Results

PINE MOUNTAIN, Ga. – The University of South Alabama women's golf team closed its fall season at the Callaway Gardens Invite Oct. 19-21 on the Lake View Course.

USA (297-290-286—873) finished in fourth place after firing a season-low team score of 286 in the final round, while Siti Shaari captured the team's best finish with a three-round, even par total of 213 to earn her second top-10 finish of the season.

TOURNAMENT INFORMATION
Event (Host):  Callaway Gardens Invite (South Alabama) 
Dates:  Oct. 19-21 (Monday – Wednesday)
Format:  54 holes (18/18/18)  
Course:  Callaway Gardens Lake View Course 
 
TEAM SCORES
1) Central Arkansas, 289-291-280—860 (+8);  2) Middle Tennessee, 288-290-290—868 (+16);  3) Mercer, 303-285-283—871 (+19);  4) South Alabama, 297-290-286—873 (+21);  5) Troy, 291-291-292—874 (+22);  6) UAB, 291-301-292—884 (+32);  7) Western Kentucky, 301-295-292—888 (+36);  8) Georgia Southern, 300-297-293—890 (+38);  9) FIU, 302-296-295—893 (+41);  10) Little Rock, 295-302-304—901 (+49)

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
1) Tia Teiniketo, UAB, 70-71-66—207 (-6);  2) Tracy Rodriguez, Mercer, 73-67-68—208 (-5);  3) Sophie Burks, Middle Tennessee, 68-71-71—210 (-3);  T4) Elin Kumlin, UCA, 72-72-68—212 (-1);  T4) Tania Nunez, UCA, 68-73-71—212 (-1);  6) Siti Shaari, USA, 70-72-71—(E);  T7) Nicole Lorup, Troy, 75-72-68—215 (+2);  T7) Shelly Chen, UAB, 69-76-70—215 (+2);  9) Megan Clarke, WKU, 72-71-73—216 (+3);  10) Frantiska Lunackova, Coastal Carolina, 73-75-69—217 (+4)

SOUTH ALABAMA SCORES
6) Siti Shaari, 70-72-71—(E);  T12) Julie Hovland, 74-74-71—219 (+6);  T17) Belinda May, 77-73-71—221 (+8);  24) Caroline Berge, 76-73-73—222 (+9);  T28) Carlota Garcia, 77-72-75—224 (+11);  T48) Nele Mattner*, 78-77-76—231 (+18)
* - Denotes competed as individual

TEE SHOTS
- Shaari tied her best finish of the season at sixth place. It marked her second top-10 finish of the season, and marked the 10th out of the last 11 tournaments dating back to last year's season opener at the USA Intercollegiate that she has finished in the top 15.
- Berge finished with a season-low three-round score of 222 after firing a season-low 2-over par 73 in round two, followed by a 2-over par 73 in the final round.
- Mattner tied her season-low three-round score (231), which first came in the season-opening USA Intercollegiate.
- Garcia shot a career-low 1-over par 72 in the second round, and finished with a career-low three-round total of 224. 
- May shot even par 71 in the final round to earn her second top-20 finish of the season. May also earned one top-10 finish this fall.
- Hovland turned in an even-par 71 in the final round to finish tied for 12th, marking her third tournament out of four this all that she finished 12th or better. 
- South Alabama shot a 2-over par 286 in the final round, which marked its lowest round since shooting a 283 in the first round of the Pat Bradley Invitational Oct. 20, 2019.
- Hovland tied for the tournament lead in par-five scoring with a 4-under par average of 4.56. 
- Shaari and Mattner each tied for the tournament lead in par three scoring with an even-par average of 3.00 apiece.
- Mattner was one of seven players in the field to record an eagle.
- Hovland and Shaari led the Jags with 10 birdies each in three rounds.
- South Alabama earned its third top-five finish out of four fall tournaments.

QUOTES
Head Coach Matt Luther 
- On shooting the lowest team round of the fall in the final round:
"I'm not so excited about that we did it, but how we did it. We were 9- or 10-under right there at the end – the last nine hole we played, no one gave up. We finished with a bunch of birdies, and that's what ultimately wins championships."

- On the fall season:
"Big steps forward; I'm super excited just to get to play. Our two sophomores now are really growing up, and our seniors are doing what they're supposed to do. It's exciting. I'm fired up about the spring. And for us to go out and have an ok tournament this week – we didn't play brilliantly, and we were still right there at the end and beat all of the Sun Belt teams. That's a good place to be. And the golf course is so completely different; it is such a different look. To be able to go on the road again – the greens were slow and tiny instead of big and fast. The fairways were little, it was just the polar opposite golf course that we played last week and we were able to still manage it."

- On the offseason:
"We're just going to keep doing what we're doing. We'll get into some stuff in the offseason trying to get better, and keep moving forward to the spring."

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/WeAreSouth_JAGS. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
 
Join the Chip In Club, the women's golf specific support club of the Jaguar Athletic Fund. All donations to the Chip In Club go directly to support the South Alabama women's golf program. For more information on how you can join visit: jaguarathleticfund.com/chipinclub.