The roller-coaster ride that was the American Athletic Conference Championship came down to one stroke, at the last hole, on the final day. Conference rival Louisville managed to best UCF by just one shot.
Although the Knights held the lead through the first two rounds at the Hammock Beach Resort’s Ocean Course, Louisville’s Emily Haas caught fire Tuesday, matching individual medalist Jenny Haglund’s (SMU) final round best of 71 (-1) and leading the Cardinals to the victory. The Knights and Louisville traded the lead several times throughout the third and final round. But it was a par on the final hole by Haas that clinched the win for the Cardinals.
“Louisville was the better team [today]. We really haven’t played well since LSU (March 21-22) and we have a lot of work to do before we go to the NCAA Championship,” UCF head coach Emily Marron said. “We have a good team, but we know we will have to play a lot better than this to have a chance at NCAAs.”
UCF freshman Ashley Holder led the Knights from wire to wire, finishing in third place overall. Teammate Kristine Odaiyar, also a freshman, had the Knights’ next best finish, tying for seventh. Coach Marron said she was proud of the underclassman’s effort and how they pulled through for the team.
The Knights have now finished second or better in the last seven tournaments and have had a top-three individual finish in six of those events.
The 2014 NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championship selections will be announced live via the Golf Channel Monday, April 28, during Golf Central which will air that evening from 6 to 7 p.m.
Team Results
- Louisville 314-302-299= 915 (+51)
- UCF 307-302-304= 916 (+52)
- SMU 315-306-307= 928 (+64)
UCF Golfers