VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – Jana Melichova of the Old Dominion women's golf team shot a 5-under 65 on Tuesday to break the program's 18-hole scoring record and finish in a tie for third at the Evie Odom Invitational, hosted by Old Dominion at the Princess Anne Country Club.
"I feel like almost everything was working today," Melichova said. "I was hitting my shots really well today, but I was struggling with some of the putts that I missed. I missed so many birdie chances, but overall I felt like I finally found myself. And that's a really positive thing to take from this tournament."
The senior from Pikovice, Czech Republic broke her own 18-hole gross scoring record. She shot a 66 in the third round of the Golfweek Program Challenge in 2018, just her third round of competitive golf at ODU. That 66 occurred on the par-71 Caledonia Fish & Golf Club, meaning Melichova tied the record for score in relation to par (-5) on Tuesday.
"What a great round it was," head coach Mallory Hetzel said. "She just played awesome. Hit the ball great and made a few putts. I think it's a great way for her to cap off the fall season."
Melichova bettered her score each round. She started with a 1-over on Sunday before shooting an even-par 70 in the second round. Eight of Melichova's 12 rounds in the fall were par or better.
For the event, Melichova was second in par-5 scoring (-4) and tied for fifth with 11 birdies. Additionally, she was one of five players with an eagle.
Federica Torre opened with an even-par 70 on Sunday and finished tied for 31st at 219 (+9). Sarah Busey bounced back from an opening-round 76 with consecutive 72s to tie for 37th with a three-round total of 220.
Leah Onosato finished one stroke behind Busey at 221 and tied for 42nd. Pilar Muguruza rounded out ODU's scoring five with a 225 and a share of 57th.
Competing as an individual, Elsie Verhoeven tied for 52nd at 223. She shot a 72 in the second round, her lowest score this season.
As a team, the Monarchs placed ninth with a 23-over-par score of 863. ODU bettered its score each round, culminating with a 3-over 283 on Tuesday.
UCF placed first on the team leaderboard with a tournament-record score of 841 (+1). The Knights shot a tournament-record 274 (-6) in the final round. College of Charleston finished as runner-up at 848.
Tunrada Piddon of UCF won by five strokes, finishing at 10-under 200, yet another tournament record. She carded a hole-in-one on the par-3 seventh hole on Tuesday. Tiffany Arafi of Coastal Carolina was the individual runner-up with a mark of 205.
UNCG's Tara Bettle fired a 63 on Tuesday to set a new tournament record.
The Monarchs now await the start of their spring season. ODU returns to action at the UCF Challenge in early February.
"I think when we can clean up some of the mistakes that we've made we have a great team that can go out and shoot under par each round, which is ultimately what it takes to be successful in the conference," Hetzel said. "I'm excited for our future. It's really bright. This is the best team we've had in a while, so we'll work hard this offseason and be ready to go in February."
ODU Lineup
T3. Jana Melichova – 71-70-65—206
T31. Federica Torre – 70-75-74—219
T37. Sarah Busey – 76-72-72—220
T42. Leah Onosato – 75-73-73—221
T57. Pilar Muguruza – 79-73-73—225
Melichova Shoots Program-Record 65 in Final Round of Evie Odom Invitational
