BATON ROUGE – While the college golf season may end with the national championship tournament at the end of May, the members of the LSU women’s golf team didn’t just pack the clubs away not to be seen again until the season resumes in September.
The Tigers went on journeys of their own that took them from Pebble Beach and Los Angeles in California to across the Atlantic to England, Scotland, Sweden and Finland for competitions.
There was success everywhere you looked from the U. S. Amateur to the U.S. Open, from the R&A’s Women’s Amateur to the European Ladies Individual and Team Championship.
There were medals, championships, team glory and more. All the while carrying the brand of LSU women’s golf far and wide.
Here’s a detailed look at the success the members of the LSU women’s golf team had in this “Summer of Tigers:”
INGRID LINDBLAD –
*Most recently honored as the recipient of the 2023 Mark McCormack medal winner by the USGA & The R&A as the top women’s amateur golfer in 2023.
*Ranked No. 1 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings for the past 11 weeks (as of Aug. 20).
*Semifinalist in the R&A Women’s (British) Amateur at Prince’s in England in June. She tied for second in the 36-hole qualifying at 2-under par 142 and then advanced through match play, winning in the round of 16 against World No. 3 amateur Cayetana Fernandez Garcia-Poggio and advanced to the semifinal round.
*Lindblad also was the bronze medal winner at the European Ladies Amateur Championships in Sweden, posting a 72-hole score of 5-under par 283.
*The Swedish star also played for her country and continent, helping Europe to victory over the Great Britain and Ireland team in the Vagliano Trophy in Scotland, and then in Finland represented Sweden in the European Ladies Team Championship.
*Stepped into the professional game, making the cut in the Volvo Car Scandinavian Mixed event; and, posted a 2-under par 70 and made a birdie putt in a playoff to earn a qualifying spot in the AIG Women’s Open, her sixth professional major she played in.
LATANNA STONE –
*Stone played in the two most prestigious amateur events of the summer the U.S. Women’s Open and the R&A Women’s (British) Open.
*In the U.S. Amateur, Stone was one of 64 golfers in the field of 156 to advance to match play and then faced one of the toughest gauntlets offered in a match play bracket to reach the championship match. It marked the first time since 2001 that an LSU women’s golfer had played for the amateur title.
*Stone, a member of the 2022 victorious U.S. Curtis Cup team, beat the Nos. 7, 10 and 25 players in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking on her run and Stone’s five wins came against three of her 2022 USA Curtis Cup teammates (Amari Avery, Rachel Kuehn and Rachel Heck), the 2022 U.S. Girls’ Junior champion (Yana Wilson) and the 2022 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball champion Thienna Huynh.
*In the Women’s Amateur in England, playing links golf for the first time, Stone posted a two-round total of 2-under par and advanced to match play. Stone said after the qualifying that “playing link s is actually so much fun … I think that this will definitely help my golf games for future events.” Little did she know that eight weeks later Stone, ranked 23rd in the WAGR (Aug. 20) would be one of the stars of the U.S. Amateur.
CARLA TEJEDO –
*Tejedo played with success in Europe during the summer months and for the second straight year was on a gold medal winning team for her native country of Spain.
*The Spanish ladies’ team defeated the 2021 and 2022 champions from England in the European Ladies’ Team Championship in Finland. It was Spain’s first win in the event in 10 years.
*In the European Ladies Amateur Championship in Sweden, Tejedo posted an opening round of 67 and finished 72 holes at 3-under par 285 to finish in a tie for eighth. In the Spanish amateur championship, Tejedo finished 11th at 2-over 290.
*Tejedo was one of five LSU golfers to make match play in the R&A Women’s Amateur.
*Tejedo is ranked 85th as of Aug. 20 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings.
AINE DONEGAN—
*The native of Ireland became one of the feel-good stories of the 2023 United States Women’s Open with her personality and charisma as she overcame a set of lost golf clubs and a broken driver to be one of just four amateurs to make the cut on the difficult Pebble Beach layout.
*Donegan’s summer of play started before that by qualifying for the championships at a California qualifying site in which a friend invited her to try to get in the Open.
*Then came a four-week stretch which started with a match play birth in the R&A Women’s Amateur, a third-place finish in the Irish Women’s Close Championship in which she finished third, participation for the GB & Ireland team in the Vagliano Trophy match against Europe and then the U.S. Women’s Open.
*Donegan got to California from Scotland, but the clubs didn’t. Her social media search for her clubs eventually received enough attention that the clubs finally did arrive, but the head of her driver was damaged beyond repair. With a driver she enjoyed using in the practice rounds, Donegan went out and shot a 3-under 69. With a large Irish following in San Francisco, the LSU lass had plenty of fans including one who went out on the beach off the ninth green and drew in the sane, “Go Donegan.”
*The summer saw her also participate in the European Ladies Amateur Championship and the U.S. Women’s Amateur and her summer isn’t quite done as she will return to Ireland for the KMPG Women’s Irish Open at a very familiar course, Dromoland Castle in County Claire, Ireland.
TAYLOR RILEY –
*Was one of the hottest golfers on the Southern California amateur circuit in the summer of 2023, rising some 1,100 spots from early July to Aug. 20.
*Won the San Diego City Amateur Championship in her home city with a score of 2-under 142 at Torrey Pines.
*Advanced to the semifinals of the California State Women’s Amateur Championship.
*Qualified for the U.S. Women’s Amateur in Los Angeles, and with her mom (former LSU golf star Michelle Louviere Riley) on the bag, advanced through qualifying to match play where she won two rounds to advance to the round of 16, officially finishing T9 in the event
EDIT HERTZMAN –
*Was one of five Tigers to advance to match play in the Women’s Amateur Championship in England, winning two matches once the event went ot match play and finishing T17.
*Also played during the summer in the European Ladies Amateur Championship and the JSM Slag, Swedish Junior Tour event, finishing in a tie for 14th.
JORDAN FISCHER—
*Incoming freshman Jordan Fischer took part in some of the top Florida events this summer, finishing fifth in the Florida Women’s Amateur Championship.
*Her big moment came when she became the first amateur to win the Florida Women’s Open shooting rounds of 70-67-69 to shoot 10-under 206
*She also participated in the prestigious Women’s Western Amateur Championships in Illinois in July.
Now the Tigers return to prepare for the season opening event, Sept. 11-12 in Charleston, South Carolina for the Cougar Classic.