PAWLEY'S ISLAND, S.C. – For the fourth time in five years, Campbell University won the combined men's and women's Golfweek Program Challenge. On the strength of Coach John Crooks' 77th career women's tournament title, the Camels garnered the women's team trophy for the third time on Tuesday by 12 strokes over runner-up Old Dominion at Caledonia Golf & Fish Club.
Nadine White set school 36- (137) and 54-hole (70-67-70—207) records to earn her first collegiate career victory by one stroke over Taylor Dodson of Gardner-Webb (70-67-71—208). A junior from Brisbane, Australia, White sank a 25-plus foot downhill putt with 6-8 feet of break on the 18th hole to clinch the title.
"Nadine has been on the verge of playing really well for a while and she's been working on a few things with her putting recently," said Crooks, who ranks second among active NCAA Division I women's coaches in tourney wins. "At the national championship last spring, she was Campbell's low individual, so it's not a surprise that she is one of the best college golfers in the country. This week, she made more putts and fewer mistakes than anyone else."
White tied for the lead with 12 birdies in the 90-golfer field and made 36 pars to tie teammate Louise Latorre for second, one behind Kelsey Badmaev of Elon. White's second-round 67 was a collegiate low and was just one stroke shy of the school record 66 set by Michelle Koh at the 2010 Palmetto Intercollegiate and matched by Tahnia Ravnjak while winning the 2013 Program Challenge at Caledonia.
She became the third female Campbell golfer to win the Golfweek Program Challenge individual title, joining past champions Brooke Bellomy (2012) and Ravnjak (2013). This week, White tied for the tournament lead in par-4 scoring (-2), while fifth on the par-5s (-3) and sixth on the par-3s (-1) on the par-71, 6002-yard Caledonia layout. White also became the 26th different Campbell female golfer to register an individual tournament title for the program, which began in the 1989-90 academic year.
As a team, Campbell shot 294-287-288—869 to finish the 18-school event 12 strokes clear of first-day leader ODU (287-302-292—881). The Camels made 166 pars, tops in the field, 33 birdies (T5th), led the event in par-4 scoring (+20) while rating second on both the par-3 (+7) and par-5 (+1) layouts.
With a men's and women's combined score of 9-over par, Campbell defeated runner-up Old Dominion (+14) by five strokes. In addition to this year's triumph, Campbell won the combined program challenge in 2011, 2012 and 2013 before finishing as runner-up to ODU last season.
"All 10 players on the men's and women's side contributed to a total team victory," said Crooks. "We had some adversity in the first round, but not a single person complained, they just took care of their own business. For us to be competitive on both sides, the state of our program is in good shape. We have a lot of talented players and we appreciate their efforts."
Ravnjak (72-73-74—219) tied for ninth place, Latorre tied for 12th (72-72-76—220) and sophomore Annelie Sjoholm matched her collegiate low round on Tuesday to finish in a tie for 23rd (80-77-69—226). After being disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard on Sunday, Ayelen Irizar rebounded to shoot back-to-back 75s over the final 36 holes.
Campbell not only provided Crooks with his 77th career coaching victory, but the triumph also marked the 24th year in Crooks' 25 seasons in charge that CU has won at least one team tournament title. The Camels return to action Sept. 21-23 in the Golfweek Conference Challenge at Wolcott, Colo.
Golfweek Program Challenge (Women)
Pawley's Island, S.C. / Caledonia Golf & Fish Club
Sept. 6-8, 2015 / Par 71, 6002 Yards
Final Team Results: 1. Campbell 294-287-288—869, 2. Old Dominion 287-302-292—881, 3. Elon 297-302-283—882, 4. Morehead State 290-298-299—887, 5. Gardner-Webb 297-303-293—893, 6. Mercer 293-299-302—894, 7. Stetson 291-309-298—898, 8. James Madison 308-302-297—907, 9. Jacksonville 299-312-297—908, 10. Houston Baptist 306-316-294—916, 11. Tennessee Tech 306-306-305—917, 12. Marshall 315-302-304—921, 13. Jacksonville State 303-315-309—927, 14. Austin Peay 309-313-311—933, 15. Radford 313-318-323—954, 16. Bethune-Cookman 322-322-314—958, 17. Valparaiso 320-320-328—968, 18. IUPUI 323-334-317—974.
Final Individual Leaders: 1. Nadine White (Campbell) 70-67-70—207, 2. Taylor Dodson (Gardner-Webb) 70-67-71—208, 3. Giulia Vandenberg (Stetson) 66-74-72—212, 4. Anna Magnusson (Morehead State) 64-71-78—213, 5. Emily Brooks (Elon) 72-73-69—214.
Other Campbell Individuals: T9. Tahnia Ravnjak 72-73-74—219, T12. Louise Latorre 72-72-76—220, T23. Annelie Sjoholm 80-77-69—226, 88. Ayelen Irizar DQ-75-75—150.
Combined Men's & Women's FINAL standings: 1. Campbell +9 (men -8, women +17), 2. Old Dominion +14 (men -15, women +29), 3. Mercer +19 (men -23, women +42), 4. Elon +23 (men -7, women +30), 5. Jacksonville +26 (men -30, women +56), 6. James Madison +32 (men -23, women +55), 7. Gardner-Webb +44 (men +3, women +41), 8. Tennessee Tech +58 (men -7, women +65), 9. Marshall +60 (men -9, women +69), 10. Houston Baptist +62 (men -2, women +64), 11. Austin Peay +77 (men -4, women +81), 12. Jacksonville State +78 (men +3, women +75), 13. Stetson +80 (men +34, women +46), 14. Morehead State +82 (men +47, women +35), 15. Radford +96 (men -6, women +102), 16. Bethune-Cookman +121 (men +15, women +106), 17. Valparaiso +130 (men +14, women +116), 18. IUPUI +136 (men +14, women +122).
NCAA Division I Women's Golf All-Time Tournament Coaching Victories
Head Coach / Years / School / Tournament Wins
Dan Brooks / 1984-present / Duke / 122
Mark Gale / 1978-96 / San Jose State / 91
Dale McNamara / 1974-2000 / Tulsa / 81
John Crooks / 1991-present / Campbell / 77
Linda Vollstedt / 1980-2001 / Arizona State / 65
