Women’s Golf: 12th-ranked Hoos finish 10th in Guadalajara

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

The No. 12 Virginia women’s golf team finished 12th at the Collegiate Invitational at Guadalajara Country Club in Guadalajara, Mexico. The Cavaliers were faced with lineup issues during the two-day, 54-hole event due to illness that prevented UVA from fielding a complete lineup through any round. UVA shot 17-over 305 during the final round for a total of 43-over 907. UVA was the host school for the tournament.

Due to a stomach bug that made its way through the team, the Cavaliers were forced to juggle their lineup as only three of the six players on the trip managed to complete 54 holes of play. Using a play-five, count-four format, UVA was not afforded the opportunity to throw out a high score during any round, completing each 18 holes with just four players on the course.

On the first day, Megan Propeck was unable to compete due to illness. She returned for the third round, that saw Jennifer Cleary withdraw after four holes. Maline Kraus, who was competing as an individual, did not play during the final 36 holes after falling ill.

Amanda Sambach used a final-round 72 to lead the Cavaliers at 6-over 222. She placed 10th overall to record her seventh career top-10 finish. Rebecca Skoler was 33rd at 229 and Riley Smyth was 43rd at 232. No other player recorded a finish since they did not play all 54 holes.

“I’ve never seen a group collectively battle more than this one,” said UVA head coach Ria Scott.  “It was so selfless of them to push individual results aside and play to complete a team score. They were models of grit and fortitude and I am so proud and grateful to have each of them representing UVA.

“Five out of six of them had a heath issue to overcome, and the one healthy player carried that weight with her as she played.”

Baylor, ranked No. 24, won the event at 8-over 872. The Bears shot 2-under during the final round to pull away from runner-up Florida State and Georgia. The No. 10 Seminoles were second at 18-over 882 while No. 40 Georgia was third at 20-over 884.

Baylor’s Rosie Belsham claimed the individual title at 6-under 210. She shot a tournament-best 6-under 66 during the final round. Georgia’s Jenny Bae was the runner-up at 5-under 211.

“Guadalajara Country Club made this week feel like a major championship in women’s collegiate golf,” Scott said. “The excellent test of golf, the hospitality and professional event setup was truly first class. We are beyond grateful to partner with them as co-hosts of this event.”

All 12 teams in the field were ranked in the top-50 of the most recent Golfstat standings. UVA returns to action Feb. 27-March 1 at the Darius Rucker Invitational.

Collegiate Invitational at Guadalajara Country Club
Guadalajara Country Club
Guadalajara, Mexico
Par 72, 6,333 yards
Final Results

Team Results
1. Baylor — 292-294-286-872
2. Florida State — 296-292-294-882
3. Georgia — 289-297-298-884
4. California — 294-307-293-894
5. NC State — 314-290-292-896
6. Arizona — 305-305-287-897
7. Maryland — 306-292-303-901
8. Michigan — 304-304-294-902
9. Tennessee — 301-306-298-905
10. Virginia — 299-303-305-907
11. Ole Miss — 309-306-299-914
12. North Carolina — 317-305-296-918

Individual Leaders
1. Rosie Belsham, Baylor — 72-72-66-210
2. Jenny Bae, Georgia — 71-69-71-211
3. Silje Ohma, Baylor — 72-72-69-213

Virginia Results
10. Amanda Sambach — 76-74-72-222
33. Rebecca Skoler — 72-77-80-229
43. Riley Smyth — 77-75-80-232
nf. Megan Propeck — WD-WD-73-x
nf. Jennifer Cleary — 74-77-WD-x
nf. Maline Kraus* — 84-WD-WD-x
* Competing as an individual