PALM COAST (UCFKnights.com) – The defending champion UCF women's golf team is in position to make a run at a second consecutive American Athletic Conference title. When Tuesday's third and final round of The American Championship tees off at the Hammock Beach Conservatory Course, the Knights will be just five strokes off the lead.
UCF came into the tournament seeded fifth, but have been in the top three throughout the first two rounds. The Knights and nine other squads have battled tough conditions the first two days. Monday featured cool temperatures and a consistent 15-20 mile-per-hour wind.
"I was really proud of them," head coach Emily Marron said. "To be where we're at, with a chance to win going into the last day, I'm pleasantly surprised and proud of the girls."
UCF's Ashley Holder took medalist honors at the 2017 American Championship. While Holder graduated, the Knights have an opportunity to take the top individual spot in the tournament as well. Senior Kaeli Jones is just two strokes off the lead and is all alone in third place.
Over the course of two days, 98 rounds of golf have been played by 49 student-athletes. Only six of those 98 rounds have resulted in scores below par. Jones owns one of those. Her first-round 71 (-1) and her second-round 75 (+3) have her at +2. Tournament leader East Carolina's Dorthea Forbrigd was 2-over in the first round and 2-under Monday. She was the only golfer to go under par Monday.
"Kaeli has had a really good spring," Marron said. "Her leadership and experience have served us well so far in this tournament. She played well here last year and hopefully that will give her the confidence to finish strong tomorrow."
Sophomore Maria Balcazar is 6-over for the Knights. She was in the top five near the end of the second round, but a couple slip-ups on 17 and 18 dropped her into a tie for 12th. Despite a rough finish, she is still just six shots off the lead..
"It has been a tough spring without one of our best players, Maria Balcazar, being out with an injury," Marron said. "This is only the second event back for her and she has made an immediate impact on our team. She is one of our leaders and has the experience to help us win this championship again tomorrow."
Freshmen Chinatsu Kobayashi and Ana Laura Collado are tied for 21st at 9-over par. Kobayashi tallied a 78 (+6) Monday, while Collado turned in an 80 (+8) for the day. Junior Nicolette Donovan rebounded nicely on Monday. After a first-round score of 82 (+10), she came back with a 76 (+4) to be included in Monday's team score.
"It's just a lot different atmosphere," Marron said, comparing last year as the favorite to this year's expectations. "I think we can be a little bit more relaxed and play a little bit more free and have fun. When you have the pressure on you to win and those expectations, that's tough in golf. The conditions haven't been easy. That's made it tougher. We've got four teams in contention to win tomorrow and that's exciting."
Houston leads the way in the team standings. The Cougars are +17. Memphis is in second place at +21, just one stroke in front of the Knights. It's basically a four-team race, as East Carolina is8:4 fourth at +23. Fifth-place Wichita State is 42-over.
Tuesday's third and final round gets under way at 8 a.m. The Knights are set to take the course at 8:40 a.m.
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