No. 1 Razorbacks Win In Minnesota
Results
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The No. 1–ranked University of Arkansas women’s golf team lived up to its billing with a 12–stroke win at the invitation–only ANNIKA Intercollegiate Presented by 3M in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, on Tuesday.
Inside The Ropes
• It is the second consecutive win for Arkansas (Mason Rudolph Championship).
• It is the first time in program history Arkansas has won back–to–back events.
• Maria Fassi won her second consecutive tournament (Mason Rudolph) and her second consecutive ANNIKA Intercollegiate (2016).
• It is the second time in program history a Razorback has earned back–to–back medalist honors –– #ProHogs Stacy Lewis won three in a row and six of eight tournaments in 2007–08.
• Arkansas led wire–to–wire for the second consecutive tournament.
• It is the third of six rounds Maria Fassi has come off the course in the top spot.
• Dylan Kim and Alana Uriell both finished in the top–4 for the second time in two tournaments this season.
The four-year-old tournament moved from sunny Florida to rainy Minnesota this year taking place at the par 72, 6,288-yard Olympic Hills Golf Club. The Razorbacks finished below par for the second consecutive tournament, going 16-under with 848 (288–282–278—848) for the win.
Junior Maria Fassi’s hot start continued as the Hidalgo, Mexico, native won her second consecutive tournament, shooting 70–70–66—206 and finishing 10–under over three rounds. Fassi’s final round was nearly flawless with two birdies on the front side, five on the back nine and just one bogey over 18 holes. She led the field in scoring on the par-4 and par-5 holes helping Arkansas to a tournament-best 53 birdies – seven more than the next team.
Senior Alana Uriell and newcomer junior Dylan Kim were key elements in the Razorback victory. Uriell and Kim posted matching 71’s in the final round to tie for third place. Uriell (71–70–71—212) recorded her second consecutive third-place showing while Kim (73–68–71—212) moved up one spot from a fourth-place finish in the first tournament of the year.
Junior Cara Gorlei posted her best round of the tournament counting a 70 on Tuesday. Gorlei finished tied for 18th shooting 74–74–70—218. Junior Kaylee Benton also improved in the final round to finish tied for 41st with scores of 76–78–74—228.
This year’s field for the ANNIKA Intercollegiate Presented by 3M included the top–four teams from last year’s event as well as six teams who finished in the top–10 in the nation a year ago.
The Lineup
| PLACE | PLAYER | SCORE | TO PAR |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maria Fassi | 70–70–66—206 | -10 |
| T3 | Alana Uriell | 71–70–71—212 | -4 |
| T3 | Dylan Kim | 73–68–71—212 | -4 |
| T18 | Cara Gorlei | 74–74–70—218 | +2 |
| T41 | Kaylee Benton | 76–78–74—228 | +12 |
The Field
| PLACE | TEAM | SCORES | TO PAR |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | No. 1 Arkansas | 288–282–278—848 | -16 |
| 2 | UCLA | 295–280–285—860 | -4 |
| 3 | No. 16 Stanford | 294–280–296—870 | +6 |
| 4 | No. 45 Texas | 300–274–299—873 | +9 |
| T4. | No. 10 Furman | 300–277–296—873 | +9 |
| 6 | No. 11 South Carolina | 291–288–296—875 | +11 |
| 7 | No. 5 Southern California | 299–294–292—885 | +21 |
| T8. | Baylor | 302–290–297—889 | +25 |
| T8. | Miami | 308–284–297—889 | +25 |
| 10 | No. 14 Florida State | 301–295–298—894 | +30 |
| 11 | No. 79 Georgia | 305–295–300—900 | +36 |
| 12 | No. 58 Minnesota | 307–308–319—935 | +71 |
From Shauna Taylor
“I’m really proud of this group this week. It was a challenging golf course and challenging weather conditions and the team just had a tremendous amount of intestinal fortitude. They did a fantastic job. I’m really proud of Maria for her consistent play over the last two weeks. To win against this field is another feather in her cap. She did a great job of executing her game plan and converting her opportunities. Then to have three players in the top three – it’s fun to watch. You don’t really know where to go on the golf course because there were so many of them in contention. It is a true blessing. Overall it was a group effort – you can’t win with just one person, it’s a group of five. They all did a great job this week. We talked a lot about process over product this week and when you focus on the process of executing, then the trophy or the product takes care of itself. They’ve done a nice job of that the last two weeks. There are a few things we need to come home and tidy up on but I’m really proud and excited about the confidence this win gives this group.”
Up Next
The ANNIKA is the second of four fall events for the Razorbacks with Ruth’s Chris Tar Heel Invitational on Oct. 14-17 and the Maryb S. Kauth Alamo Invitational on Oct. 22-24 rounding out the first half of the year.
More Information
Keep up with all of the latest news and information and get behind the scenes looks into our program on our social media accounts. Follow us on Twitter at @RazorbackWGolf and check out our Facebook page “Razorback Women’s Golf.” Stats, news and player information can be found at ArkansasRazorbacks.com.
