May 14, 2019
Women’s Golf
NCAA Division II National Championship
7th of 16 teams, FIRST Round Stroke Play
Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. – Lynn University’s women’s golf team shot 309 in a windy opening round of the NCAA Division II National Championship. Seniors Kristina Ortiz and Cristina Gutierrez paced the team with scores of 76 apiece.
INSIDE THE TOURNAMENT:
Standing: 7th out of 16 teams
Location: PGA National – Champions Course| Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
Par/Yardage: 72/6,081
History at Event: Fifth NCAA National Championship Appearance (Won 2013 & 104)
Get Social: Twitter – @Lynn_Knights | Instagram – @Lynn_Knights | Facebook – /LynnFightingKnights
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Wind, and possible nerves, contributed to a tough start for the seventh-ranked Blue and White as the team combined for 13 bogeys over the first five holes. The squad gradually calmed down and finished with a 309, 10 shots back of the leader, third-ranked Cal-State San Marcos (299).
- Top-ranked Barry is second (304) followed by No. 27 SW Oklahoma State (305), No. 6 Indianapolis (306), 12th-ranked Limestone (306), No 2. Dallas Baptist (308), Lynn and No. 10 Grand Valley State (312).
- Despite the team’s troubles, Ortiz played solid golf, shooting even par through her first 10 holes. Two bogeys and a double marred her back nine but the senior closed out strong with a birdie and par, the last of which was a 15-footer breaking right to left.
- Gutierrez bogeyed two of her first five holes but birdied the first hole in the Bear Trap to start of string of six holes of par. She would bogey hole No. 3 and two of her last three but tapped in for birdie in-between.
- Matilda Wahren is one shot off her teammates. She was four-over after five holes but settled down in the Bear Trap with three straight pars. A bogey before the turn and on the No. 4 hole pushed her to six over but she birdied two of the final three to end the day with a 77.
- Helen Kreuzer and Amber Lee Svendsen combined for two birdies and fired rounds of 80 and 82, respectively.
BEYOND THE SCORECARD:
- The NCAA D2 Women’s Championship has changed its format for the 2019 title. The top eight teams after 54-holes move on to match play, similar to the men. Previously the tournament was strictly 72-hole stroke play.
- Sunshine State Conference teams have combined for 17 of the 19 NCAA Division II women’s golf national titles. From 1996-99 Division II and III played a combined national championship, with Lynn winning one.
- Lynn is making its first NCAA National Championship appearance since 2015 when the team finished third.
- Prior to the national championship head coach Marcelo Huarte was named the Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) South Region Coach of the Year while Kreuzer, Ortiz and Wahren earned WGCA All-South Region recognition.
- Only three teams have more pars than Lynn (52) and the Fighting Knights are tied for third in par 3 scoring (+5).
- Wahren is one of seven players to shoot under par on par 3 holes (-1).
NEXT HOLE:
The Fighting Knights tee off in the second round starting at 8 a.m. ET on Wednesday from hole No. 1 and will be paired with Findlay and Dallas Baptist. Fans can keep up with live scoring at LynnFightingKnights.com.
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Chad Beattie
Assistant Athletics Director – Communications & Digital Strategy
Lynn University
