 in the latest Golfstat rankings.
Wallin and the Seminoles played just as you would expect they would as Wallin cruised to a three-shot victory in the individual standings and Florida State dominated the field in the Pinetree Women’s Collegiate, which wrapped up Tuesday at Pinetree Country Club in Kennesaw, Ga., in a 25-shot team win.
It wasn’t exactly the loaded field the Seminoles confronted earlier this month when they finished in third place behind South Carolina and Atlantic Coast Conference rival Duke and Wallin ended up in a tie for fourth in the individual standings in the Valspar Augusta Collegiate at Forest Hills Golf Club in Augusta, Ga.
But with Wallin leading the way, Florida State put together rounds of 4-over 292 and 4-under 284 in Monday’s double round over the 6,203-yard, par-72 Pinetree layout and finished up with a 2-under 286 for a 2-under 862 total.
No. 69 Kennesaw State, one of the tournament co-hosts, matched Florida State’s second round of 4-under 284, but fell back in the final round with an 18-over 306 to earn runnerup honors with a 23-over 887 total. The Owls had opened with a 9-over 297 in Monday morning’s first round.
Wallin got off to a slow start with a 2-over 74, but quickly established herself as the class of the field with a scintillating 7-under 65 in Monday afternoon’s second round that enabled her to take a two-shot lead over Kennesaw State’s Bella Kil, a sophomore from Australia, into Tuesday’s final round. The 65 tied a Florida State program record for a single round.
Wallin closed with a 1-over 73 for a 4-under 212 total that left her three shots clear of Chattanooga’s Beatriz Barrios, a freshman from Spain who closed with a sparkling 6-under 66 to earn runnerup honors.
Wallin will be back in Georgia next week teeing it up in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship. She fared pretty well in the inaugural edition of the event two years ago as she survived the cut and played the final round at the revered Augusta National layout and finished in a tie for seventh place.
No. 86 East Tennessee State finished five shots behind Kennesaw State in third place at 28-over 892. The Bucs opened with a 10-over 298 and added a 5-over 293 in Monday afternoon’s second round before finishing up with a 13-over 301.
No. 91 Chattanooga, behind Barrios, was another six shots behind East Tennessee State in fourth place at 34-over 898 as the Moccasins struggled in Monday afternoon’s second round with a 306 after opening with a 9-over 297, but closed with a solid 7-over 295.
No. 59 Mercer, the other co-host at Pinetree, finished a shot behind Chattanooga in fifth place with a 35-over 899 total. After opening with a 304, the Bears had their best round of the tournament in Monday afternoon’s second round with a 7-over 295 before closing with a 300.
No. 73 East Carolina was another three shots behind Mercer in sixth place with a 38-over 902 total as the Pirates closed with their best round of the tournament, an 8-over 296 in Tuesday’s final round. East Carolina had posted rounds of 302 and 304 in Monday’s respective first two rounds.
No. 143 Delaware and No. 70 Penn State landed in a tie for seventh place in the 10-team field as each ended up with a 42-over 906 total.
The Blue Hens, behind a tie for third place in the individual standings by emerging freshman Oihana Etxezarreta of Spain, struggled to a 318 in the opening round before bouncing back with a 5-over 293 in Monday afternoon’s second round. Delaware, out of the Colonial Athletic Association, then matched Chattanooga’s 7-over 295, the second-best round of the day, in Tuesday’s final round.
Penn State, out of the Big Ten, also struggled in the opening round with a 308 before posting a pair of 299s in the final two rounds.
Backing up Wallin for Florida State was Charlotte Heath, a freshman from England and No. 47 in the Women’s WAGR who was part of the four-way tie for third place that included Delaware’s Etxezarreta at 1-over 217. Heath added a 73 to her opening-round 74 in Monday’s double round before finishing up with a solid 2-under 70.
Heath is one of 17 players on the Royal & Ancient’s preliminary list of candidates for this summer’s Great Britain & Ireland team that will take on the United States in the Curtis Cup Match, rescheduled from 2020, in August at Conwy Golf Club in Caernarvonshire, Wales.
Taylor Roberts, a freshman from Parkland, Fla., gave the Seminoles a third finisher among the top eight as her final round of 3-under 69 made her the Florida State medalist for the day as she ended up among a trio of players tied for eighth place at 3-over 219. Roberts opened with a 74 before adding a 76 in Monday afternoon’s second round.
Everybody in the Florida State lineup had her moment. Amelia Williamson, a junior from England, delivered her best round, a 2-under 70, in Monday afternoon’s second round to help the Seminoles to their best team round. Williamson opened with a 78 and closed with a 74 as she finished in a tie for 13th place at 6-over 222.
Alice Hodge, a freshman from Larchmont, N.Y., was low Seminole in Monday morning’s opening round with a 2-under 70. She added a pair of 77s as she rounded out the Florida State lineup, finishing in the group tied for 15th place at 8-over 224.
It was a second straight strong showing for Barrios in earning runnerup honors in the individual standings with a 1-under 215 total. She finished in third place two weeks ago in the Allstate Sugar Bowl Collegiate at English Turn Golf & Country Club in New Orleans. Barrios had rounds of 74 and 76 in Monday’s double round before going off with her final-round 66.
After opening with a 75, Delaware’s Etxezarreta contributed a 2-under 70 to the Blue Hens’ best team round of the tournament before matching par in Tuesday’s final round to get her piece of third place at 1-over 217, two shots behind Barrios.
Joining Etxezarrata and Florida State’s Heath at 1-over were East Tennessee State’s Tereza Melecka, a senior from the Czech Republic, and Kennesaw State’s Tori Owens, a sophomore from Chatsworth, Ga.
After matching par in the opening round with a 72, Melecka added a 1-under 71 in Monday afternoon’s second round before closing with a 74. Owens fired a 3-under 69 in Monday afternoon’s second round after opening with a 73 and finished up with a 75.
Kennesaw State’s Alizee Vidal, a sophomore from France who was competing as an individual, matched par in the final round with a 72 to finish alone in seventh place with a 2-over 218 total. After opening with a 75, Vidal added her best round of the tournament, a 1-under 71, in Monday afternoon’s second round.
Kennesaw State’s Kil was Wallin’s closest pursuer heading into Tuesday’s final round after adding a 4-under 68 to her opening-round 71, but stumbled a little in a final-round 78 that enabled her to join Florida State’s Roberts and Mercer’s Lauren Lightfritz, a graduate student from Suwanee, Ga., in the trio tied for eighth place at 3-over 219. Lightfritz sandwiched a sparkling 5-under 67 in Monday afternoon’s second round with a pair of 76s.
Backing up Etxezarreta for Delaware was Lexi Dart, a senior from England who gave the Blue Hens a second finisher among the top 20 as she ended up among the group tied for 20th place at 9-over 225. After opening with an 80, Dart carded a 1-over 73 in Monday afternoon’s second round before matching par in the final round with a 72.
Freshman Christina Carroll, a product of William Penn High School from Bear, Del., bounced back from an opening-round 82 by matching par in Monday afternoon’s second round with a 72 and closing with a 74 that left her among the group tied for 33rd place at 12-over 228.
A third freshman in the Delaware starting lineup, Liz Coffren of Owings, Md., was alone in 52nd place at 239 as she struggled in the opening round with an 84 before adding a 78 in Monday afternoon’s second round and finishing up with a 77.
Rounding out the Delaware lineup was Anna Kittelson, a junior from Boise, Idaho who finished in a tie for 59th place at 245. After adding an 84 to her opening-round 81, Kittelson closed with her best round of the tournament with an 80. Delaware’s Siena Ferrick, a senior from Vienna, Va., competed as an individual and shared 59th place with Kittleson at 245. After struggling to an 89 in the opening round, Ferrick bounced back with an 81 in Monday afternoon’s second before finishing up with a solid 3-over 75.
Leading the way for Penn State was Victoria Tip-Aucha, head coach Denise St. Pierre’s emerging freshman from Vienna, Va. and a native of Thailand. Tip-Aucha struggled to an 80 in the opening round, but rebounded by matching par in each of the final two rounds with a pair of 72s to finish among the group tied for 15th place at 8-over 224.
Sarah Willis, a junior from Eaton, Ohio, gave the Nittany Lions a second finisher in the top 20 as she ended up among the group tied for 20th place at 9-over 225. Willis added a 1-under 71 to her opening-round 79 before closing with a 75.
Mathilde Delavallade, a sophomore from France, saved her best for last, closing with a 1-over 73 to join the group tied for 29th place at 227. Delavallade had opened with a 76 and added a 78 in Monday afternoon’s second round.
Graduate student Megan McLean, a product of Voorhees High across the Delaware River from Easton, opened with a 4-over 76 and added a 78 in Monday afternoon’s second round before closing with a 79 to finish alone in 45th place at 233. Rounding out the Penn State lineup was Isha Dhruva, a sophomore from Katy, Texas who finished among the group tied for 47th place at 235. Dhruva opened with a 77 before adding a pair of 79s.
Sophomore Taylor Waller, a PIAA Class AAA qualifier in 2016 as a junior at Canon-McMillan, competed as an individual at Pinetree and finished a shot behind Dhurva in 50th place with a 236 total. After opening with an 82, Waller registered a pair of 77s in the final two rounds.
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