Penn State, under second-year head coach Kristen Simpson,
capped off a busy September with a solid seventh-place finish against a tough
field in the Cavalier Regional Preview, which wrapped up Tuesday at Birdwood
Golf Course in Charlottesville, Va.
One of Simpson’s prized recruits, Jiratchaya Jiratthitinun,
a freshman from Thailand, finished among a foursome of players tied for sixth
place in the individual standings with a solid 1-under 212 total.
It was the first time Penn State has played in the
tournament and was a homecoming for Simpson, who played her college golf at
Virginia.
I plan to check in on all three of Penn State’s September
tournaments in this post, but I want to go back a couple of weeks to the 48th
Nittany Lion Invitational, played in spectacular late summer weather Sept. 14th
and 15th at Penn State’s Blue Course, and start there.
Penn State, coming off a 16th-place finish in its
season-opening appearance against a loaded field in the Cougar Classic at the
Yeamans Hill Club in Charleston, S.C., had its best round of the weekend, an
8-over 296, in the final round of the Nittany Lion Invitational to end up in
fourth place with a 31-over 895 total.
Penn State, playing out of the Big Ten, was led by Drew
Nienhaus, a senior from St. Louis, Mo. who was steady all weekend while
finishing in a tie for third place in the individual standings with an even-par
216 total. After opening with a 1-under 71, Nienhaus added a 1-over 73 in the
second round of the opening-day double round before matching par in the final
round with a 72.
A couple of Ivy League entries dominated the team chase as
Princeton rolled to the team crown with a 10-over 874 total with Harvard 15
shots behind the Tigers in second place with a 25-over 889 total.
Princeton posted a pair of 1-over 289s in the opening-day
double round to take control of the team race before finishing up with an
8-over 296 that matched Penn State for the best team round in the final round.
Harvard added a 6-over 294 in the afternoon of the
opening-day double round to its 7-over 295 in the first round before closing with a 12-over
300.
Princeton was led by Catherine Rao, a senior from Caramillo,
Calif. and No. 49 in the Women’s World
Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) who finished three shots clear of teammate Abra
Richmond, a freshman from Glendale, Calif., with a 5-under 211 total.
Rao missed the wraparound 2023-’24 season with an injury,
but was clearly back in form at last month’s U.S. Women’s Amateur at Southern
Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla. where she made a remarkable third straight
run to the quarterfinals.
Rao took control of the individual race with an opening
round of 5-under 67 and never let up. She added a 2-under 70 in the afternoon
of the opening-day double round before closing with 2-over 74.
Richmond was the only other player to finish in red figures
for the weekend as she matched par in the opening round with a 72 and then
posted back-to-back 1-under 71s in the final two rounds for a 2-under 214
total.
Jacksonville State, a Conference USA representative,
finished three shots behind Harvard in third place with a 28-over 892 total.
The Gamecocks were just a shot behind Princeton after opening with a 2-over
290. They added a 9-over 297 in the afternoon of the opening-day double round,
but struggled to a 306 in the final round.
Delaware, coming off an impressive seven-shot team victory
in the Badger Invitational, hosted by Wisconsin at the University Ridge Golf
Course in Verona, Wis. to open its season, finished a shot behind Penn State in
fifth place in the Nittany Lion Invitational with a 32-over 896 total.
The Blue Hens had grabbed the lead with an opening round of
2-under 286 before falling back with an 8-over 296 in the afternoon of the
opening-day double round. Delaware struggled in the final round with a 314.
Backing up Rao and Richmond for Princeton was Olivia Duan, a
freshman from Cupertino, Calif. who finished among the group tied for 13th
place with a 6-over 222 total. Duan added
1-over 73 in the afternoon of the opening-day double round to her
morning 75 before closing with a 2-over 74.
Victoria Liu, a senior from Canada who claimed the Ivy
League individual crown for the second time in her career last spring, finished
in the group tied for 30th place with a 228 total. After opening
with a 3-over 75, Liu added a 76 in the second round before finishing up with a
77.
Liu represented Princeton in the NCAA’s Las Vegas Regional
at Spanish Trail Country Club last spring.
Rounding out the lineup for the Tigers was Caiyi Flora
Zhang, a sophomore from China who finished among the group tied for 38th
place with a 230 total. Zhang opened with a 6-over 78 and added a 75 in the
afternoon of the opening-day double round that was a counter for the Tigers
before closing with a 77.
Joining Penn State’s Nienhaus in the for third place at
even-par 216 was Yale’s Mia Sessa, a junior from Augusta, Ga. After opening
with a 1-under 71, Sessa added a 1-over 73 in the afternoon of the opening-day
double round before matching par in the final round with a 72.
Central Arkansas’ Madison Holmes, a senior from Paragould,
Ark., finished two shots behind Nienhaus and Sessa in fifth place with a 2-over
218 total. After opening with a 2-over 74, Holmes matched par in each of the
last two rounds with a pair of 72s.
A couple of Jacksonville State players, Lara El Chaib, a
freshman from the United Arab Emirates, and Emilie Clausen, a sophomore from
Denmark, finished in sixth place and in a tie for seventh, respectively, to
lead the way for the Gamecocks.
El Chaib opened with a 1-under 71 before recording
back-to-back 2-over 74s in the final two rounds to finish a shot behind Holmes
at 3-over 219. Clausen opened with a solid 2-under 70 and added a 4-over 76 in
the afternoon of the opening-day double round before closing with a 74 to end
up a shot behind El Chaib with a 4-over 220 total.
Joining Clausen at 4-over in a tie for seventh place was
Delaware’s Lilia Henkel, a sophomore from Grand Rapids, Mich. who bounced back
from an opening round of 4-over 76 with a 2-under 70 in the afternoon of the
opening-day double round before finishing up with a 74.
Henkel captured the Coastal Athletic Association individual
crown last spring, leading the Blue Hens to team crown in the CAA and a berth
in the Bermuda Run Regional in East Lansing, Mich.
Delaware will join Conference USA next summer, so Henkel may
get a chance to defend her CAA crown next spring.
Backing up Nienhaus in the Penn State lineup was senior
Michelle Cox, a three-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier at Emmaus who finished among
the group tied for 18th place with an 8-over 224 total. After
struggling in the opening round with an 80, Cox matched par in each of the
final two rounds with a pair of 72s.
Cox was coming off a solid summer of golf highlighted by a
trip to the U.S. Women’s Amateur at Southern Hills. Cox earned medalist honors
in a qualifier at the Kenwood Golf & Country Club in Bethesda, Md. to punch
her ticket to the U.S. Women’s Amateur for the first time.
Jiratthitinun, the freshman from Thailand, finished in the
group tied for 34th place with a 220 total in her Nittany Lion
Invitational debut as she struggled in the opening-day double round, adding a
5-over 77 in the afternoon to her morning 76 before bouncing back with a solid
2-under 70 in the final round.
Simpson used the occasion of the Nittany Lion Invitational
to give two of her other freshmen, Lauren Thompstone of France and Gwen Powell,
a four-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier at North Pocono, a chance to play in the
starting lineup for Penn State for the first time.
Thompstone finished in the
group tied for 38th place with a 230 total as she signed for a pair
of 5-over 77s in the opening-day double round before closing with a 76.
Powell finished in the group
tied for 56th place with a 234 total as she added a 6-over 78 in the
afternoon of the opening-day double round to her morning 76 before closing with
an 80.
Simpson sent out three other
players to compete as individuals in Penn State’s home tournament and Zeynep Sualp,
a freshman from Turkiye, and Jami Morris, a senior from Chagrin Falls, Ohio,
responded with strong showings.
Sualp finished among the
group tied for 13th place with a 6-over 222 total as she matched par
in both ends of the opening-day double round with a pair of 72s before closing
with a 6-over 78.
The veteran Morris finished
in 17th place with a 7-over 223 total as she registered a pair of
2-over 74s in the opening-day double round before closing with a 75.
Rounding out the Penn State
contingent in the Nittany Lion Invitational was Myranda Quinton, a junior from
Canada who was competing as an individual. Quinton finished in a tie for 65th
place with a 230 total as she opened with a 4-over 76 and added an 81 in the
afternoon of the opening-day double round before closing with a 79.
Neat story on the Penn State
website authored by Tyler Millen on how the international cast that Simpson has
gathered has come together as a team, despite their varied backgrounds.
Backing up Henkel for
Delaware was Hyunji Kim, a freshman from England who finished in the group tied
for 18th place with an 8-over 224 total. Kim got off to a great
start with a sparkling 3-under 69, cooled off after that, adding a 4-over 76 in
the afternoon of the opening-day double round before closing with a 79.
Alisa Khokhlova, a senior
from Russia, finished among the group tied for 21st place at 9-over
225 as she played well in the opening-day double round, matching par in the
opening round with a 72 and adding a 1-over 73 in the afternoon before closing
with an 80.
Nice addition to the
Delaware roster with the transfer of Mary Grace Dunigan from William & Mary
to the Blue Hens. Dunigan, the daughter of Golf Digest Top 50 teacher
John Dunigan, was a three-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier at Unionville and
helped the Longhorns capture the state team crown in 2020.
Dunigan, a sophomore,
finished in a tie for 38th place in the Nittany Lion Invitational
with a 230 total as she matched par in the opening round with a 72 and added a
5-over 77 in the afternoon of the opening-day double round before struggling to
an 81 in the final round.
Sophomore Marissa Malosh, a
two-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier at South Fayette coming off a solid freshman
season with the Blue Hens, finished among the group tied for 46th
place with a 232 total. Malosh opened with a solid 1-over 73, but struggled a
little after that, adding a 78 in the afternoon of the opening-day double round
before closing with an 81.
Anushka Sawant, a freshman
from South Brunswick, N.J., competed as an individual for Delaware and finished
in 73rd place with a 242 total. After opening with a 5-over 77,
Sawant struggled with rounds of 83 and 82 in the second and third rounds,
respectively.
Dunigan was coming off a
solid Delaware debut as she and Henkel finished in a tie for third place in the
individual standings, each landing on 1-over 217, in leading the Blue Hens to
team title in the Badger Invitational.
Henkel had another strong
showing as she finished in a tie for 15th place with a 4-over 220
total to help Delaware finish in 11th place in a loaded 15-team
field in the Mary Fossum Invitational, hosted by Big Ten power Michigan State
at the Forest Akers West Golf Course in East Lansing, Mich.
Delaware put together a
43-over 907 total over the 6,370-yard, par-72 Forest Akers West layout in the
Mary Fossum, which had a field that included eight Power Four teams and wrapped
up Sept. 23rd.
It was the season opener for
Patriot League representative Richmond in the Nittany Lion Invitational and the
Spiders finished in 13th place in the 14-team field with a 69-over
933 total.
Senior Lauren Jones, the
Inter-Ac League individual champion as a senior at Episcopal Academy in 2021,
finished in a tie for 38th place with a 230 total as she sandwiched
an 80 in the afternoon of the opening-day double round with a pair of 3-over
75s. Jones plays out of Merion Golf Club.
Junior Hannah Lydic, a Sussex
Academy product, finished in a tie for 74th place with a 243 total
as she struggled on Penn State’s Blue Course, adding a pair of 82s in the final
two rounds after opening with a 7-over 79.
It was a coming-out party
for Jiratthitinun in the Cavalier Regional Preview as the Penn State freshman
opened with a sparkling 3-under 68 in rainy conditions over the 6,335-yard,
par-71 Birdwood layout, matched par in the afternoon of the opening-day double
round and closed with a 2-over 73 to earn her first career top-10 finish in a
tough field.
The team title went to
Atlantic Coast Conference power North Carolina as the Tar Heels ran away with
an 18-shot victory over tournament host and ACC rival Virginia with a 22-under
830 total.
North Carolina opened with a
6-under 278 and added a sizzling 13-under 271 in the afternoon of the
opening-day double round before cooling off with a 3-under 281 in the final
round. The second round 271 was a program record for strokes in a round and in
relation to par for the Tar Heels.
North Carolina was led by
Inez Ng, a junior from Singapore who was a runaway winner with a sparkling
12-under 201 total, a program record by three shots. Ng added a sizzling
6-under 65 in the afternoon of the opening-day double round to her morning 69
before closing with a 4-under 67 in earning her first collegiate victory.
Ng finished eight shots
clear of teammate Megan Streicher, a junior from South Africa and No. 93 in the
Women’s WAGR, and Virginia’s Amanda Sambach, a senior from Pinehurst, N.C. and
No. 18 in the Women’s WAGR, both of whom landed in a tie for second place on
4-under 209.
Streicher carded a pair of
1-under 70s in the opening-day double round before finishing up with a 2-under
69. After opening with a 2-over 73, Sambach added a 4-under 67 in the afternoon
of the opening-day double round before matching Streicher’s 2-under 69 in the
final round.
Sambach led host Virginia to
a runnerup finish in the team standings as the Cavaliers were the only other
team to finish under par with a 4-under 848 total.
Virginia struggled a little
in the opening round with a 6-over 290, but quickly recovered with the best
team round of the tournament, a 14-under 270 in the afternoon of the
opening-day double round. The Cavaliers closed with a 4-over 288.
It was 20 shots back to
Southeastern Conference entry Tennessee as the Volunteers took fourth place
with a 16-over 868 total. Tennessee opened with a 7-over 291 and bounced back
with a 6-under 278 in the afternoon of the opening-day double round before struggling
to a 299 in the final round.
North Carolina State,
another ACC entry, was another 10 shots behind Tennessee in fourth place with a
26-over 878 total as the Wolfpack opened with a 10-over 294 and rebounded with
a 3-under 281 in the afternoon of the opening-day double round before struggling
to a 303 in the final round.
Penn State’s Big Ten rival
Maryland and Charlotte, which plays out of the American Athletic Conference,
finished nine shots behind N.C. State in a tie for fifth place, each landing on
37-over 889.
The Terrapins added a 3-over
287 in the afternoon of the opening-day double round to their morning 294
before struggling to a 308 in the final round. The 49ers bounced back from an
opening-round 297 with a 4-over 288 in the second round before closing with a
304.
Penn State was a shot behind
Maryland and Charlotte in seventh place with a 38-over 890 total as the Nittany
Lions rebounded from an opening-round 304 with a solid 3-over 287 in the
afternoon of the opening-day double round before closing with a 298.
North Carolina had two other
individuals finish among the top six as Ing ladpleum, a sophomore from
Thailand, took fifth place with a 2-under 211 total and Helen Yeung, a freshman
from Clarksville, Md., joined Penn State’s Jiratthitinun in the quartet tied
for sixth at 1-under 210.
Ladpleum matched her
teammate Ng’s sizzling 6-under 65 in the afternoon of the opening-day double
round after matching par in the opening round with a 71 before closing with a
4-over 75. Yeung got off to a fast start with a 3-under 68 and added a 2-over 73
in the afternoon of the opening-day double round before matching par in the
final round with a 71.
Rounding out the North
Carolina lineup was Reagan Southerland, a sophomore from Atlanta, who finished
in a tie for 20th place with a 7-over 220 total. Southerland matched
par in the afternoon of the opening-day double round with a 71 after opening
with a 75 and finished up with a 74.
Katie Vu, a freshman from
Fairfax Station, Va., competed as an individual in the Cavalier Regional
Preview and finished in a tie for 10th place with an even-par 213
total. Vu matched par with a 71 in the opening round and added a 1-under 70 in
the afternoon of the opening-day double round before closing with a 1-over 72.
Charlotte’s Pinky Chaisilprungruang,
a freshman from Thailand, finished a shot behind Streicher and Sambach in
fourth place with a 3-under 210 total. Chaisilprungruang matched par in the
afternoon of the opening-day double round with a 72 after opening with a
1-under 70 before finishing strong with a 2-under 69.
Rounding out the foursome
tied for sixth place at 1-under 212 were Tennessee’s Bailey Davis, a senior
from White Plains, Md., and N.C. State’s Marie Eline Madsen, a freshman from
Denmark.
Davis quite memorably
reached the final of the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship before falling to Rose
Zhang at Columbia Country Club in her home state in Chevy Chase, Md. in 2021.
Davis added a solid 2-under 69 in the afternoon of the opening-day double round
to her morning 1-over 72 before matching par in the final round with a 71.
Madsen matched par in the
opening round with a 71 and registered a sparkling 4-under 67 in the afternoon
of the opening-day double round before closing with a 3-over 74.
Coming off her strong
showing in the Nittany Lion Invitational, Nienhaus backed up Jiratthitinun for
Penn State at Birdwood as she finished in the group tied for 26th
place with a 10-over 223 total. After struggling to a 79 in the opening round,
Nienhaus recorded a solid 2-under 69 in the afternoon of the opening-day double
round before closing with a 4-over 75.
Cox, the former Emmaus
standout, added a pair of 2-over 73s in the final two rounds after opening with
a 78 as she finished in the group tied for 30th place with a 224
total.
Morris bounced back from an
opening-round 80 with a 3-over 74 in the afternoon of the opening-day double
round before closing with a 75 to finish in a tie for 63rd place
with a 239 total.
Rounding out the Penn State
lineup in the Cavalier Regional preview was Sualp, the freshman from Turkiye
who finished in a tie for 68th place with a 246 total. Sualp bounced
back from an opening-round 89 with an 80 in the afternoon of the opening-day
double round before closing with her best round of the tournament, a 6-over 77.
Thompstone, the freshman
from France, competed as an individual and finished among the group tied for 59th
place with a 238 total. After opening with an 80, Thompson posted a solid
3-over 74 in the afternoon of the opening-day double round before closing with
an 84.
Richmond also teed it up in
the Cavalier Regional Preview, the Spiders finishing the last of 12 teams in
the tough field with a 77-over 929 total.
Jones, the Episcopal Academy
product, finished in the group tied for 59th place as she sandwiched
a solid 3-over 74 in the afternoon of the opening-day double round with a pair
of 82s.
Lydic, the Sussex Academy
graduate, finished in 67th place with a 243 total. Lydic struggled
to an 85 in the afternoon of the opening-day double round after opening with an
80 before righting the ship a little in the final round with a 7-over 78.
Penn State had opened its
season by finishing in 16th place in a loaded 17-team field in the
Cougar Classic, which wrapped up Sept. 10th at the Yeamans Hall
Club, with a 35-over 887 total.
The Nittany Lions got a
little better every day as they opened with a 298, added a 296 in the afternoon
of the opening-day double round and closed with a 9-over 293.
The battle for the team
title in the Cougar Classic was a two-horse race between two of the SEC’s best
teams, the Plains Tigers of Auburn and the Bayou Tigers of LSU. Both teams
reached the match-play bracket in last spring’s NCAA Championship at the Omni
La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif. before falling in the
quarterfinals.
Auburn, behind Anna Davis, a
sophomore from Spring Valley, Calif. and No. 13 in the Women’s WAGR, edged LSU
by a shot with a 5-under 847 total to claim the team crown.
The two teams moved nearly
in lockstep as Auburn opened with a 2-over 286, a total matched by the Bayou
Tigers, edged in front with a 6-under 278 in the afternoon of the opening-day
double round, a shot better than the Bayou Tigers’ 279, and then matched the
Bayou Tigers shot for shot, both closing with a 1-under 283.
LSU finished a shot behind
the Plains Tigers with a 4-under 848 total.
It was another 11 shots back
to Virginia Tech, out of the ACC, in third place with a 7-over 859 total. The
Hokies opened with a 5-over 289 and added a 1-under 283 in the afternoon of the
opening-day double round before closing with a 3-over 287.
The individual title went to
Maryland’s Nicha Kanpai, a junior from Thailand and No. 80 in the Women’s WAGR,
as she closed with a sizzling 5-under 66 to edge Davis and SMU’s Mackenzie Lee,
a junior from North Little Rock, Ark. and No. 60 in the Women’s WAGR, by a shot
with a 7-under 206 total.
Kanpai had opened with a
pair of 1-under 70s in the opening-day double round that left her four shots
behind Davis.
Davis was coming off a busy August
that saw her reach the quarterfinals of the U.S. Women’s Amateur at Southern
Hills and compete for the United States in a loss to Great Britain &
Ireland in a hard-fought Curtis Cup Match at Sunningdale Golf Club in
Berkshire, England.
Davis had taken the lead in
the individual standings as she opened with a 4-under 67 and added a 2-under 69
in the afternoon of the opening-day double round. She matched par in the final
round with a 71 to share second place with Lee.
Lee trailed Davis by three
shots going into the final round as she added a 2-under 69 in the afternoon of
the opening-day double round to her morning 70. Lee closed with a 3-under 68 to
catch Davis for a share of runnerup honors.
It was the college debut for
Penn State’s Jiratthitinun and she got off to a solid start, finishing in the
group tied for 26th place with a 3-over 216 total to lead the way
for the Nittany Lions. Jiratthitnun added a 1-over 72 in the afternoon of the
opening-day double round to her morning 74 before closing with a solid 1-under
70.
Cox opened her senior season
with a solid showing as she added a pair of 1-over 72s in the final two rounds
to her opening-round 74 to finish among the group tied for 38th
place with a 5-over 218 total.
Nienhaus added a pair of 3-over
74s in the final two rounds to her opening-round 78 to finish in the group tied
for 69th place with a 226 total.
Morris got off a solid start
with a 1-over 72 in the opening round before adding a pair of 78s in the final
two rounds to finish in the group tied for 75th place with a 228
total.
Rounding out the Penn State
lineup at the Yeamans Hall Club was Quinton, the junior from Canada, and she
finished in 90th place with a 235 total. Quinton added a 7-over 78
in the afternoon of the opening-day double round to her morning 80 before
closing with her best round of the tournament, a 6-over 77.