Alabama Concludes Memorable Season at 2022 NCAA Women’s Golf Championships
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The University of Alabama women’s golf team competed in their final round of the season Sunday, after playing 54 holes at the 2022 NCAA Women’s Golf Championships at the Grayhawk Golf Club Raptor Course (par 72, 6,340 yards) in Scottsdale, Ariz. The Crimson Tide put together a 14-over-par 302 in the third round, producing a 52-over-par 916 tournament total for 24th place.
The top 15 teams advanced to the fourth round of stroke play, which will take place Monday, with the cut line at 39-over-par 903.
The Crimson Tide got off to a convincing start at the NCAA Championships Friday, sharing eighth place at the end of the first round, recording a 10-over-par 298, despite hitting into more than 10 mph winds and in near 100-degree temperatures. However, the lineup had to turn around less than 13 hours later and do it all over again. Alabama made early mistakes in the second round and never really generated enough momentum, resulting in a 28-over-par 316 Saturday.
UA was going to need to go just one over in the third round to make the eventual cut, and despite shedding off 14 strokes from its previous round, its 14-over-par 302 Sunday fell short.
However, Crimson Tide fans have something to look forward to in Isabella van der Biest. The freshman, who just joined the lineup at the start of the spring season, paced the Tide at the end of the tournament with rounds of 72, 81 and 73, resulting in a 10-over-par 226 for a share of 63rd place. The rookie turned in two of the Crimson Tide’s lowest results with her first- and third-round scores, just one week after being selected to the Southeastern Conference All-Freshman Team.
Just behind her, Angelica Moresco was consistent throughout the three-day stretch, recording rounds of 77, 75 and 76 for a 12-over-par 228 tournament total and tied for 75th place. Sunday’s 18 holes marked her final round as a member of the Crimson Tide women’s golf team, after five favorable seasons at the Capstone.
Veterans Polly Mack and Emilie Øverås concluded the tournament tied for 106th place on scores of 17-over-par 233.
Mack, liked Moresco, walked her final 18 holes in a Crimson Tide uniform Sunday. The fifth year, who has immediate eligibility to compete on the EPSON Tour, capped her three-year career at Alabama being named a top-10 finalist for the ANNIKA Player of the Year and Women’s Golf Coaches Association Player of the Year awards. She rallied her lowest round of the tournament Sunday, turning in a 3-over-par 75.
Øverås, a junior, put together a 6-over-par 78 in the final round.
Benedetta Moresco, who competed with her sister Angelica at the NCAA Championships for the first time together, recorded an 8-over-par 80 Sunday for an 18-over-par 234 tournament total and a share of 111th place.
Alabama concluded its season in Scottsdale, after earning one team championship and three individual championships in 2021-22. It rallied eight finishes inside the top four, including two runner-up finishes, through 13 tournaments overall. It also reached its 16th NCAA Championships appearance, including its 15th under head coach Mic Potter.
FROM HEAD COACH MIC POTTER
“Yesterday’s round put us in a really tough spot. It required us to be more aggressive today, and this golf course is hard to do that on because a lot of the hole locations, you’re really penalized if you’re a yard or two off. It turns out, on the first hole we had two that looked really good, but they were a yard or two off and they turned into bogeys right away, and that’s not the kind of start we needed. So, we learned a lot. This is a golf course that we have to take away from here what we need to practice beginning next fall, but with a new team. We need to be more precise, we need to have much better short game, and we need to be better putters, and we have to go to work on that.”
RESULTS
- T63 Isabella van der Biest 72-81-73 / 226 (+10)
- T75 Angelica Moresco 77-75-76 / 228 (+12)
- T106 Polly Mack 77-81-75 / 233 (+17)
- T106 Emilie Øverås 74-81-78 / 233 (+17)
- T111 Benedetta Moresco 75-79-80 / 234 (+18)