ORLANDO, Fla. – TheOld Dominion women's golf team opened its spring 2023 season at the UCF Challenge this Sunday through Tuesday, with the Monarchs finishing 17th in a field that featured five teams ranked in the Top 25 by GolfStat. The three-day tournament was hosted by UCF at Eagle Creek Golf Course in Orlando, Florida.
ODU combined for a 54-hole total of 883 to finish at 19-over par. No. 2 Wake Forest won the team title as the Demon Deacons turned in a 42-under par 822. No. 11 Mississippi State was the runner-up as the Bulldogs were four strokes back at 826 (-38), and Northwestern took third place with an 827 (-37).
"This is just the first tournament of a long and competitive spring schedule," said head coach Mallory Kane. "We know we are better than what we showed this week and we won't let this finish get us down. We are lucky to have another tournament in Florida this weekend. We welcome the quick turnaround and look forward to some better golf at the Columbia Classic."
UCF's Anna Nordfors was the individual champion with a 21-under score of 195. She edged out Mississippi State's Julia Lopez Ramirez by two strokes, and Wake Forest's Rachel Kuehn placed third with a total of 201 (-15). The Monarchs were led by Lucia Gonzalez, who carded a two-over 218 to tie for 52nd. Klara Wildhaber tied for 72nd with a six-over 222 and Leah Onosato shot an eight-over 224 to 77th. Rounding out the card for ODU were Federica Torre and Minami Kudo, who both tied for 86th with scores of 10-over 226.
Wildhaber had the best round of the tournament for the Monarchs. The junior from Fribourg, Switzerland made five birdies on Sunday, including two in a row on holes 16 and 17. Torre also had her best round on Day One with an even 72. Gonzalez fired a two-under 70 for her second trip around the course before finishing with an even round of 72 on Tuesday.
ODU will be heading back to Florida this weekend to play in the Columbia Classic. The Lions are hosting the tournament this Saturday through Monday, Feb. 11-13 at Duran Golf Club in Melbourne.
Team Results
1. #2 Wake Forest (268-277-277 – 822) -42
2. #11 Mississippi State (277-271-278 – 826) -38
3. Northwestern (272-270-285 – 827) -37
4. UCF (277-276-284 – 837) -27
5. Kentucky (283-277-284 – 844) -20
6. College of Charleston (280-277-288 – 845) -19
7. North Texas (287-279-285 – 851) -13
8. Kansas (285-281-286 – 852) -12
9. #6 Texas A&M (281-290-283 – 854) -10
10. #20 Kent State (284-292-279 – 855) -9
11. Michigan State (280-294-284 – 858) -6
T12. Penn State (290-285-287 – 862) -2
T12. #23 Iowa State (292-287-283 – 862) -2
T12. UNCW (285-286-291 – 862) -2
15. Virginia Tech (287-293-292 – 872) +8
16. North Florida (304-286-292 – 882) +18
17. Old Dominion (290-296-297 – 883) +19
18. Miami (Fla.) (291-301-304 – 896) +32
ODU Lineup
T52. Lucia Gonzalez (76-70-72 – 218) +2
T72. Klara Wildhaber (69-77-76 – 222) +6
T77. Leah Onosato (74-74-76 – 224) +8
T86. Federica Torre (72-75-79 – 226) +10
T86. Minami Kudo (75-78-73 – 226) +10
Women's Golf Concludes Play at UCF Challenge
