Extending a positive trend that began with a five-stroke improvement in round two of the tournament Monday, the Lancers posted the second-lowest final round of the entire 12-team field Tuesday and a three-round total of 317-311-304—932 (+68) to secure a fifth-place finish at the UNCG home event hosted at the par-72, 6,155-yard Grandover Resort.
Only tournament champion East Tennessee State had a better final round than the Lancers, shooting a 296 and finishing 296-292-296—884 (+20) to run away with the Grandover Fall Classic crown. Meanwhile, the Lancers missed out on a top-four spot by just two strokes behind fourth-place Towson (309-303-318—930, +66) and bested the host Spartans by 10 strokes as well as Big South counterparts High Point and North Carolina A&T.
"The course played very difficult today, mostly around the greens," said Longwood head coach Brittany Dabule, whose Lancers were coming off an eighth-place finish out of 17 teams at last weekend's Terrier Intercollegiate in Spartanburg, S.C.
"After day one, we just wanted to put together a decent team score to remain where we stood on the leaderboard. We definitely did that today, and I'm proud of how everyone stayed focused despite the challenging conditions."
The Lancers were one of only four teams to have all five countable golfers finish inside the tournament's top 50, with perennial frontrunner Emma Landis placing seventh with a 75-77-72—224 (+8) and sophomore Annabelle Jennings earning her third career top-20 finish with an 81-79-75—235 (+19) that was good enough for a career-best 18th place.
Following those two was freshman Ester Choi, who continued her fall breakout as Longwood's third-place finisher with an 82-75-80—237 (+21) to tie for 26th. Senior Diana Domenech bounced back Tuesday with her lowest round of the tournament to card a 79-85-77—241 (+25) and place tied for 34th, while classmate Grace Huffman also finished in the top 50 with an 83-80-83—246 (+30).
The Lancers were among the tournament's top performers across the board, posting top-five averages on the par threes, fours and fives, as well as the third-most birdies in the entire field. Landis and Jennings spearheaded that effort with a combined 16 birdies.
Landis was especially strong on the back nine during all three rounds, finishing even or under par on that nine in every round. Five of her eight birdies came on the back nine, along with 19 pars and just three bogeys. Jennings also made her mark on the back nine, amassing seven of her eight birdies on those holes, including three in Tuesday's final round.
The Grandover Fall Classic is the second of three consecutive tournament weeks for the Lancers, who will continue that grind this coming Monday at the three-day French Broad Collegiate Invitational hosted by UNC Asheville at The Cliffs at Walnut Cove.
Grandover Fall Classic
November 2, 2021 (Day 2 of 2)
Greensboro, N.C. (Grandover Resort)
Par 72, 6,155 yards
Team Results
1. East Tennessee State (296-292-296—884, +20)
2. South Dakota (300-308-306—914, +50)
3. William & Mary (303-313-305—921, +57)
4. Towson (309-303-318—930, +66)
5. Longwood (317-311-304—932, +68)
6. UNCG (325-306-311—942, +78)
7. Marshall (324-313-312—949, +85)
8. High Point (332-309-317—958, +94)
9. Lander (315-326-318—959, +95)
10. Delaware State (323-315-325—963, +99)
11. North Carolina A&T (320-319-339—978, +114)
12. Evansville (325-328-342—995, +131)
Longwood Individual Results
7. Emma Landis (75-77-72—224, +8)
T-18. Annabelle Jennings (81-79-75—235, +19)
T-26. Ester Choi (82-75-80—237, +21)
T-34. Diana Domenech (79-85-77—241, +25)
T-45. Grace Huffman (83-80-83—246, +30)
T-64. Peyton Schaffer (91-85-85—261, +45)*
*competed unattached
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Strong Final Round Secures Top-Five Finish at Grandover Classic - Longwood Athletics
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