Results

MOBILE, Ala. – South Alabama women's golf won the Tchefuncta Invitational at Tchefuncta Country Club, held Feb. 27-28, in Covington, La. 

USA (293-302-290) turned in an 885 team score in three rounds to defeat Southern Miss (296-287-304) by two strokes to win the tournament. The win marked the Jaguars' first this year, as well as the second straight year they have won the Tchefuncta Invitational. It also marked the first win since USA captured the Bama Beach Bash title at Gulf Shores Golf Club in Gulf Shores, Ala., March 20-22, 2022.

"We played well in the fall. We had three second-place finishes, and one of them we had a lead and lost it," USA head coach Matt Luther said. "So to maintain the belief that we're doing the right things and stay the course even when we're behind – they came out in the last round and just kept doing what they were doing and things went our way, and that's how golf works. To be able to do that, have the belief in it and have everyone stick to the plan, do their job and have it work out is awesome."

Malia Uyeshiro (71-77-69) turned in a third-place finish with a three-round, 4-over par total of 217 on TCC's par-71 setup after firing a season-best 2-under par 69 in the final round. Uyeshiro matched her best finish of the season after also finishing third at the Hoover Invitational this fall.

After carding a 2-over par 37 on TCC's front nine holes in Tuesday's final round, Uyeshiro reeled off five birdies on the back nine, including a streak of three straight on holes 14-16. The Gilbert, Ariz., native bogeyed at the par-four 17th before posting a birdie on the par-five 18th hole to turn in a 4-under par 32 on the back nine. She opened the tournament with an even par 71 in Monday's first round.

Greta Rietdorf (75-78-69) finished tied for ninth with a three-round score of 222, marking her third top-10 finish of the season, after turning in a 2-under par 69 in the final round. Rietdorf played the front nine of round three at 1-under par 34 after a birdie at the par-four second hole, and shot 1-under 35 on the back nine after a birdie at the par-three 12th. 

"I walked most of the (final) round with Greta (Rietdorf), and she had been struggling a little bit with her ball-striking but showed up and figured out the things she has been working on," Luther said. "She played great. And Malia (Uyeshiro) is turning into just a rock-solid player for us. It's her sophomore year, she has learned a ton and is a completely different player than when she showed up. I don't have to worry about her one bit. She is super solid and doesn't really have any holes in her game, and it's awesome."

Cassidy Lambert (72-74-76) also finished tied for ninth with a three-round total of 222. Lambert opened the tournament with a 1-over par 72 in Monday's first round, which included three biridies. She ranked second among the field in par-three scoring with a 1-under par average of 2.92 strokes, and tied for second in par-five scoring with a 2-under par average of 4.78.

Uyeshiro ranked second among the field in birdies (11), and third in par-four scoring with a 2-over par average 4.06 strokes. Rietdorf ranked third in pars with 38.

"We have a group that is still young with some experience that is still needed, but I think this week was a really big step," Luther said. "It was the first team win for this group, but they've shown a lot flashes of really good golf. And to put it all together like that is a big step forward for them, and they're still young. The ceiling is still really high for this particular crew, and that's exciting."

FOLLOW THE JAGS
For complete coverage of South Alabama women's golf, follow the Jags on social media @SouthAlabamaWGLF (Twitter), SouthAlabamaJaguars (Facebook) or visit the official home of South Alabama athletics at usajaguars.com.