NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – Senior
Becca Earl (E) became the first Terrier in program history to finish runner-up at the SoCon Championships on Tuesday afternoon, as the Wofford women's golf team finished in second place at the Barefoot Landing Resort to notch its best all-time finish at the 2022 Southern Conference Championships in North Myrtle Beach, S.C. The Terriers recorded their best 54-hole SoCon Championships score since 2015 with a score of 903 (+39), while juniors
Nicole Amos and
Lindsey Hollis finished inside the top 20 to help pace Wofford's milestone performance at the par-72, 6,004-yard Dye Golf Course.
"Wind conditions in round two were super difficult. Our 294 team score was so good and put us in position to contend for the title," said head coach
Angie Ridgeway. "All week and all season, this team played with a lot of grit and confidence. It was a fun year - the bar has been raised."
"Becca [Earl] played great golf all season and goes out with the best scoring average in program history," added Ridgeway of the senior's impact. "I couldn't be more proud of the determination they showed this week!"
Wofford's total score of 903 marked the lowest score achieved since recording an 891 (+27) in 2015's SoCon Championships, while the milestone finish was highlighted by a second-round score of 294 – the Terriers' second lowest round ever recorded at the SoCon Championships – that lifted Wofford from fifth to tied for first after 36 holes of play.
No. 45 Furman (+35) won the conference crown by four strokes over the Terriers, while Chattanooga's Dorota Zalewska (-1) edged Earl by just one stroke behind a hole-on-one on No. 17 to capture low medalist honors.
Earl (E) left it all out on the course in notching the program's best individual SoCon Championships finish (2
nd) and score (216) for the tournament, while also leading the field in par-4 scoring (E) and finishing second among the 44-player field in birdies (11).
The Essex, England native capped the season with her fifth-straight top-10 finish, including her third top-five finish, opening with a first-round 77 prior to blazing six birdies and finishing 4-under on the back-nine for a tournament round-low 5-under-par 67 in the second. The senior then finished strong in Tuesday's final round with back-to-back birdies on holes No. 17 and No. 18 to finish even for the round (72) and tournament.
Earl tallied six top-10 finishes for the 2021-22 season, including a win at the Lady Bison Classic on Feb. 8, while finishing with a 73.81 average through 27 rounds played.
The senior caps her Wofford career as the program's all-time stroke average leader with a career average of 74.56, in addition to tying for most career top-10 finishes (16) with Lauren Dunbar '15 and holding the most top-five finishes (12). Additionally, Earl tied her own record set during the 2018-19 season for most top-10 finishes in a season (6).
Junior
Nicole Amos (+10) notched her career-best finish tied for 11
th with a score of 226, followed by
Lindsey Hollis (+12) with her fifth top-20 finish of the spring tied for 16
th with a score of 228.
Amos opened Monday's first round with a 74 before using a 3-under back-nine performance, including four birdies, to sit within the individual top 10 after 36 holes with a second-round 1-over-par 73. The Kent, England, native then finished with a 79 on Tuesday to notch her fourth top-20 finish this season.
Hollis' performance was highlighted by a solid first round, notching three birdies for a 3-over-par 75 prior to capping a prolonged second round with a 75. The junior then capped the tournament with a 77 to solidify herself within the field's top 15.
Freshman
Maggie Jackson (+17) finished tied for 24
th with a score of 233, while senior
Speedy Kent rounded out Wofford's lineup in 42
nd with a score of 253.
Lindsey Hollis finishes second amongst the team leaderboard, finishing with an average of 75.76 through 30 rounds for the 2021-22 season, while
Maggie Jackson follows with an average of 76.73 for her rookie campaign.
Nicole Amos finishes her junior season with an average of 76.88 through 27 rounds, while
Speedy Kent rounds out the top five and her Wofford career with an average of 79.26 through 30 rounds played and career average of 79.96.
(From left to right) Speedy Kent, Lindsey Hollis, Becca Earl [with trophy], Nicole Amos, Maggie Jackson and head coach Angie Ridgeway.
