AU women's golf finishes sixth at Tiger Classic in opener
By Rodrigo Burgos Avila | Editor in chief
CLEMSON, S.C.—The Augusta University women’s golf team finished sixth in its fall season opener at the Tiger Classic hosted by Clemson at the Walker Course on Monday, Aug. 25.
Clemson claimed the team title at 8 under par, followed by UNC Asheville at 2 under and Charlotte at 1 over.
Augusta placed sixth at 26 over par, but the Jaguars showed flashes of promise throughout the tournament.
Senior Marine Legentil led the Jaguars at 2 over, while junior Sara Adams followed at 4 over. Freshman Sofia Valera carded a 9-over-par score, highlighted by a strong back nine in her opening round to finish with a 76. Freshmen Puntita Pawichai and Danielle Higbee also made their debuts, shooting 12 over and 13 over, respectively. Playing as individuals, Jess Pilgrim shot 11 over and Yari Delgado came in at 18 over.
Legentil, Adams and Pawichai all started the day well, while Valera demonstrated resilience after a rocky front nine to steady her first round. The Walker Course, however, presented plenty of challenges with its fast greens, long layout and wet conditions that forced players to use motorized carts for the first round.
Despite the harsh conditions, Legentil said she was pleased with her steady play.
“I was very consistent today, just hitting fairways and hitting greens,” she said. “I had a lot of fun with my playing partners too. I think we will get better with every tournament. We have a lot of new freshmen that will gain a lot of college experience in the next few months, so it’ll be exciting to see.”
Adams echoed that optimism.
“This year we have a lot of new players, which is great and today showed a lot of good things,” she said. “One of the biggest things to do on a course like the Walker Course was to stay patient because the course does reward good shots. Personally, for me, I had a great last nine holes so I will take that confidence with me into the two weeks before our next tournament.”
Adams also pointed to the tournament as a valuable early test.
“This tournament being the first one of the season and just a one-day, 36-hole event, the goal is to see what you need to work on and I think we achieved that,” she said. “It will be exciting to see what we can achieve this year if we keep improving in each of our games!”
In addition to the team results, the individual medalist honors were shared by Pimchompoo Chaisilprungruang of Charlotte, Juliette Demeaux of Clemson and Neeranuch Prajunpanich of Youngstown State, all whom shot 7 under par.
Though the Jaguars finished middle of the pack, the combination of veteran leadership and promising young players gives Augusta reason for optimism as the fall season begins. The team will return to action at The Southern, hosted by Georgia Southern in Savannah on Sept. 8-9.
Contact Rodrigo Burgos Avila at rburgosavila@augusta.edu.
Freshman Puntita Pawichai gets ready to line up a putt, focusing on precision during the first round of the Tiger Classic, with team members observing from a nearby cart. At the top of the page, senior Marine Legentil follows though on a drive during the Tiger Classic at Clemson’s Walker Course. (Photos by Nayla Reese and Rodrigo Burgos Avila/ the Bell Ringer)
