Zhang helps SMU overtake UCF to claim team title in Briar's Creek Invitational; Penn State gets share of fourth

   A couple of teams with designs on an American Athletic Conference championship, Southern Methodist and Central Florida, battled it out for the team title in the Briar’s Creek Invitational at The Golf Club at Briar’s Creek on a cold and windy Tuesday on Johns Island, S.C. near Charleston.

   Ultimately, it was the Mustangs, behind individual co-medalist Michelle Zhang, a freshman from Carrollton, Texas via China, who pulled out the team crown with a 13-under-par 851 total.

   SMU had opened with a 3-under 285 over the 6,152-yard, par-72 Briar’s Creek layout and added a 10-under 278 in the afternoon of Monday’s double round that left the Mustangs three shots behind UCF, which came to St. Johns Island as the highest-ranked team in the field.

   With temperatures not getting out of the 50s and windy conditions, SMU matched par in Tuesday’s final round with a 288, the low round of the day, to overcome its AAC rival.

   The Knights opened with a 5-under 283 and added an 11-under 277 in Monday afternoon’s second round. UCF battled hard in the cold and windy conditions of Tuesday’s final round, carding a 6-over 294 to finish in second place with a 10-under 854 total.

   SMU began the week at No. 30 in the Golfstat rankings, but its victory in the Briar’s Creek moved the Mustangs into the top 25 at No. 25. UCF moved up a spot from No. 20 to No. 19 with its runnerup showing in the Briar’s Creek.

   SMU’s Zhang was steady, no matter the conditions, as she carded three straight 2-under 70s to share medalist honors with North Carolina State’s Lauren Olivares Leon, a sophomore from Mexico, each landing on 6-under 210.

   With Carrollton, Texas as her base in the States, Zhang was a standout on the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) circuit and earned herself a spot on the biggest stage in women’s golf last spring when she teed it up in the U.S. Women’s Open at the Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in Southern Pines, N.C.

   Olivares Leon opened with a solid 4-under 68 and added a 1-under 71 that left her two shots out of the lead going into Tuesday’s final round. Olivares Leon closed with another 1-under 71 to match Zhang’s 6-under total.

   Maryland, out of the Big Ten, finished 13 shots behind UCF in third place with a 3-over 867 total. The Terrapins added a 1-under 287 in Monday afternoon’s second round to their opening round of 3-under 285 before closing with a 7-over 295. Maryland dropped from No. 35 to No. 39 in the Golfstat rankings in the aftermath of the Briar’s Creek.

   It was a nice showing for Penn State, another Big Ten entry, as the Nittany Lions, who moved up from No. 77 to No. 74 in the Golfstat rankings following the Briar’s Creek, got a share of fourth place with North Carolina State, out of the Atlantic Coast Conference, as both teams landed on 9-over 873, six shots behind Maryland.

   While Penn State finished behind one Big Ten rival in Maryland, the Nittany Lions bested four other conference rivals. Illinois, which maintained its No. 55 ranking, finished a shot behind Penn State and N.C. State in sixth place with a 10-over 874 total.

   Nebraska, which dropped from No. 36 to No. 49 in the Golfstat rankings, finished in ninth place with a 16-over 880 total, No. 101 Iowa was 10^th with a 27-over 891 total and No. 103 Rutgers landed in a tie for 11^th with a 33-over 897 total.

   Penn State had two solid efforts in Monday’s double round as the Nittany Lions matched par in the afternoon with a 288 after opening with a 1-over 289. Penn State finished up with an 8-over 296.

   N.C. State, which maintained its No. 48 ranking, opened with a 5-over 293 and added a 1-over 289 in Monday afternoon’s second round before closing with a 3-over 291, the second-best team score in Tuesday’s final round.

   Illinois got off to a strong start in Monday’s double round, opening with a 5-under 283 and adding a 2-under 286 in the afternoon. But the Fighting Illini struggled in Tuesday’s tough conditions, closing with a 17-over 305 to end up a shot behind Penn State and N.C. State in sixth place.

   Backing up Zhang for SMU was Mackenzie Lee, a freshman from North Little Rock, Ark. who finished among a trio of players tied for third place with a 5-under 211 total. Lee was ahead of Zhang, her fellow freshman, a shot out of the leading going into the final round with a pair of 3-under 69s in Monday’s double round.

   Lee closed with a 1-over 73 to finish a shot behind the top two, although the round was a crucial counter for the Mustangs.

   Ellie Szeryk, a junior from Canada, gave SMU a third finisher inside the top seven as she ended up in a tie for seventh place with a 3-under 213 total. The younger sister of former Texas A&M standout Maddie Szeryk, Ellie Szeryk started her college career with the Aggies before transferring to SMU.

   Ellie Szeryk was just two shots off the individual pace going into Tuesday’s final round after adding a 3-under 69 in Monday afternoon’s second round to her opening-round 70. Ellie Szeryk closed with a 2-over 74, another important contribution to the Mustangs’ team title.

   Lauren Miller, a senior from Niceville, Fla., saved her best for last as her final round of 1-under 71 enabled her to finish in the group tied for 36^th place with a 7-over 223 total. Miller had registered a pair of 4-over 76s in Monday’s double round, but her solid finish went a long way to securing the team crown for SMU.

   Rounding out the SMU lineup was Ashley Chow, a junior from Canada who sandwiched a solid 2-under 70 in Monday afternoon’s second round with a pair of 5-over 77s.

   Joining SMU’s Lee in the trio tied for third place in the individual chase at 5-under 211 was UCF’s Jess Baker, a junior from England, and Illinois’ Crystal Wang, a graduate student from Diamond Bar, Calif.

   Baker was something of an afterthought when she teed it up in the Royal & Ancient’s Women’s Amateur Championship at England’s Hunstanton Golf Club last summer. But the English woman, with her dad on the bag, captured one of the biggest prizes in women’s amateur golf, knocking off Louise Rydqvist, a talented sophomore at South Carolina from Sweden, 4 and 3, in the scheduled 36-hole final.

   I’m sure Baker got a considerable jolt of confidence from that victory. She was two shots out of the lead at Briar’s Creek following a pair of 3-under 69s in Monday’s double round before closing with a 1-over 73. Baker was the first of four Knights who finished in the top 10.

   Wang had the lead going into Tuesday’s final round as she added a 3-under 69 in Monday afternoon’s second round to her sparkling opening round of 5-under 67 that matched the low individual round of the tournament. Wang fell back a little with her final round of 3-over 75 in Tuesday’s tough conditions.

   Maryland’s Patricie Mackova, a junior from the Czech Republic and No. 93 in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), seemed unbothered by Tuesday’s chilly winds as she matched the low round of the tournament with her 5-under 67, the only sub-70 round of the day, that left her alone in sixth place with a 4-under 212 total.

   Mackova had matched par in the opening round with a 72 before adding a 1-over 73 in Monday afternoon’s second round.

   Joining SMU’s Szeryk in the tie for seventh place at 3-under 213, a shot behind Mackova, was UCF’s Anna Nordfors, a graduate student from Sweden who got it going in Monday afternoon’s second round, matching the low round of the tournament with a 5-under 67, after opening with an even-par 72. Nordfors closed with a 2-over 74.

   College of Charleston’s Viktoria Hund, a junior from Germany and the reigning Colonial Athletic Association champion, finished alone in ninth place with a 1-under 215 total. Hund carded a pair of steady 1-under 71s in Monday’s double round before closing with a solid 1-over 73.

   UCF’s Thai duo of Pimpisa “Sandwich” Sisutham, a freshman, and Tunrada Piddon, a senior and No. 95 in the Women’s WAGR, headed a group of five players tied for 10^th place at even-par 216.

   Sisutham matched par in all three rounds with three 72s while Piddon added a 3-under 69 in Monday afternoon’s second round after matching par in the opening round with a 72 before closing with a 3-over 75.

   Rounding out the quintet at even-par were Miami’s Sara Byrne, a sophomore from Ireland, Iowa’s Paula Miranda, a sophomore from Mexico, and North Florida’s Christin Eisenbeiss, a junior from Germany.

   After opening with a 2-over 74, Byrne recorded back-to-back 1-under 71s. Miranda matched par in Monday afternoon’s second round with a 72 after opening with a 1-under 71 and finished up with a 1-over 73. Eisenbeiss opened with a solid 4-under 68 and matched par in Monday afternoon’s second round with a 72 before backing off a little in Tuesday’s tough conditions with a final-round 75.

   Leading the way for Penn State was Isha Dhruva, a senior from Katy, Texas who closed with one of the best rounds of the day in Tuesday’s cold and wind as she carded a 2-under 70 to finish in the group tied for 18th place with a 2-over 218 total. Dhruva struggled a little in the opening round with a 5-over 77, but got untracked in Monday afternoon’s second round with a 1-under 71.

   Sarah Willis, a fifth-year senior from Eaton, Ohio, backed up Dhruva for the Nittany Lions as she finished among the group tied for 25^th place with a 4-over 220 total. Willis got off to a great start, adding a 3-under 69 in Monday afternoon’s second round to her opening-round 71. But she struggled in Tuesday’s tough conditions, closing with an 80.

   Mathilde Delavallade, a senior from France who has been Penn State’s leading lady for much of the wraparound 2022-2023 season, was a shot behind Willis in the group tied for 29^th place with a 5-over 221 total. After matching par in the opening round with a 72, Delavallade added a 1-over 73 in Monday afternoon’s second round before finishing up with a 4-over 76.

   Drew Nienhaus, a sophomore from St. Louis, Mo., finished strong with a 1-under 71 in Tuesday’s final round to end up in the group tied for 32^nd place with a 6-over 222 total. Nienhaus had added a 3-over 75 in Monday afternoon’s second round to her opening-round 76.

   Rounding out the Penn State lineup was fifth-year senior Taylor Waller, who starred scholastically at Canon-McMillan. Waller finished in a tie for 51^st place at 9-over 225 as she opened with a solid 2-under 70 and added a 4-over 76 in Monday afternoon’s second round before struggling to a 79 in Tuesday’s difficult conditions.

   As she has much of the spring season, Penn State head coach Denise St. Pierre brought along sophomore Michelle Cox, a three-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier at Emmaus, to compete as an individual. After opening with a 2-over 74, Cox struggled to a 7-over 79 in Monday afternoon’s second round before closing with a 77 that left her in a tie for 70^th place with a 230 total.