CHATTANOOGA—The Chattanooga Mocs women’s golf team completed its own Chattanooga Classic with 307 Tuesday at Council Fire Golf Club. That gives the squad a total of 919.
The Mocs finished in 16th, one behind Old Dominion in 15th. Indiana was 14 behind the hometown lasses with Jacksonville another eight behind the Hoosiers. Carolina Hortian and Kera Healey carded 73s to lead the way. Dorota Zalewska added 77, while Megan Docherty chipped in 84.
Zalewska claimed yet another top 20 tying for 18th overall with 219. Healey was next at 226 with Hortian close behind with 228. Docherty and Isabela Yu Lee, who played as an individual, added 246s to the ledge with Nieves Martin rounding out the six totals with 264.
SMU set records in pulling away with the team titles. Today’s 11-under 277 is two better than UTSA’s 279 record set last season adding on to yesterday’s new 36-hole mark of 573 (-3). That means the Mustangs shattered the 54-hole record by 19 shots with 14-under 850. It also meant a 20-stroke win over Xavier in second, although they didn’t leave empty-handed.
The Muskateers’ Emma McMyler held off a late charge for medalist honors tying 2022 champion Anne Chen’s (Duke) scoring mark of 207 (-9). That charge came in the form of SMU’s Michelle Zhang’s 8-under 64, yet another new tourney standard.
The Mocs return to action in two weeks at the Southern Conference Championships. This year’s event returns to an old haunt, Moss Creek Golf Course in Hilton Head, S.C. The 3-day, 54-hole event is April 6-18. Full results, live scoring and pairings, when available, can be found on GoMocs.com’s women’s golf schedule page.
Chattanooga Classic
April 2-4 (Sun-Tue) | 54 holes (18 per day)
Lineup
Team – 16th of 18: 308-304-307=919
T18) Dorota Zalewska: 73-69-77=219 (+3)
T42) Kera Healey: 79-74-73=226
T50) Carolina Hortian: 77-78-73=228
T89) Megan Docherty: 79-83-84=246
T89) Isabella Yu Lee (Ind.): 79-85-82=246
94) Nieves Martin: 87-87-90=264
Course
Council Fire G.C. | Par 72 | 6,209 yards
Field
Chattanooga, Augusta, Campbell, Central Arkansas, Colorado State, ETSU, Grand Canyon, Indiana, Jacksonville, Middle Tennessee, Minnesota, Notre Dame, Old Dominion, USF, SMU, UTSA, Xavier, Yale
History
2009 Lady Mocs Intercollegiate (April 6) | Lookout Mountain GC
Champion: Kentucky: 325 (+37)
Runner-Up: Chattanooga: 326 (+38)
Medalist: Mallory Blackwelder, Kentucky: 77 (+5)
2015 Chattanooga Classic (April 6-7) | Council Fire GC
Champion: Chattanooga: 298-296-293=887 (+23)
Runner-Up: Central Arkansas: 300-301-301=902 (+38)
Medalist: Morgan Ransom, Vanderbilt: 71-72-71=214 (-2)
2021 Chattanooga Classic (March 29-30) | Black Creek GC
Champion: ETSU: 294-296-297=887 (+23)
Runners-Up: Chattanooga & Iowa: 894 (+30)
Medalist: Tereza Melecka, ETSU, 68-72-72=212 (-4)
2022 Chattanooga Classic (March 27-29) | Council Fire GC
Champion: UTSA: 297-279-293=869
Runner-Up: North Florida: 294-284-292=870
Medalist: Anne Chen, Duke, 72-69-66=207 (-9)
Live Scoring
Golfstat
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Golf
UTC’s Zalewska, Healey Named To All-SoCon Golf Team
Chattanoogan
-Senior Dorota Zalewska and freshman Kera Healey were among the honorees announced today by the Southern Conference in its annual postseason awards. Zalewska repeated on the All-SoCon team, while Healey netted All-Freshman consideration.
“I’m really pleased for Dori and Kera,” Coach Colette Murray shared. “Both have worked really hard this year, and I’m glad to see it recognized.”
It’s Zalewska’s second All-SoCon honor also earning it in 2022. “Dori” led the Mocs with a 72.93 though the Southern Conference Championships. She posted one top 5 and four top 10s for the year and is ranked No. 92 in the latest Golfstat rankings.
Zalewska set numerous season and team records along the way. She owns the marks for season rounds in the 60s (8) as well as career in the 60s (13) and total par or better cards (38). She has two wins, two runners-up, seven top 5s, 13 top 10s and 19 top 20 finishes over her last 24 events. She’s the 29th all-conference pick for the program and ninth to do it multiple times.
Healey is the 15th All-Freshman honoree under Murray. She’s the fourth in a row to get it in an odd-numbered year – Holly Morgan (2017), Rheagan Hall (2019) & Beatriz Barrios (2021).
The native South African averaged 75.83 strokes per 18 growing as the year progressed. She averaged 76.47 in five fall events before shaving more than 1.25 strokes in the spring (75.20). The numbers certainly showed in the results with a top 10 and three top 20s.
The Chattanooga Mocs look eagerly toward Wednesday’s NCAA Selection Show. This year’s NCAA Tournament field is announced at 1 p.m., on the Golf Channel. Zalewska is expected to repeat on her appearance from a year ago.
2023 SoCon Women’s All Conference Teams
All-Conference Team
Dorota Zalewska, Sr., Chattanooga
Hollie Muse, Sr., ETSU
Sophie Bert, So., ETSU
Anna Morgan, Sr., Furman
Chloe Johnson, Fr., Furman
Kate Song, So., Mercer
Grace Holcomb, So., UNCG
Brielle Mapanao, Fr., Western Carolina
Elizabeth Lohbauer, So., Western Carolina
Madison Isaacson, 5th, Western Carolina
All-Freshman Team
Kera Healey, Chattanooga
Chloe Johnson, Furman
Faith Johnson, Furman
Julia Baeumken, UNCG
Brielle Mapanao, Western Carolina
Player of the Year – Anna Morgan, Sr., Furman
Freshman of the Year – Brielle Mapanao, Western Carolina
Coach of the Year – Courtney Gunter, Western Carolina
Rose Zhang’s star continues to rise with top-10 finish in pro major debut
Emma Hruby | Just Women’s Sports
Rose Zhang’s star continues to rise in the LPGA, as she followed up her winning professional debut with a top-10 finish at her first pro major at the Women’s PGA Championship.
The 20-year-old American finished tied for eighth place behind a final-round charge at Baltusrol Golf Club in New Jersey. She shot a 67 on Sunday to finish at five under par, three shots back of the lead.
“I would say I’m content with the result. I’m not content with how I played,” Zhang said. “From the beginning of the week, I feel like there’s always room to work on things, and I’m really satisfied with my overall performance, but there’s little mistakes that I made that you just can’t really afford to make.
“I felt really confident with my putter the whole day, and the last couple days I feel like that really saved me this entire week. But the last couple holes, putts fell a little short, they lipped out a little bit.”
Ruoning Yin won the title at eight under par, becoming just the second woman from China to win a major championship. She beat Japan’s Yuka Saso by one stroke, birdying the final hole to join Shanshan Feng in Chinese golf history. Feng won 10 times on the LPGA Tour, though her only major win came at the PGA Championship in 2012.
“I would say she’s definitely the goal that I’m chasing,” Yin said of Feng. “But I think she is the person who inspired me the most.”
For Zhang, who just made the jump from college (where she won back-to-back national titles), the difficulty of the court stood out as the main difference from her past competitions.
“I feel like it’s still golf, so I still felt the same energy as any other event except this is major week, and the golf course is a lot harder,” she said. “It’s playing a lot more difficult. You have to be on your toes at all times. Losing a little bit of focus causes you to have errors, and that’s just something you can’t afford at a major championship.
“But I think that was the different part, was just making sure that you’re still in the moment and you’re still hitting it shot by shot, regardless of what the result is.”
Zhang climbed to within one shot of the lead Sunday before a few mistakes on the back nine sunk her shot at victory. But she still recorded her best-ever finish at a major (she played in several as an amateur), which she called “pretty special.”
“It’s definitely a different dynamic when you’re a professional versus an amateur,” she said. “And when you’re playing your game, you really have to be precise with your numbers, really understand what your swing is doing, and there is no room for error. Therefore, I’m excited to keep working on my game.”
CATARINA MACARIO, CHLOE KIM AND MORE: 20 FEMALE ATHLETES TO KNOW IN 2022
As 2021 comes to an end, it’s time to look forward to the year ahead in sports.
With the Winter Olympics in February, March Madness on the calendar and a landmark NWSL season to come, women’s sports fans are in store for an exciting year.
Here are the 20 athletes to know or get reacquainted with in 2022:
[Read more…] about CATARINA MACARIO, CHLOE KIM AND MORE: 20 FEMALE ATHLETES TO KNOW IN 2022HOW CISCO IS HELPING POWER NELLY KORDA AND THE LPGA
BY: Emma Hruby | Just Women’s Sports
Not even Nelly Korda predicted the year she would have on the golf course.
After COVID-19 forced the suspension of part of the 2020 season, Korda has doubled her wins on the LPGA Tour in 2021, claimed her first major title at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and won a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics. The 23-year-old enters the Solheim Cup this weekend ranked No. 1 in the world after the most dominant season on tour of any women’s golfer.
Cisco has been following Korda’s career ascent with pride.
The technology company partners with Korda and eight other golfers across the PGA, LPGA and APGA Tours, creating one of the most diverse rosters of athlete brand ambassadors in golf. When Cisco signed Korda along with older sister Jessica Korda and Danielle Kang in January 2020, she was coming off of a few titles and her first top-10 ranking, but the company couldn’t have known how quickly she would rise.
The reputation Korda has built since then is what makes her an ideal representative of Cisco’s mission in golf. Through their involvement in the sport, Cisco is committed to creating more visibility for women’s golf and ultimately inspiring the next generation of female golfers.
“The last 18 months have truly been a whirlwind,” Korda said. “Obviously when I partnered with Cisco at the beginning of last year, no one could have imagined what would come with the Tour being suspended and the world really coming to a halt.
“But to come out of such an uncertain time playing the best golf of my career, and to win my first major championship, become World No. 1 and win an Olympic gold medal all in the last few months is more than I ever could have dreamed.”
[Read more…] about HOW CISCO IS HELPING POWER NELLY KORDA AND THE LPGAPapp Pulls Out First Professional Victory
Beaumont, TX) – The final round of the Babe Zaharias Open has concluded and it was a shootout. Several players were able to take advantage of the favorable conditions round four had to offer and two Texas Longhorns and a Texas Tech Red Raider battled it out for 18 holes.
Kaitlyn Papp (Austin, TX) held a three-shot lead heading into the final round of the Babe Zaharias Open. Papp found herself in familiar territory as last week, as she was once again in the final group in the final round. This time however, Papp came into the final round with the lead and she was determined to keep that lead. Starting her day with a birdie, Papp wanted to send a message early that last week would not be a normal final round. The other two players in her group were Greta Voelker (Germany) and Sofia Garcia (Paraguay) who both put on the pressure all day, but Papp answered the call. Even when Garcia tied the heading into 18, Papp never seemed phased. Garcia would hit it right off the tee and into the trees, while Papp would put it right down the middle. Garcia shortsided herself in the greenside bunker and could not get up and down. Papp found the middle of the green on 18 and was able to two-putt to become the 2021 Babe Zaharias Open Champion!
The top-5 for the Race to Stage II also concluded in Beaumont. The top-5 to end the season were Jessica Porvasnik, Sofia del Rosario, Gabby Then, Ginger Howard, and Sofia Garcia. Congratulations ladies and good luck in Florida at Stage II!
The Women’s All Pro Tour would like to thank Beaumont Country Club and the city of Beaumont for their hospitality and help all week. A very special thank you to Head Professional Jeff Cooper, Tournament Director Roni Stephenson, Volunteer Chair Cindy Lindsay, Housing Coordinator Jodi Meaux, and Course Superintendent Brandon Johnson.
Philippine Saso Steals Show With Playoff Win at Olympic
What Happened
The Olympic Club struck again. Just as in the five U.S. Opens contested on the club’s Lake Course, the first U.S. Women’s Open Championship played over this iconic Bay Area layout wasn’t kind to the favored final-round frontrunner.
Olympic’s list of past victims includes Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson, Jim Furyk and Payne Stewart, and Lexi Thompson can now be added to the remarkable list of players who have come up short in championship bids here.
Thompson, the 54-hole leader, was five strokes ahead of her closest pursuers on a beautiful early June Sunday with 10 holes remaining, only to play the final eight in 5 over par, including consecutive bogeys on Nos. 17 and 18 that left the 26-year-old Floridian with a final-round 75, one agonizing stroke shy of the playoff between Yuka Saso and Nasa Hataoka at 4-under 280.
It took three holes to decide the outcome. Saso converted a 12-foot birdie putt on the first sudden-death playoff hole (No. 9) after both players made back-to-back pars in the two-hole aggregate playoff. At 19 years, 11 months, 17 days old, Saso joined World Golf Hall of Fame member and seven-time major winner Inbee Park as the youngest champion in U.S. Women’s Open history – to the day. She also becomes the first player from the Philippines to engrave her name on the Harton S. Semple Trophy. Princess Mary Superal (2014 U.S. Girls’ Junior) is the only other player from the Philippines to claim a USGA title.
“I don’t know what’s happening in the Philippines right now, but I’m just thankful that there’s so many people in the Philippines cheering for me,” said Saso, a two-time winner on the LPGA Tour of Japan. “I don’t know how to thank them. They gave me so much energy. I want to say thank you to everyone.”
[Read more…] about Philippine Saso Steals Show With Playoff Win at OlympicDriving Equity Grant Program Expands Women’s Golf Coverage
By Julia Pine, USGA
The USGA has launched the Driving Equity Grant Program to invite media outlets to expand their coverage of women’s golf by offering financial support to help alleviate any associated costs.
Ahead of the 2020 U.S. Women’s Open last December, the USGA launched “Women Worth Watching” as a long-term commitment to use its championships and platforms to celebrate female athletes and role models while promoting equality and diversity in sports. After driving awareness to the disparity in women’s sports coverage in Year One, the Driving Equity Grant Program is the organization’s next actionable solution to shrink the equality gap in golf.
“Today, women’s sports, including golf, are stuck in a recurring cycle where media outlets don’t always receive significant return on investment when they cover events that lack household names. Simultaneously, it is nearly impossible for a sport to build household names without consistent and rich storytelling from the media,” said Craig Annis, the USGA’s chief brand officer. “As the governing body of golf, we feel a deep responsibility to be a leader in breaking that cycle in our sport, and we believe the Driving Equity Grant Program is an important next step in that progress. This is not a problem that will be solved overnight; however, if the entire industry works together and shines a brighter light on women in the game, we have an opportunity to change the future of golf.”
[Read more…] about Driving Equity Grant Program Expands Women’s Golf CoverageAthlete of the Month Kaitlyn Papp to Play in Round 1 of the U.S. Women’s Open at Olympic Club
The U.S. Women’s Open kicks off on Thursday at Olympic Club in San Francisco, California. Here are the first-round tee times (all times ET):
[Read more…] about Athlete of the Month Kaitlyn Papp to Play in Round 1 of the U.S. Women’s Open at Olympic Club