UTC Falls to Furman in Final Round of the SoCon Golf Championships
POOLER, Ga. – Furman shot a 285 Tuesday as part of a tournament-record 54-hole score of 858 to claim the 2015 Southern Conference Women’s Golf Championship at the par-72, 6,050-yard Savannah Quarters. The Paladins’ Taylor Totland was the individual medalist with a tournament-record score of 208.
With the win, Furman clinched the SoCon’s automatic bid to the NCAA Regionals. The NCAA field will be announced live on the Golf Channel during “Golf Central” from 6-7 p.m. EDT on Monday, April 27.
Totland and teammate Alice Chen gave Furman a 1-2 finish in the individual standings, as the Paladins had three players finish in the top 10 and four in the top 13. Totland, who was voted the SoCon Player of the Year by the league’s nine head coaches, matched the tournament record with a 4-under 68 Tuesday to complete her 8-under 208. Totland’s 54-hole mark was four strokes better than the previous record, set in 2003 by Western Carolina’s Brandy Andersen and matched by Chen this season.
Totland and Chen, playing in the final two pairings of the day, were tied at 4-under for the day and 8-under for the tournament heading into the final three holes. Chen, who was voted the SoCon Freshman of the Year, bogeyed 16 and 17 and double-bogeyed 18, while Totland bogeyed 16 before birdieing 17 and finishing with par on 18 to cap her record-breaking tournament. Totland’s bogey on 16 was her only blemish of the day, while all five of her birdies came on the back nine. She trailed Chen by three strokes at the turn but birdied her first four holes of the back circuit to forge the tie atop the leaderboard.
The duo powered Furman to a 22-stroke win over runner-up and five-time defending champion Chattanooga, which finished second at 16-over-par 880 (294-288-298). Furman, which set a single-round tournament record with a 289 in Sunday’s first round and then lowered it with a 284 in Monday’s second round, closed the tournament with a 3-under 285 to close out its 6-under 858 and wire-to-wire win.
The Paladins shattered Western Carolina’s tournament mark of 894, which had stood since 2003. The previous single-round record 291 was set by College of Charleston in 2006 and matched by Furman and UNCG in 2013.
In addition to Totland and Chen, Furman also saw freshman Reona Hirai post a top-10 finish by wrapping up play in a tie for ninth at 3-over 219 after Tuesday’s 2-under 70. Valentina Romero tied for 13th at 221 (76-70-75) and Laura DeMarco was 17th at 224 (74-75-75).
The SoCon title was the 14th for the Paladins as a team and first since 2009. Totland’s individual title was also Furman’s 14th and the first since Stefanie Kenoyer won consecutive crowns in 2008 and 2009.
Furman’s Kelley Hester was named the SoCon Coach of the Year by her peers.
Chattanooga survived a furious rally by Samford to claim the runner-up trophy, finishing one stroke ahead of the Bulldogs (299-290-292=881), who trailed the Mocs by double digits early in the day. Chattanooga was led by junior Emily McLennan, the 2014 SoCon medalist, who finished third this year at 2-under 214 after Tuesday’s 1-over 73. Agathe Sauzon, the 2013 medalist, was two strokes back in a tie for fourth at even-par 216 after an even-par 72 Tuesday.
Samford was paced by Bailey Gray, who tied for sixth with a 1-over 217. The senior fired a 1-over 73 Tuesday to back up Monday’s 4-under 68, which matched the tournament record set by Caroline Peek of Furman in 1994. With Gray and Totland shooting 68s this year, that total has been reached eight times in SoCon tournament history.
Western Carolina’s Kim Mitchell moved up three spots to finish in a tie for fourth with Sauzon, turning in a 2-under 70 for a three-day total of 216.
Wofford freshman Lela Oakley tied Samford’s Gray for sixth at 217 with a 1-under 71 Tuesday, while ETSU’s Dominika Czudkova finished alone in eighth at 2-over 218 with Tuesday’s 72. UNCG’s Sammie Buchanan rounded out the top 10, tying for ninth with Furman’s Hirai at 3-over 219 after Tuesday’s 2-under 70.
In the team race, Wofford (302-293-296=891) and Western Carolina (298-302-291=891) tied for fourth, while ETSU finished sixth at 894 (303-296-295). Each of the top six teams in this year’s field finished at or below the previous tournament record of 894.
UNCG (313-307-301=921), Mercer (305-306-312=923) and The Citadel (326-323-317=966) rounded out the field.
2015 Southern Conference Women’s Golf Championship
Savannah Quarters
Par-72, 6,050 yards
Pooler, Ga.
Top 10 individuals
Pl Player, team R1 R2 R3 Total
1. Taylor Totland, Furman 71 69 68 208
2. Alice Chen, Furman 70 70 72 212
3. Emily McLennan, Chattanooga 72 69 73 214
T4. Kim Mitchell, Western Carolina 72 74 70 216
T4. Agathe Sauzon, Chattanooga 73 71 72 216
T6. Lela Oakley, Wofford 73 73 71 217
T6. Bailey Gray, Samford 76 68 73 217
8. Dominika Czudkova, ETSU 75 71 72 218
T9. Sammie Buchanan, UNCG 75 74 70 219
T9. Reona Hirai, Furman 74 75 70 219
Team standings
Pl Team R1 R2 R3 Total
1. Furman 289 284 285 858
2. Chattanooga 294 288 298 880
3. Samford 299 290 292 881
T4. Wofford 302 293 296 891
T4. Western Carolina 298 302 291 891
6. ETSU 303 296 295 894
7. UNCG 313 307 301 921
8. Mercer 305 306 312 923
9. The Citadel 326 323 317 966
SoCon Player of the Year
Taylor Totland, Furman
SoCon Freshman of the Year
Alice Chen, Furman
SoCon Coach of the Year
Kelley Hester, Furman
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