KNOXVILLE, TENN. –
Mira Berglund and
Alicia Olsson finished 1-2 on the individual leader board, and Campbell tied with host Tennessee for second in the team standings following Tuesday's final round of the Mercedes Benz Intercollegiate at Cherokee Country Club.
A sophomore from Oernskoeldsvik, Sweden, Berglund fired a collegiate-low, 5-under par 66 Monday then followed with a 2-under 69 Tuesday to claim her first collegiate title at 6-under par 207 (72-66-69). She made just one bogey over her last 40 holes and birdied two of the final three to close out a three-shot win over her teammate.
Olsson, a sophomore from Amal, Sweden, played her final 27 holes at 7-under par and also made only one bogey on Tuesday. She matched her collegiate-best runner-up finish earlier this season at the Tiger Classic and completed the 3-day Mercedes Benz event at 3-under 210 (73-68-69). The Camel teammates were two of just three players in the 73-golfer field to finish the event in red numbers.
No. 55 Miami won the team title at 10-over 862 (286-291-285), five shots in front of No. 49 Campbell (291-288-288—867) and host and 37th-ranked Tennessee (287-297-283—867). No. 35 UCF finished fourth (287-292-290—869) in a 13-team field that included eight schools ranked among the nation's top 100.
Campbell junior
Isabella Hahne finished in a tie for 26th place (74-75-73—222), while red-shirt junior
Taylah Ellems was T44 (72-79-77—228). Freshman
Fanni Gronlund finished T58 (76-80-77—233).
As a team, the Camels tied for the lead in par-3 (+15) and par-4 (+17) scoring and were third in birdies (40) and sixth with 163 pars on the 1907 Donald Ross design that played to par 71 this week.
Berglund finished second in the 73-golfer field with 11 birdies and in par-4 scoring (-2), while placing third in pars (38) and fourth on the par-5 holes (-5). Olsson led the field with 40 pars, tied for fourth in par-4 scoring (-1) and T5th on the par three layouts (even).
One day after tying the eighth-best 36-hole score (138) in the program's history, Berglund matched the fourth-lowest 54-hole total since Campbell started its women's golf program in 1989-90. She closed the fall schedule with three top-10 finishes in five events and six rounds of par, or better, golf.
Olsson posted her fifth-consecutive top-10 – including four top-fives – performance. She has played par, or better, golf 10 times in 14 rounds this season.
Campbell finished either first (Golfweek Fall Challenge) or second (Tiger Classic, The Southern, Mercedes Benz Intercollegiate) in four of its five tournaments during the fall season. The Camels return to action Feb. 24-25 in the Daniel Island Invitational, hosted by the College of Charleston at the Daniel Island Club in Charleston, S.C.
Mercedes Benz Intercollegiate
Cherokee Country Club / Knoxville, Tenn.
Par 71, 5965 Yards / Oct. 20-22, 2024
Final Team Results: 1. Miami 286-291-285—862,
T2. Campbell 291-288-288—867, T2. Tennessee 287-297-283—867, 4. UCF 287-292-290—869, 5. Chattanooga 288-301-288—877, 6. Kent State 299-296-288—883, T7. Middle Tennessee State 295-300-294—889, T7. East Carolina 299-297-293—889, 9. Memphis 287-300-306—893, 10. Charlotte 309-295-296—900, 11. Georgia State 307-311-290—908, 12. East Tennessee State 307-302-300—909,13. Eastern Kentucky 310-295-312—917.
Final Individual Leaders: 1. Mira Berglund (Campbell) 72-66-69—207,
2. Alicia Olsson (Campbell) 73-68-69—210, 3. Violeta Fernandez (Chattanooga) 772-74-66—212, T4. Pimpisa Sisutham (UCF) 70-71-72—213, T4. Giulia Foresta (Chattanooga) 71-73-69—213, T4. Sofie Engesaeth (Tennessee) 71-75-69—213.
Other Campbell Individuals: T26.
Isabella Hahne 74-75-73—222, T44.
Taylah Ellems 72-79-77—228, T58.
Fanni Gronlund 76-80-77—233.
The Course – Cherokee Country Club (Par 71, 5965 yards): Founded in 1907 and extended to 18 holes in 1910 by famed architect Donald Ross, Cherokee Country Club is nestled in a bend of the Tennessee River with sweeping view of the Smoky Mountains. The course was redesigned over in the years, initially through Alex McKay in 1950 and Dan Maples made further revisions in 1985. In 2000, Ron Prichard (Donald Ross restoration architect) was appointed to restore the course to its former glory. Prichard employed old aerial photographs, and the course was opened to play in 2008. The club has played host to U.S. Open Qualifying and the Tennessee State Amateur.
