Freshman Erika Smith is honored by The American following her nine-shot victory at the Old Friends Invitational on Tuesday.
Smith’s 4-under performance helped host USF run away with a 20-shot, wire-to-wire win at Tampa Palms Golf & Country Club.
TAMPA, FEB. 19, 2020 – USF’s Erika Smith has been named American Athletic Conference Women’s Golfer of the Week following her impressive title victory in the spring season opener.
The freshman from Orlando carded three straight under-par scores (71-71-70) and finished with a 4-under 212 in her nine-shot victory at theinaugural Old Friends Invitational on Tuesday. Smith’s stellar performance helped host USF run away with a 20-shot, wire-to-wire win at Tampa Palms Golf & Country Club.
”Her game really just doesn’t have any weaknesses,” head coach Erika Brennan said. “She’s a complete player, especially as a freshman.”
Smith gained distance from the field with a bogey-free, 2-under final round and captured her first individual title as a Bull. The 2018 Rolex All-American led the USF lineup with 10 birdies, made 38 pars, and set tournament bests for par-3 scoring (2.75, -3) and par-4 scoring (4.00, E). Smith also shined on par-5 holes (4.92, -1) in her second top-five finish in five events this season.
Through 15 total rounds, Smith leads the Bulls with a 72.6 season scoring average and seven rounds of par or better. This fall season, Smith set USF’s low-round record and tied the top mark for low round vs. par with a 6-under 64 in the final round of the Princess Anne Invitational (Oct. 6). She also reached a new program milestone for 54-hole scoring with a 207 on the way to tying for fifth at the event.
“Her future is incredibly bright and she’s the kind of kid who works hard,” Brennan said. “You can tell she loves being out here and loves being a part of team golf.”
Smith and the Bulls will look to build more momentum at the two-day Florida State Matchup that begins Feb. 29 at Seminole Golf Course and Club in Tallahassee.
About USF Women’s Golf
Veteran head coach Erika Brennan completed her first full season with USF in 2018-19 and helped the Bulls become the second-fastest rising program in the country as they climbed 75 spots in the national Golfstat rankings. The Bulls opened the 2018 fall season with a runner-up finish at the USA Intercollegiate and also placed second at the FIU Pat Bradley Invitational to wrap up their four-tournament run before the spring. In the spring opener, USF captured the program’s first tournament team title since April 11, 2017 with a two-shot victory at the Florida Challenge. USF finished up the regular season with a 22-shot win at the John Kirk Panther Intercollegiate on April 2. Freshman Ramya Meenakshisundaram became the first Bull to earn all-conference honors since 2016.
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