SOUTHPORT, NC – North Carolina A&T will go into the final day of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Women's Golf Championships 73 shots off the lead at the par-72, 6,013-yard The Reserve Course at St. James.
A&T shot a second-day 40-over 328 and is in ninth place after Saturday's action. The Aggies have a two-day total of 84-over 660. The College of Charleston leads the tournament by 12 strokes. On Saturday, the Cougars shot a 4-over 292. Over two days, Charleston has fired off an 11-over 587. The team closest to the Cougars – the UNC Wilmington Seahawks – shot 15-over on Saturday. The Seahawks have a 36-round total of 23-over 599.
Delaware is on the heels of the Seahawks after shooting a second-round 13-over 301. The Blue Hens stand a 25-over 601, followed by Elon, who moved up one spot after Friday's competition with a second-round 301. The Phoenix is in fourth place with a 31-over 607. Towson (613) and William & Mary (629) are the two other teams who will tee off later in the day on Sunday.
A&T's Jayla Rogers shot her second straight 79 on Saturday. Rogers goes into the final day of the championships on Sunday in a six-way tie for 26th at 14-over 158. Charleston's Emma Schimpf leads the tournament by two strokes with a 1-under 143. Schimpf shot even par in the second round, tied for the third-lowest score on Saturday. William & Mary's Grace Lu scored the lowest on the day with a 4-under 68.
A pair of UNCW golfers are tied for second. Mallory Fobes and Phu Khine have a two-day total of 1-over 145. Khine led the tournament after the first 18 holes but shot 4-over on Saturday. Fobes moved up one spot by carding a 1-over 73. Charleston's Viktoria Hund (146) and Delaware's Anna Kittelson (147) round out the top-5.
Rogers had a tough start to her day, shooting 4-over after the first five holes. But she recovered to shoot three on the par-3 sixth before earning her first birdie by carding a four on the par-5, 481-yard seventh. After that, she bogeyed No. 8 before making the turn and placing a double bogey on her card for No. 10. She carded pars on her next three holes before bogeying No. 14.
She did birdie the par-3, 153-yard, 16th. She ended the tournament with a par and a bogey.
Kennedi Lee had A&T's lowest score on the day, shooting a 5-over 77 to move up one spot to 32nd place. Lee also had a team-high four birdies on her card on Saturday. She also had a challenging start by shooting 5-over after the first six holes. But Lee did well from there.
Like Rogers, she birdied No. 7 before moving to 3-over after birdieing the par-4, 252-yard ninth. She followed a bogey on No. 10 with a three on the par-4, 353-yard 11th. Lee moved to six over after bogeying three of her next five holes but recovered to par the par-5 17th and to card a three on the 343-yard, par-4 18th to shoot 2-over on the back nine.
Vileska Gelpi ascended four positions to 35th place by shooting a second-round 10-over 82 after she shot a first-round 14-over 86. Gelpi also birdied No. 7 for her only red number on the day. Kiaira Porter was the final scorer for A&T on Saturday, as she shot an 87. Victoria Stutts has a two-round total of 174.
Six programs will tee off Sunday at 8 a.m. at The Reserve Course with the top three teams in team scoring – Charleston, UNCW, and Delaware – beginning at 8:50 a.m. Charleston will aim to be the first repeat winner since Delaware in 2016 and 2017.
