Playing tough golf courses makes you a better player.
LSU’s Ingrid Lindblad, a sophomore from Sweden and the No. 4 player in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), seemed to prove that point as she cruised to a three-shot victory in the individual chase and led the Tigers, No. 4 in the latest Golfstat rankings, to a 22-shot victory for the team crown in the LSU Tiger Golf Classic, which wrapped up Wednesday.
Three days before she teed off on the friendlier confines of the University Club Golf Course in Baton Rouge, La., Lindblad was in the thick of the battle for the title in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship at one of the cathedrals of the game, the Alister MacKenzie masterpiece that is Augusta National Golf Club.
And battle she did. She carded a 3-over-par 75 at Augusta National to finish among a group of six players who finished in a tie for third place, a shot behind the eventual winner, Japan’s Tsubasa Kajitani, and Wake Forest’s Emilia Migliaccio.
Hardened by playing such a demanding layout at Augusta National, Lindblad opened with rounds of 1-under 71 and 2-under 70 in Tuesday’s double round over the 6,350-yard, par-72 University Club layout and then added another 2-under 70 in Wednesday’s final round for a 5-under 211 total.
The low round of the week for LSU and for the tournament, though, came in Tuesday afternoon’s second round when Carla Tejedo Mulet, a freshman from Spain, went off for a 7-under 65.
LSU had opened with a 1-over 289, but Tejedo Mulet’s scorching round led the Tigers to the best team round of the tournament, a 10-under 278 that enabled them to take command. LSU closed with a 3-under 285 that gave them a 12-under 852 total.
The Tiger Golf Classic was pretty much a Southeastern Conference Championship preview. No. 6 Mississippi, which won the last SEC Championship contested in 2019, and No. 29 Vanderbilt shared second place, each landing on 10-over 874, but not really in the same zip code as the host Tigers, finishing 22 shots behind them.
Ole Miss, led by its veteran Julia Johnson, a fifth-year player from St. Gabriel, La. who finished in a tie for second place in the individual standings, three shots behind Lindblad, opened with a solid 1-under 287, but lost ground to LSU with a 7-over 295 in Tuesday afternoon’s second round. The Rebels then finished up with a 4-over 292.
Vanderbilt opened with a solid 2-under 286 and added a 2-over 290 in Tuesday afternoon’s second round before closing with a 10-over 298.
Texas A&M outperformed its No. 95 ranking by finishing two shots behind Ole Miss and Vanderbilt in fourth place with a 12-over 876 total. The Aggies opened with a 9-over 297 and added a 3-over 291 in Tuesday afternoon’s second round before finishing up by matching par in the final round with a 288.
Perennial SEC power Arkansas, ranked 16th, was another four shots behind Texas A&M in fifth place with a 16-over 880 total. After opening with a 4-over 292, the Razorbacks struggled a little in a 10-over 298 in Tuesday afternoon’s second round before finishing up with a 2-over 290.
No. 9 Auburn and Kentucky, probably a little underrated at No. 35, finished in a tie for sixth place, eight shots behind Arkansas at 24-over 888. Auburn added an 8-over 296 to its opening-round 295 and closed with a 297. The Wildcats struggled to a 302 in the opening round, but bounced back with a 6-over 294 in Tuesday afternoon’s second round before finishing up with a 4-over 292.
Backing up Lindblad for LSU was Alden Wallace, a junior from Shreveport, La. who finished in a tie for fourth place with Vanderbilt’s Louise Yu, a senior from Duluth, Ga., at 2-under 215. Wallace opened with a 2-under 70 and matched par in Tuesday afternoon’s second round with a 72 before closing with a 73. Latanna Stone, a sophomore from Riverview, Fla., gave LSU three players among the top six as she joined a group of four players tied for sixth place at even-par 216. After opening with a 73, Stone registered a solid 1-under 71 in Tuesday afternoon’s second round before finishing up by matching par with a 72.
Then there was Tejedo Mulet, who shaved 10 shots off her opening-round 75 with that remarkable 65 in Tuesday afternoon’s second round. She closed with a throwout 79 to finish among the group tied for 16th place at 3-over 219.
Rounding out the LSU lineup was Kendall Griffin, a senior from Sebring, Fla. who struggled to an opening-round 79 and added a 76 in Tuesday afternoon’s second round before picking up the team with a final round of 2-under 70 that left her in a group tied for 39th place at 9-over 225.
Ole Miss’ Johnson also teed it up in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, although she was unable to survive the cut and play the final round at Augusta National. She was the only player to break 70 with her 3-under 69 in the opening round in the LSU Tiger Classic. Johnson struggled a little in a 3-over 75 in Tuesday afternoon’s second round before closing with a 2-under 70 that left her in a tie for second place with Arkansas’ Brooke Matthews, a redshirt junior from Rogers, Ark., at 2-under 214, three shots behind Lindblad.
Matthews did survive the cut in the Augusta Women’s Amateur Championship after two rounds at Champions Retreat Golf Club and finished in a tie for 22nd place at 10-over 226. Matthews sandwiched a 74 in Tuesday afternoon’s second round at the University Golf Course with a pair of 2-under 70s to get her piece of runnerup honors.
Vanderbilt’s Yu sandwiched a 73 in Tuesday afternoon’s second round with a pair of 1-under 71s to earn her share of fourth place with LSU’s Wallace at 1-under 215.
Joining LSU’s Stone in the quartet tied for sixth place at even-par 216 were Texas A&M’s Brooke Tyree, a junior from Sulphur, La., Alabama’s Benedetta Moresco, a freshman from Italy and No. 19 in the Women’s WAGR, and Tennessee’s Nicole Whiston, a sophomore from San Diego, Calif.
Tyree closed with a sparkling 5-under 67, the best round of the day Wednesday, after carding rounds of 76 and 73 in Tuesday’s double round. Moresco added a pair of 73s to her opening round of 2-under 70. Whiston, who compiled a glittering junior record, fired a 4-under 68 in Tuesday afternoon’s second round after opening with a 75 and then finished up with a 73.
Heading a group of four players tied for 10th place at 1-over 217 was Auburn’s Meghan Schofill, a sophomore from Monticello, Fla. and No. 38 in the Women’s WAGR. Schofill bounced back from an opening-round 75 with a 2-under 70 in Tuesday afternoon’s second round before matching par in the final round with a 72.
Joining Schofill at 1-over were Arkansas’ Julia Gregg, a sophomore from Farmer’s Branch, Texas, Vanderbilt’s Celina Sattelkau, a sophomore from Germany, and Pepperdine’s Lion Higo, a freshman from Australia.
Gregg matched par in Tuesday afternoon’s second round after opening with a 75 and then closed with a 2-under 70. Sattelkau added a pair of 73s to her opening round of 1-under 71. After opening with a 74, Higo got it going in Tuesday afternoon’s second round with a 3-under 69 before finishing up with another 74.
Arkansas’ Matthews and Auburn’s Schofill were joined by potential U.S. Curtis Cup teammates, Kennedy Swann, a senior at Ole Miss from Austin, Texas, and Auston Kim, a junior at Vanderbilt from St. Augustine, Fla., in the field for the LSU Tiger Classic. Swann finished in a tie for 16th place at 3-over 219 and Kim finished in a tie for 20th place at 5-over 221.
Matthews, Schofill, Swann and Kim were part of a group of a dozen Americans who auditioned for the U.S. team in a practice session at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club in Orlando, Fla. in late January. The U.S. will take on Great Britain & Ireland in the Curtis Cup Match in August at Conwy Golf Club in Caernarvonshire, Wales.
Like Matthews, Kim survived the cut and played at Augusta National for the final round of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, finishing in a tie for 25th place. Schofill and Swann failed to make the cut after two rounds at Champions Retreat.
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