TALLAHASSEE, F.L. – The Kennesaw State women’s golf team saved their best for last as the Owls turned in a season-low one-under par 287 in their final round at the Florida State Match-Up on Sunday (Feb. 15) to finish in a tie for fifth place with a season-low 54-hole 21-over par total of 885 at the par-72, 6,236-yard Southwood Golf Course.
The Owls missed out on a tie for second place by only two strokes and bested No. 38 Florida State and No. 42 Coastal Carolina in the process, while also tying with No. 16 Texas A&M in the team standings.
“This team is such an amazing group of young women,” said head coach Rhyll Brinsmead. “The composure they showed today was incredible. We are capable of competing with and beating the best. To come within two shots of a second place finish against the nation’s best and to beat two ranked teams is testament to their talent. I am very pleased with this result and to kick off spring season this way is very exciting. We will continue to work hard and look ahead to Miami.”
Freshman Henriette Nielsen led the charge on Sunday by registering six birdies, including four in the final six holes en route to a career-low two-under par 70 in her final round to finish in a tie for 14th with a four-over par total of 220. It was the first under-par round of the Sorø, Denmark native’s collegiate career, while also being a career-low tournament total and the top finish for the freshman.
Joining her in a tie for 14th was senior Ines Lescudier, who carded a two-over par 74 in her final round for her fifth top-20 finish of the season.
Sophomore Dulcie Sverdloff was only one shot off of the duo and wrapped the tournament with a season-low five-over par 221 after firing a one-under par 71 on Sunday. She posted four birdies on the day to finish in a tie for 17th.
Senior Kaew Preamchuen rebounded for an even-par 72 in her final round and ended the tournament with a 10-over par total of 226 to come in a tie for 28th, while sophomore Laura Estefenn totaled a 14-over par 230 for the tournament after turning in a three-over par 75 in the third round.
“My game was not going well in the first couple days, but the coaches continued to work with me to help my play improve,” said Preamchuen. “I responded well today and felt very confident with my drive and approach shots. I was also proud of our great team round today and to finish top-five in a strong field of teams.”
No. 26 Furman posted the low team-round of the day with a seven-under par 281 to take the team title by seven strokes with a 54-hole score of 876 at 12-over par. No. 9 Mississippi State and No. 17 Virginia finished in a tie for second place with a 19-over par tournament total of 883, while the second-ranked team in the country, South Carolina, wrapped the event with a 20-over par total of 884 to place fourth.
Bianca Fabrizio of Texas A&M took home individual medalist honors after defeating Taylor Totland of Furman in a two-hole playoff after both players finished 54 holes of action with a two-under par score of 214.
Florida State and Texas A&M earned the Match-Up championship with a total of 1097, while the Owls and their partner team, Troy, finished fifth with a total of 1130 in the partner competition.
The Owls will next break from competition for two weeks, before traveling to Coral Gables, F.L., for the Hurricane Invitational, hosted by the University of Miami on March 2-4, 2015 at the Biltmore Golf Course.