DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.---The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women's golf team lost its third match finishing eighth at the NGCA Hooters Collegiate Match Play at the Legends Course at LPGA International on Tuesday. The Lady Mocs lost 3-2 to South Carolina.
USC claimed wins at matches three and five in relatively easy fashion. Amanda Stang defeated Lady Mocs junior Christine Wolf 3&2. Stang won the first hole and never looked back allowing Wolf just two hole wins over their 16 holes.
It was a disappointing day for Maria Juliana Loza losing 3&1 to Bendicte Toumpsin at No. 5. Loza shot two-under par for 17 holes but fell to Toumpsin who played those same holes at five under.
With the match starting on hole No. 7, Toumpsin's birdie gave her a lead that she would never relinquish. Toumpsin scored six birdies against just one bogey to offset Loza's three birdies and one bogey.
Loza captured wins with birdies on 12 and 18, but she was four down with four to play. She birdied holes three and four to close to two down, but Toumpsin closed the door with a birdie on the pair's 17th hole (No. 5).
Emma de Groot continued her stellar play with a 1 up win over Corrine Carr in match No. 1. de Groot took the lead on the third hole of the match and extended it to as much as 4 up with five holes to play before Carr stormed back. A par on the par-five eighth hole, the 18th of the match secured the point for Chattanooga. She went 3-0 in her matches for the week.
Maria Salinas gave the Lady Mocs another point with a 2 up win over Taylor Barrett in the fourth match. Salinas trailed by two holes after just three on the day, but she would not be denied. She outlasted Barrett in claiming the two up win without a single birdie on the day as pars on the 17th and 18th holes of the match (No. 6 & 7) gave her the victory.
It came down to Match No. 2, UTC senior Kayla Stewart against the Gamecocks Katie Burnett. Stewart opened with a birdie on the pair's first hole, No. 9, and led 2 up after two holes. She increased the lead to 3 up with seven holes to play with a par on the par four first hole.
Burnett won holes three, four and six to square the match and her par on the eighth topped Stewart's bogey to claim the match for South Carolina.
Despite the strong showing, the three match losses sting for the Lady Mocs.
"Right now we are all bummed out," said head coach Colette Murray, in her third year re-starting the program. "We could have won, and should have won all three of the matches (vs. Florida, Georgia & USC), so it is very disappointing.
"I think once we are able to reflect on what we achieved here (including toppling top 10 programs Duke and North Carolina to reach the championship bracket), it'll be a good memory," added Murray. "We knew coming in that we can play with anyone in the country and now we have this to build on it for next week."
LSU claimed the championship with a 3-1-1 win over Auburn. Virginia topped Florida for third-place by a score of 4-1.
The Lady Mocs return to action this Sunday, Sept. 13, for the Golfweek Conference Challenge at the Primm Valley Casinos Desert Course in Primm, Nev.
No. 2 South Carolina 3, No. 8 Chattanooga 2
Sept. 8 - LPGA International Legends Course
Match, Result
No. 1 - Emma de Groot (UTC) def. Corrine Carr (USC) 1 up
No. 2 - Katie Burnett (USC) def. Kayla Stewart (UTC) 1 up
No. 3 - Amanda Stang (USC) def. Christine Wolf (UTC) 3&2
No. 4 - Maria Salinas (UTC) def. Taylor Barrett (USC) 2 up
No. 5 - Benedicte Toumpsin (USC) def. Maria Juliana Loza (UTC) 3&1
