UCLA captures Landfall Tradition

WILMINGTON, North Carolina – Sparked by individual co-champion Tiffany Lua, sixth-ranked UCLA rallied from a five-stroke deficit in the final round to capture the ninth Landfall Tradition on Sunday at the Country Club of Landfall’s Pete Dye Course.

The Bruins combined for a team total of 300 under near-perfect conditions on the par-72, 6,244-yard layout to overcome early leader and defending champion Duke with a 54-hole total of 294-286-300=880. No. 13 UNC Chapel Hill, who entered the final round in a tie for second with UCLA, finished five strokes behind the Bruins with a 293-287-305=885 scorecard for second place, while Texas came in third at 291-302-297=890.

Duke, tied for the first-round lead and ahead by five strokes entering Sunday’s finale, faltered with a 316 on the last day and wound up with a 291-284-316=891 score, good enough for fourth place in the 18-team event. Virginia came in fifth and Notre Dame was sixth.

Lua was one of just five players to shoot even par or lower as she posted an even-par 72 Sunday and finished with a 2-under-par tournament total of 73-69-72=214 to claim a share of the individual title with second-round leader Brittany Altomare of Virginia, who posted a three-over-par 75 Sunday to finish with a 54-hole total of 71-68-75=214. Duke’s Lindy Duncan (74-66-76=216) and UNC Chapel Hill’s Casey Grice (71-71-74=216) finished two strokes back in a tie for third at even par.

Junior Sofia Hagsund carded a two-over-par 74 on Sunday to pace host UNCW on the final day and finished with a 76-78-74=228, tying her for 33rd overall. Freshmen Laverry Kumar (74-85-79=238/70th) and Whitney Rhodes (77-81-85=243/T-77th), senior Cristina Manrique (80-83-85=248/82nd) and freshman Lori Beth Adams (83-82-84=249/T-83rd) rounded out the UNCW scores.

( Article courtesy UNCW )