WILMINGTON, N.C. – Senior Sarah Willis (Eaton, Ohio) fired a 4-under, 68, to lead Penn State in the final round of the Landfall Tradition on Sunday morning at the Country Club of Landfall's Dye Course. Penn State finished the weekend 15th in a loaded field.
Willis moved up 28 spots on the day finishing tied for 19th at 1-over, 217, for the championship after joining a few others in the field with the low-round of the day. Willis started on the 15th hole this morning and after a few bogeys in her opening holes she finished the final 15 holes at 6-under including an eagle on the sixth. The senior carded an eye-popping bogey-free, 5-under from holes one through nine.
"I was really able to play the course much smarter today. I managed the wind well and used it to my advantage," commented Willis. "I just stayed focused on my tempo all the way around and it paid off. I gave myself birdie opportunities and putted really well today and that saved me a few times."
The Nittany Lions registered a final round 9-over, 297, and climbed one spot in the final round.
South Carolina had the lone under-par round of the day going 8-under to leap Michigan and capture the championship with a total score of 15-under, 12 shots clear of the Wolverines. Michigan State (1-over), Wake Forest (7-over) and Virginia (8-over) round out the top-5.
Junior Mathilde Delavallade (Royan, France) struggled at the start, but was able to shave a few strokes off her final round total with a 2-under stretch over the final 11 holes to finish the round 3-over, 75, and conclude the tournament 6-over and tied for 38th.
Senior Taylor Waller (Canonsburg, Pa.) and junior Isha Dhruva (Katy, Texas) rounded out the countable scores for the Nittany Lions on Sunday with scores of 4-over, 76, and 6-over, 78, respectively.
Freshman Drew Nienhaus (St. Louis, Mo.) went 7-over in the final round.
"This morning started out cool and windy but shaped up halfway through," mentioned head coach Denise St. Pierre. "We improved throughout the weekend and Sarah definitely had it going today, helped us finish ahead of a few more teams."
Final results
