Alabama
Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic
Polly Mack Remains Tied for Lead Ahead of Final Round at Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic
3/26/2022 8:19:00 PM | Women's Golf
The Alabama women’s golf team improved to fourth place after second round
ATHENS, Ga. – The University of Alabama women's golf team improved one spot on the leaderboard at the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic to find fourth place after matching rounds of 11-over-par 299 through the first 36 holes at the University of Georgia Golf Course (par 72, 6,317 yards) in Athens, Ga. Polly Mack held her ground in the second round Saturday, as she remains tied for first place after recording a 2-over-par 74 through 20 mph winds.
Mack, a fifth year for the Crimson Tide, is tied with senior Hailee Cooper of Texas A&M for the lead on even-par 144 tournament totals. Mack was tied with two other players after Friday's first round and her patience through the elements helped her remain a frontrunner for medalist honors, while Cooper rallied three spots up the individual leaderboard to share the lead this afternoon.
The Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic includes seven of the nation's top 15 individual players, including No. 2 Amari Avery of USC, No. 3 Rachel Kuehn of Wake Forest, No. 7 Sara Kouskova of Texas, No. 9 Hannah Darling of South Carolina, No. 13 Benedetta Moresco and No. 14 Mack of Alabama and No. 15 Carol Lopez-Chacarra of Wake Forest.
The Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic field features 15 teams, including eight teams ranked in the top 25 of the latest GolfStat rankings. No. 3 Wake Forest, No. 4 South Carolina, No. 11 Texas, No. 12 Alabama, No. 13 Southern California, No. 16 Texas A&M, No. 17 Arkansas and No. 22 Ole Miss are joined by Southern, Houston, Georgia, Mercer, Mississippi State, Louisville and Charleston to complete the field.
Isabella van der Biest carried the momentum she created in the first round into the second round, turning in a scorecard that featured 16 pars and just two bogeys Saturday. Her 2-over-par 74 in the second round helped her climb 14 spots up the individual leaderboard for a share of 12th place on a 5-over-par 149 tournament total ahead of the final 18 holes.
Any place inside the top 25 would be a career best for the freshman as a member of the Crimson Tide lineup. She finished tied for 22nd at the Hoover Invitational earlier this season, her career best, but she was competing as an individual.
Angelica Moresco bounced back from a first-round 79 to record a second-round 73, Alabama's lowest score of the day. Thanks to three birdies and a bogey on the back nine, which is where the Crimson Tide teed off in the second round, it gave her wiggle room to record a trio of bogeys on the back nine. Moresco capped her round with four straight pars.
The graduate student rose more than 20 spots up the standings with her 1-over-par 73 second round to find herself tied for 31st place on an 8-over-par 152 tournament total before the final round.
Benedetta Moresco reported a round of 6-over-par 78, carding birdies on a pair of par-3 holes, Nos. 3 and 13. The sophomore is tied for 36th on a 9-over-par 153 tournament total. Sarah Edwards recorded a 9-over-par 81 Saturday, finding a share of 63rd place on a 16-over-par 160 tournament total.
Alabama is set to tee off in the final round Sunday at 7:54 a.m. CT and will be paired with Georgia and Louisville. Live scoring can be found here.
From Head Coach Mic Potter
"We played a really solid first nine holes today and were around the lead at the turn. The wind will wear you down mentally and we gave up a few shots coming in. I was proud of the way our team battled today and feel like we are on the edge of breaking through. Hopefully it will come together tomorrow!"
Results
- T1 Polly Mack even-par 144
- T12 Isabella van der Biest 5-over-par 149
- T31 Angelica Moresco 8-over-par 152
- T36 Benedetta Moresco 9-over-par 153
- T63 Sarah Edwards 16-over-par 160
For all the latest information on the team, follow @AlabamaWGolf on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. General athletic news can be found @UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and Alabama Athletics on Facebook.
Players Mentioned
