WILMINGTON, N.C. – The Penn State women's golf team concluded its 2023 fall slate finishing 16th at the 21st annual Landfall Tradition hosted by the University of North Carolina Wilmington this weekend. Penn State finished the week with its best score of the fall season at 22-over, 886.
Sunday's final round turned into a two-headed race between Duke and Clemson as both squads raced up the leaderboard finishing tied for first at 21-under following final rounds of 17-under and 16-under, respectively. Duke won the tiebreaker to secure the championship while Clemson finished runner-up. UCF (20-under), Arizona (9-under) and Alabama (8--under) rounded out the top-5.
The Nittany Lions were paced by junior classmates Michelle Cox (Allentown, Pa.) and Drew Nienhaus (St. Louis, Mo.) who each finished tied for 19th in the 96-player field at 2-under, 214. The 2-under score for each marks the second-lowest of their careers.
Cox came out of the gates strong with her fourth-straight sub-70 round to open a tournament this season tying her career-best with a 5-under, 67, on Friday. Cox has a stroke average of 68 in opening rounds this Fall.
Nienhaus shined during Saturday's second round moving up 34 spots and into solo second by day's end with a personal-best 7-under, 65. The 7-under score tied the lowest single-round total in Penn State women's golf history.
Nienhaus had seven birdies and an eagle with only two bogeys during her Saturday round while going 6-under over her final 10 holes of the day.
"Drew has been hitting the ball well all semester and today she was able to convert on the putting green making putts from everywhere. Her reads and speed control were elite," commented head coach Kristen Simpson following the round. "We made a few slight adjustments to her putting last week and it is definitely starting to pay off."
Senior Mathilde Delavallade (Royan, France) had a solid weekend as she continues to work herself back into form after an injury sidelined her for the opening month of the season. Delavallade began the weekend with an even-par, 72, on Friday and finished the week 5-over, 221.
Senior Victoria Tip-Aucha (Vienna, Va.) and junior Jami Morris (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) wrapped up their Fall seasons finishing the weekend 24-over and 31-over, respectively.
Full results available HERE.
