Women’s golf finishes strong at Evans Derby Experience

Courtesy+of+UA+Athletics

Courtesy of UA Athletics

Carey Reeder, Contributing Writer

The No. 18-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide women’s golf team carded a final round of 5-over par 293 in the Evans Derby Experience on Monday. The final round was the Crimson Tide’s best 18-hole score in the three-day event and Alabama finished 13th overall with team score of 907.

The 14-team field tournament featured every team ranked in the top 50, according to Golfstat.com. Nine teams, including the Crimson Tide, were ranked among the top-20 nationally entering the Evans Derby Experience.

“Sunday’s second round was disappointing, so it felt a lot better to go out and shoot a good score (on Monday),” Alabama head coach Mic Potter said. “We had one of the lowest rounds of the day in a field that is filled with elite teams which just proves that we capable of competing with any of with them. We need to keep moving forward in order to continue to improve.”

Junior Kenzie Wright finished 10th overall with a 2-over par 218 (73-72-73) to close play on Monday, her second top-10 finish of the season. Wright finished second among the entire field in total birdies (11) and par-five scoring average (-5, 4.58).

Fellow junior Jiwon Jeon posted a final round of 1-under par 71 on Monday to boost her to a 12th-place tie with a 219(72-76-71). Jeon finished third in total birdies (10) and second overall in par-three scoring average (-2, 2.83). It was Jeon’s fourth top-20 finish of the season to lead all UA golfers.

Sophomore Angelica Moresco carded a 1-under par 71 on Monday, her best round on the tournament, to climb up into a 48th-place tie with a 54-hole total of 229 (75-83-78). Junior Anna Reid, competing in her first collegiate tournament, finished in 80th-place with a 242 (82-82-78).m

“Jiwon and Kenzie both had a great tournament and I thought Angie played well today,” coach Mic Potter said in a press release. “I thought Anna definitely gave us a little bit of a spark from that fourth position, so we’ve got to keep getting her better. We need to have that fifth player be able to get us a round or two and then we need Kenzie, Jiwon and Angie all need to continue to improve, so that’s what we are going to work on before we head to Athens in a couple of weeks.”

The freshman duo of Carolina Caminoli and Mary Mac Trammell rounded out the UA golfers. Caminoli, playing as an individual in the tournament, finished in 82nd-place with a 245 (80-80-85). Trammell finished in 85th-place with a 252 (81-84-87).

No. 11-ranked Florida State won the tournament after posting a final round of 3-under par 285 to claim the team title with a 54-hole total of 6-over 870.

No. 18-ranked Alabama will travel to Athens, Ga., for their final regular season tournament in the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic on April 11-13 at the University of Georgia Golf Club.

“Typically, we would consider the postseason to begin at the SEC Championships, but we as coaches have to start considering the postseason starts now,” Potter said. “Every tournament we play in, we are able to gather more information and identify the ones who will be factors for us in the postseason. We are at that time now so it’s a matter of being really structured and organized in what each do every day in order to get better.”