SMU women’s golf brought home the title from the 2014 East & West Match Play Challenge in Ann Arbor, Michigan this weekend. This tournament title was the first title the Mustangs clenched since the 2013 Central District Invitational.
Play began on Saturday which determined seeding for match play to follow.
“This will be a great course or match play,” Head Coach Jeanne Sutherland said. “It will challenge us to think differently while playing with a partner.”
The Mustangs brought the starting five players who competed in the Minnesota Invitational the previous weekend.
Mustang sophomore Lindsey McCurdy battled back after being four-down through seven holes leading to a one-up victory over Bev Vatananugulkit. McCurdy’s victory brought the SMU women’s golf team to the East & West Match Play Challenge Team Championship, 3-2 over UC Davis.
“We knew this morning that Lindsey was going to be our anchor and she was clutch,” Sutherland said. “She knew it could come down to her and she was positioned right where we would have wanted. Her resiliency paid off and she came up huge for the team.”
The Mustangs trailed 3-2 at the turn for the second straight day, but they didn’t let it end there. The nail-biting contest was tied , 2-2, when McCurdy and Vatananugulkit sat all squared through hole 15. McCurdy won the 8th, 9th, 12th and 13th to draw even. She went on to birdie 17 and take the lead.
Senior Mustang Jennifer Park took the first SMU point and doubled her two-up lead at the turn to turn four-up after a birdie on hole 15.
“Jennifer learned a lot this week,” Sutherland said. “She played pressure-free and it showed in the results. She played with an edge and it rubbed off on the entire team. I really like what she accomplished for us.”
Another Mustang standout was Alexandra Rossi who was three-down through hole 5 as she went on to win the 16th and 17th holes.
“Alexandra was great from start to finish all tournament,” Sutherland said. “From stroke play on, we knew we could count on her. We really needed her today and she came through. I like how she dug deep and beat a great player.”
The team title was finally clenched by McCurdy’s strong finish.
“I think this showed the team that we can clearly win in a match-play format,” Sutherland said. “We need to improve during the stroke play portion but I think this was great learning experience for the new NCAA Championship configuration. UC Davis is a great team and this was a solid win for us.”
SMU heads to the Schooner Fall Classic in Norman, Oklahoma on Oct. 4. The event hosted by Oklahoma will last three days and will take place at the Belmar Golf Course.
