March 15, 2011

ONEONTA, Ala. - The Samford University women's golf team earned its second straight tournament title of the 2011 spring season Tuesday as the Bulldogs rallied from third place to win the team championship at the Samford Intercollegiate held at the Limestone Springs Golf Club.

In the victory, Samford used a dominating second-round score of 295 and a third-round mark of 308 to finish regulation in a two-way tie for first place with Troy. Following 54 holes of play, the Bulldogs concluded the tournament in a deadlock with the Trojans at 907.

Both teams officially shared the championship title of the 2011 Samford Intercollegiate, but Samford rallied to win bragging rights with a victory in the one-hole playoff. The teams both competed on the first hole of the course in the playoff as the Bulldogs registered the win.

Jacksonville State, the two-time defending champions of the tournament, was finally dethroned Tuesday as the Gamecocks finished third with a score of 909.

Individually, Samford was paced by true freshmen Alex Jasper. The Bulldogs' native of Clarksville, Tenn., finished the three-round competition with a personal-best mark of 222 (70-73-79). On Tuesday, Jasper turned in the shot of the tournament as she tallied a hole-in-one on the par-3 No. 5.

Jasper finished the 2011 Samford Intercollegiate tied for third place in the individual standings.

The Bulldogs' sophomore from Lafayette, La., Anna Heim, ranked second on the team with a 54-hole score of 228. After a first-round mark of 82 on Monday, Heim rebounded with stellar back-to-back rounds of 73 to help propel Samford to the championship title.

Following Heim's seventh-place performance, Samford's Sarah Butts also finished in the top 10 as she carded a three-round score of 230 (79-73-78). Butts earned a tie for 10th place in the individual standings, while true freshman Natalie Mitchell finished one stroke behind at 231 (77-76-78). The Bulldogs' native of Germantown, Tenn., completed the tournament in 13th place.

Rounding out the scores for Samford were sophomore Kayla Turner and true freshman Savanna Schubert. Turner tallied a 54-hole mark of 237 (78-80-79), while Schubert turned in a 243 (76-80-87).

The Bulldogs entered this week's Samford Intercollegiate with a full head of steam after winning the 2011 USA Lady Jaguar Invitational hosted by South Alabama two weeks ago. Already this spring, Samford has tallied back-to-back tournament championships. The Bulldogs' young, yet talented roster is comprised of one junior, two sophomores and a trio of true freshmen.

Troy's Liz Balkcom earned the individual championship title of the 2011 Samford Intercollegiate. She finished the two-day competition with a 3-over-par 219. Jacksonville State's Lourdes Lopez placed second with a 4-over-par 220, while the Bulldogs' Jasper finished third at 222.

The Samford University women's golf team will next be in action Sunday as the Bulldogs head to Hilton Head, S.C., to attempt to win their third-consecutive team championship at the annual WCU Spring Challenge hosted by Western Carolina University at the Moss Creek Golf Club.

Complete Results - Samford Intercollegiate