HOT SPRINGS VILLAGE, Ark. – Sydney Scraba notched her first career top-20 finish as Little Rock jumped three spots over the final day of the 2019 Little Rock Women's Golf Classic at Diamante Country Club. The Trojans tied for 11th among the 17-team field with a 41-over 905, posting a 14-over 302 in round three.
2019 Little Rock Women's Golf Classic Final Results (PDF)
Scraba closed out her first career top-20 finish with a 2-over 74 over the final 18 holes at Diamante, tying for 19th among the 90-player field. She tallied birdies on two and seven, sitting at 1-under 35 over the front nine, and finished with a 54-hole total of 7-over 223, besting her previous career-low by six strokes.
Kellie Gachaga finished second among the Trojan competitors with a 9-over 225, matching her 54-hole tournament low, and tying for 26th after finishing with a 4-over 76 Tuesday.
Tilde Bocker matched Scraba for the low round of the day with a 2-over 74, giving her a 14-over 230 and tying for 55th overall.
Malena Austerslaatt posted a 17-over 233, including a 6-over 78 over the final 18 holes, with
Thea Wakeford-Wesmann rounding out the Little Rock scorecard at 19-over 235, posting a 10-over 82 over the final round.
Tied for 14th heading into Tuesday's round, the Trojans regrouped from a slow start to post solid scores over the back nine, jumping three spots and settling into a tie with Arkansas Tech. The Trojans finished two shots better than 13th-place Utah Valley (43-over 907) and four shots ahead of Stephen F. Austin (45-over 909), knocking 20 strokes off its 2018 total at Diamante.
In what proved to be the most competitive field in tournament history, Western Kentucky captured the team title with a tournament-record 12-over 876, defeating Bradley (17-over 881) by five strokes. California Baptist (22-over 886) placed third with Jacksonville State (26-over 890) and UTEP (27-over 891) rounding out the top five. To put this year's tournament into perspective, sixth of the top eight lowest team scores were tallied over the past three days with the previous team low an 889 by Little Rock in 2007.
Individually, UTEP's Valeria Mendizabal captured medalist honors with an 8-under 208, tied for the second-lowest score in tournament history behind UTEP's Gerina Mendoza in 2007. She also set the individual single round low record with her 7-under 65 in round two Monday.
With the fall season complete, Little Rock will now have some time off as it sets its sights on the spring season. It was a productive fall for the Trojans under head coach
Jenna Wylie as four of the five Little Rock competitors set individual 54-hole tournament low marks with a number shattering their individual low-round bests.
Little Rock will return to action in February when it travels to Texas for the 2020 Texas State Invitational. The event, which will be held at Plum Creek Golf Club in Kyle, will be held February 10-11, starting a busy spring slate which includes six tournaments in four different states.
2019 Little Rock Women's Golf Classic Final Results
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