Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. – The Stetson women's golf team tied for the low round of the day on Tuesday in the final round of the Jacksonville Classic, moving up to fifth place in the final standings for the tournament.
The Hatters closed with a 296, which was their highest score of the tournament, but tied with North Florida and Florida State for the low round of the day. None of the other 11 teams in the tournament managed to break 300 in the final round of play.
The result was the Hatters moved past both Houston Baptist and Wofford, and to within a shot of Daytona State for fourth place.
“The course was better today than it had been, but the water was coming up out of the ground because the tides were so high,” Hatters coach Floyd Kerr said. “The greens were still good.
“It was a good tournament for us. Everything was very positive.”
Junior Kristine Odaiyar finished the event tied for sixth place overall, joining UNF's Emelie Alpe. The two players matched scores in each of the three rounds. In Tuesday's final round, Odaiyar opened with a birdie on the par 5 eighth hole and then closed with consecutive birdies on the par 5 sixth and the par 3 seventh. Her one-under par round of 71 left her with an even par score of 216 for the tournament.
“Kristine had a good tournament and is starting to play well,” Kerr said. “She really finished strong with back-to-back birdies on the last two holes.”
Nationally-ranked Florida State coasted to the team title in the tournament. The Seminoles (853) surrendered eight shots to par in the final round, but still finished with a 24-stroke advantage over second place Rollins (877). UNF (880) finished third ahead of Daytona State (884) and Stetson (885).
The Seminoles also led the way in the race for individual medalist honors. Matilda Castren and Kim Metraux, who entered the final round separated by one shot for the lead, remained that way as both players posted scores of 75 in the final round. Rollins' Annie Dulman shot a 74 to finish tied for third, just two shots off the lead, along with Daytona State's Katie Veale, who had a 76 on Tuesday, and Florida State's Kayla Jones, who finished with a 75.
Odaiyar and Alpe were two of just four players who managed to break par in the final round.
Stetson junior Giulia Vandenberg missed out on a top 10 finish by one shot after her even par final round of 72 left her at 219, tied with four other players for 11th place. Fellow junior Alessandra Kutz closed out the tournament with a 76, leaving her tied for 26th with an eight-over par score of 224.
“Giulia was solid throughout and Alessandra had a solid tournament,” Kerr said. “I am sure she was disappointed to finish with a double on the last hole, but she made tremendous strides and started to look like the player she was as a freshman.”
Sophomore Paige Kemp had an up and down final round, closing with a 77 to finish the tournament tied for 47th with a 14-over par score of 230. Fellow sophomore Eilidh Watson got off to a rough start in the final round, but battled her way to a final round score of 80. She finished tied for 52nd, one shot behind Kemp.
The Hatters will get right back to work this weekend when they travel to Greensboro, NC, to play in the UNCG Forest Oaks Fall Classic. The team will travel to Greensboro on Thursday, play a practice round, and then open play in the tournament on Friday. The event will feature single rounds over three days of play, concluding on Sunday.
“I'll take all six girls to Greensboro, but I have not yet decided what the lineup will be and which one will play as an individual,” Kerr said. “There is really not much difference from one to six. We have played six rounds so far and we have been under 300 in five of the six rounds. That is pretty substantial.”
