USF WGolf: Bulls Shatter Records, top leaderboard in first tournament of season

Led by newcomers and freshman, USF stands atop the leaderboard after two rounds at the FAU Paradise Invitational;

Green’s 6-under after 36 holes is second-lowest for a Bull ever


TAMPA, FEB. 8, 2021 – The USF women’s golf team had waited 11 months to compete as a team until Monday, when they hit the Boca Lago Country Club course in Boca Raton, Fla. and put together a sizzling performance that shattered program records and put them atop the leaderboard among a strong field after Day 1.

A Bulls team featuring freshmen and newcomers among its five players on the course came out blazing, posting an opening round 7-uder par, 281 to set program marks for the lowest round total and lowest round vs. par. The Bulls quickly followed up the red-hot morning with a strong 285 in the second round to maintain their position atop the leaderboard after two rounds of the FAU Paradise Invitational, a tournament that features No. 13-ranked Vanderbilt and four Big Ten programs in the field.

The Bulls’ 36-hole total of 10-under 566 outpaced Vanderbilt (567) by a stroke and shattered the Bulls’ 36-hole program record of 576 set in 2018-19 at the USA Intercollegiate.

“Today was special!” USF head coach Erika Brennan said. “After 11 months, to watch these women come out hungry and focused is just awesome. Their dedication to preparation this spring has been strong and it’s great to see them get rewarded out of the gate for their efforts.”

Freshman Melanie Green (Medina, N.Y.) is leading the charge for the Bulls after posting a pair of rounds of 69 to stand 6-under par and alone in third place, just two strokes behind co-leaders Virunpat Olankitkunchai of Maryland and Auston Kim of Vanderbilt. Green’s 6-under score through 36 holes is the second-best ever by a Bull and just two shy of the USF’s 36-hole program record mark of 8-under par posted in 2009-10. 

“Melanie is a total workhorse and she came out firing,” Brennan said. “It was an incredible debut and one she will look to not only sustain but build on.”

The Bulls opening round of 281 – led by 3-under scores of 69 shot by Green, junior Jessica Whitting (Perth, Australia) and senior transfer Shelby Brauckmuller (Auburndale, Fla.) – was a new program record for overall low round score and the 7-under par marked a record low team round to par. The 281 bettered the previous program low round record of 282 set in 2019-20 at the Princess Anne Invitational. The 7-under par opening round bested the previous low round vs. par of 5-under set in 2018-19 at the FIU Pat Bradley Invitational. It marked the fifth time under third-year head coach Erika Brennan that the Bulls bested the program’s low round team score record and the fourth time besting the team’s low round to par mark under Brennan. In all, the top five program team low rounds and top four team low rounds vs. par have all occurred under Brennan’s watch.

Whitting followed her first round 69 by shooting a 71 in the second round and stood tied for fourth at 4-under par heading into Tuesday’s final action. Junior Ashley Zagers (Oldsmar) followed her first round 74 with a second round 70 and stood tied for 11th at even par. Brauckmiller stood tied for 17th at 2-over (69, 77) and freshman Erika Smith (Orlando) is 34th at 5-over par (74, 75). 

“Tomorrow, we need to hammer down and stay aggressive,” Brennan said. “It will take another strong round to be where we want to be tomorrow afternoon.”

A new event for USF, the Bulls are challenging the par-72, 6,076-yard course at Boca Lago Country Club in their first team event since March 8, 2020. USF is competing against an impressive 13-team field that features No. 13 Vanderbilt as well as Big Ten competitors Michigan State, Ohio State, Maryland and Iowa.

About USF Women’s Golf
The Bulls are in their third season under head coach Erika Brennan in 2020-21. USF is among the fastest rising program in the country, as they climbed 75 spots in the national Golfstat rankings following Brennan’s first season. The Bulls won two tournaments in 2018-19 and set several program records, including season scoring average (293.43) and team rounds of par or better (6), and in 2019-20 the Bulls posted a wire-to-wire win at the Old Friends Invitational, marking the program’s third tournament title since spring 2019.

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