It has been a record-setting stretch for Minnesota freshman Luisamariana Mesones.
She has won consecutive Big 10 women’s golfer of the week awards, and those accolades have come with good reason. For two straight weeks, she has set Sunday course records as well as numerous Minnesota records.
At the Lady Paladin Invitational, Mesones shot 64 in the final round. Her score broke the Gopher women’s 18-hole record while her two-round score of 134 broke the women’s 36-hole record.
The next week, she improved on her records. She shot a final-round 8-under 62 and finished runner-up for the second straight week. She broke the women’s 18-, 36- and 54-hole records in only the third college tournament of her career,
Back-to-back Sunday course records for @GopherWGolf Mariana Mesones…
8-under 62 at Princess Anne Country Club & 8-under 64 at Furman Golf Course. pic.twitter.com/GNz0vvdp0c
— Lance Ringler (@GolfweekRingler) October 4, 2022
Team wise, at the Evie Odom Invitational, Minnesota recorded a team-record round score of 17-under 263, earning a second-place finish.
USC victorious in Chicago
The USC women’s golf team didn’t get started as strongly as it wanted to this season.
The Trojans finished eighth at the Dick McGuire Invitational in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and their highest individual finisher came in T-17.
USC didn’t waste any time getting back to its winning ways after the second event of the fall. The Trojans captured the Windy City Collegiate Classic at Exmoor Country Club in Highland Park, Illinois. The Trojans had the lowest first and second round scores and were able to capitalize on the big lead for their first win of the fall.
“This was a really, really satisfying win coming off the last couple weeks of practice,” USC coach Justin Silverstein said in a release. “We had to have some very difficult and honest conversations after the New Mexico event, and I couldn’t be happier with how this group responded. They worked very hard and very smart the past three weeks, and they deserve this victory.”
USC (3-over 867) beat South Carolina by by nine strokes. Oregon finished in third.
In addition, star sophomore Amari Avery picked up her fourth collegiate victory. She’s two back from the all-time program wins mark, which Annie Park holds. Avery shot 2 over in the final round to finish at 6-under 210 for the week, one shot better than South Carolina’s Hannah Darling, who was 4 under in the final round. Texas’ Bentley Cotton placed third at 1-under 215.
Tulsa conquers difficult Barbara Nicklaus Cup
How hard is Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio? The place that Jack Nicklaus built proved extremely tough for some of the nation’s top women’s teams.
In the Barbara Nicklaus Cup, Muirfield Village played as a par-72 and to 6,362 yards. And the scores continued to tick up every single round.
Tulsa captured the tournament at 88-over 952 for the 54-hole event. Maryland finished in second at 95 over while TCU placed third at 97 over. Those were the only three programs in the eight-team field to finished better than 100 over.
88 over winning a golf tournament? Yup.
TCU freshman Sofia Barroso Sa won the individual title at 13 over. Tulsa freshman Grace Kilcrease tied for second two shots back, along with Maryland’s Nicha Kanpai and Furman’s Sarah-Eve Rheaume. Barroso Sa had the lowest round of the week, an even-par 72, in the second round.
Cameron Jourdan covers college and amateur golf for Golfweek. Got a college or amateur story? Email him at cjourdan@golfweek.com.
