Bulls wrap up the regular season with their eighth top four finish in nine events.
TAMPA, FLA., April 9, 2024 – The University of South Florida women’s golf team closed out the regular season with a third-place finish at the Chattanooga Classic. South Florida, ranked No. 36 nationally, finished in the top four, with three wins, in eight of the nine events in the 2023-24 season.
The Bulls had two players in the top five. Senior Melanie Green paced the Bulls with a score of 205 (-8) to finish second and senior Alizee Vidal posted her best finish of the season. Vidal finished with at 211 (-2) to finish fourth.
In the rain-delayed 54-hole event in Chattanooga, the Bulls shot 863 (+11) to finish third among a 16-team field in which no team finished under par. USF tied with Michigan, the eventual winner, for the low 36-hole total in tournament history at 570 (+2). USF opened with a 294 (+10). The Bulls improved by 18 shots to shoot 276 (-5) in the second round and were tied for the lead heading into the final round. A finishing score of 293 (+9) left the Bulls in third place at the end of play.
Green, ranked 25th nationally and coming off her second win of the season and third as a Bull in the Mountain View Collegiate, was under par all three rounds in Chattanooga. She opened with a 70 (-1). In the second round, Green carded seven birdies to shoot 66 (-5), which ties her second-best round of the season. A closing round 69 (-2) gave her a total of 205 (-8), leaving her in second place, two shots behind. Green tied for the tournament lead in par four scoring at 3.81 (-5), tied for second in par five scoring at 4.67 (-4) and was tied for third with 14 birdies. Green has shot par or better in 26 of 29 rounds this season.
Senior Alizee Vidal shot par or better in the final two rounds to post her first top five and third top 10 finish of the season. Vidal opened with a 72 (+1) and bounced back with a 68 (-3) carding six birdies along the way. An even-par 71 in the final round gave her a fourth-place finish. Vidal was second in the field with 14 birdies.
Graduate student transfer Alyssa Montgomery finished tied for 17th. Montgomery shot 73 (+2) in the first round. She improved to a 69 (-2), with four birdies in the second round and closed with a 77 (+6).
Junior Leonor Medeiros contributed three scoring rounds. Medeiros opened 79 (+8), followed by a 73 (+2) in the second round and a 76 (+5) in the third round to finish tied for 53rd place,
Freshman Emma Falcher shot rounds of 83 (+12) and 80 (+9) and withdrew before the third round.
Bulls Team Scores
Place RD1 RD2 RD3 TOTAL
2 Melanie Green (Sr./Medina, N.Y) 70 66 69 -8 (205)
4 Alizee Vidal (Sr./Le Gosier, France) 72 68 71 -2 (211)
T17 Alyssa Montgomery (Gr./Knoxville, Ten.) 73 69 77 +6 (219)
T53 Leonor Medeiros (So./Palmela, Portugal) 79 73 76 +15 (228)
88 Emma Falcher (Fr./ Fousenant, France) 80 83 W +8 (163)
Tournament Team Scores
Place RD1 RD2 RD3 TOTAL
1 Michigan 299 271 285 +3 (855)
2 Western Kentucky 291 282 288 +9 (861)
3 South Florida 294 276 293 +11 (863)
T4 Colorado State 296 296 276 +16 (868)
T4 Campbell 295 286 287 +16 (868)
6 East Tennessee St. 290 286 301 +25 (877)
7 Iowa 306 290 286 +30 (882)
8 North Florida 294 287 303 +32 (884)
9 Chattanooga 295 288 304 +35 (887)
10 UTSA 297 288 304 +37 (889)
11 Xavier 300 292 302 +42 (894)
12 Yale 303 292 300 +43 (895)
13 Lipscomb University 305 297 301 +51 (903)
14 Middle Tennessee 311 290 305 +54 (906)
15 Charlotte 311 291 315 +65 (917)
16 Cincinnati 320 295 309 +72 (924)
Quoting Head Coach Erika Brennan
“We battled adversity this week and the team proved they have the goods. I’m really proud of their resiliency and commitment to focus on the controllables. MG and Zae were lights out and it was awesome to see them finish inside the Top-5. We’re looking forward to playing at home for the conference championship and we’re ready to go out there and prove it.”
Up Next
The Bulls will return to the course when they host the American Athletic Conference Championship on April 15-17 at Southern Hills Plantation Club in Brooksville, Fla.
About USF Women’s Golf
The 2023-24 campaign will be the Bulls’ sixth full season under head coach Erika Brennan. South Florida is among the fastest-rising programs in the country, as they climbed 75 spots in the national Golfstat rankings following Brennan’s first season in 2018-19 and have captured five tournament titles under Brennan, while setting numerous program scoring records under her leadership. Senior standout Melanie Green has been an all-conference performer in each of her first three seasons, qualified for the 2022 NCAA Regional as an individual and was named a 2023 All-American Honorable Mention. Green and the Bulls reached the NCAA Regional as a team in 2023, marking the program’s first postseason appearance in 11 years.
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– #GoBulls –
