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Raider golf earns first overall tournament win

Thursday, Feb 23, 2012
Joseph Hunter

The Raiders pose following their first-ever tournament victory. Photo courtesy of Florida Southern College.

The Seminole State College of Florida women’s golf team opened its spring semester schedule garnering its first-ever overall tournament victory at the Lady Moc Golf Classic Feb. 19-21 at the Eaglebrooke golf course in Lakeland.

Seminole State was the only two-year college present out of the 17 participating schools as the Raiders became the first two-year college team ever to win the tournament in its 15-year history.

With an individual score of 219 (74-74-71), Raider NJCAA All-American golfer Elia Folch placed first individually out of 92 golfers. Folch’s score gave her a three-stroke lead over second-place M.J. Audette of tournament host Florida Southern College. Folch also came within one stroke of tying the individual tournament record of 218.

The Raiders finished strong in round three Tuesday, and that proved to be crucial. In addition to Folch’s third-round score of 71, the Raiders got a strong 72 from Caitlin Winters (up from 83 in the first round and 89 in the second), and Jisu Choi shot her second 75-stroke round of the tournament. Joanna Yoo and Erika Warzinski also provided enough consistency through three rounds to help the Raiders pull off the win.

Seminole State led at the end of all three rounds, taking a four-stroke lead in the first round and increasing that lead to six by the end of the second. Ultimately, the Raiders hung on for a three-round total of 913 (306-307-300), good enough to top the second-place team, Florida Southern, by two strokes and Nova Southeastern University, the tournament’s two-time reigning champion and the No. 1-ranked team in the NCAA Division II, by nine strokes.

Raider women’s golf continues tournament play March 7-9 at the University of Detroit Sunshine Spring Classic at Rio Pinar golf course in Orlando. To view the complete golf schedule, visit the women’s golf website.