DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The LSU women’s golf team used the lowest round of the afternoon session to easily put itself in the championship bracket for Monday’s first day of match play in the NGCA/Hooter’s Collegiate Match Play championships at the LPGA International Legends Course Sunday.
LSU tied for third in the 16-team field that would determine the eight teams in the championship match play bracket with a 36-hole total of 14 over par. Auburn also finished at that number. In fact, the championship bracket resembles a Southeastern Conference championship as SEC teams finished in the first six qualifying positions.
Florida is the top seed at nine-over 585, one shot better than South Carolina at 586. Then Auburn gets the third seed at 14-over 590 with LSU the fourth seed. Georgia is the fifth seed two shots back at 16-over 592, with Alabama getting the sixth seed at 24-over 600. The remaining two qualifiers for the championship bracket are Virginia (601) and UT-Chattanooga (602). Defending champion Duke finished 10th and will be in the consolation bracket.
As the fourth seed, LSU will face Georgia in the first-round of the bracket Monday morning. The players will play five individual matches with the team winning three advancing.
“I’m very proud of the girls and the way they play in the first event, especially for the first tournament,” said LSU Coach Karen Bahnsen. “The afternoon round was really great the way they put things together. Now comes the fun part, the match play and we’ll see what happens.”
LSU, ranked 11th in the preseason NGCA coaches poll, opened with an 11-over 299 in the opening round over the course at LPGA headquarters, but it was an afternoon round that found them under par most of the way before settling for the day’s best tournament round of three-over par 291.
It was a day when the five player, count four scores format, was in full effect as LSU dropped second-team All-American Megan McChrystal‘s eight-over 80 in the opening round, but the Florida native came back in the afternoon to help the team with a one-under par 71.
Sophomore Jacqueline Hedwall finished third overall in the individual competition with rounds of 71-73 to finish at even par 144, while freshman Mary Michael Maggio of Conway, Ark., in her first collegiate competition responded with rounds of 72-73 to get in at one-over 145, tying for eighth. McChrystal finished at 151, with Amalie Valle (78-74) at 152 and Lindy LaBauve (78-80) at 158.
The first round of match play begins at 7 a.m. CDT
NGCA/Hooters Collegiate Match Play
Daytona Beach, Fla.
Team Qualifying (First 8 teams to championship bracket of Match Play) (Par 288-876)
1. Florida 293-293 ? 585 +9; 2. South Carolina 292-294 ? 586 +10; 3. Auburn 294-296 ? 590 +14; 3. LSU 299-291 ? 590 +14; 5. Georgia 295-297 ? 592 +16; 6. Alabama 302-298 ? 600 +24; 7. Virginia 304-297 ? 601 +25; 8. UT Chattanooga 302-300 ? 602 +28; 9. Kent State 303-300 ? 603 +27; 10. Duke 303-303 ? 606 +30; 11. TCU 304-304 ? 607 +31; 11. North Carolina 305-302 ? 607 +31; 13. Georgia State 315-295 ? 610 +34; 14. Ole Miss 300-323 ? 623 +47; 15. Colorado 315-309 ? 624 +48; 16. UCF 325-310 ? 635 +59.
Top 5 Individuals
1. Cydney Clanton, Auburn, 73-69 ? 142 -2; 2. Rachel Raastad, TCU, 71-72 ? 143 -1; 3. Katie Burnett, South Carolina, 69-75 ? 144 E; 3. Jacqueline Hedwall, LSU, 71-73 ? 144 E; 3. Catherine O’Donnell, North Carolina, 72-72 ? 144 E; 3. Milena Savich, Georgia, 71-73 ? 144 E; 3. Amanda Starang, South Carolina, 72-72 ? 144 E.
LSU Scores
T3. Jacqueline Hedwall 71-73 ? 144 E
T8. Mary Michael Maggio 72-73 ? 145 +1
T29. Megan McChrystal 80-71 ? 151 +7
T37. Amalie Valle 78-74 ? 152 +8
T58. Lindy LaBauve 78-80 ? 158 +14