Tag: Jennifer Cai

Arizona State wins Darius Rucker Intercollegiate, Julia Lopez Ramirez shoots tournament record

Julia Lopez Ramirez had a tournament-record score Wednesday.

It came down to the final hole, but Arizona State held on.

Grace Summerhays sank her bogey putt on the final hole at Long Cove Club in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, helping the Sun Devils capture the 2024 Darius Rucker Intercollegiate title. It’s the first win of the year for Arizona State, and it came at an event that featured six top-10 teams.

The Sun Devils finished at 3 over for the tournament, topping No. 11 Northwestern by a shot and No. 12 Auburn by two. Host South Carolina finished fourth at 6 over.

Summerhays led heading into the day but shot 4 over in the final round. Nevertheless, she finished T-7 at 2 under. Patience Rhodes and Beth Coulter each placed T-12 finishes at even.

Missy Farr-Kaye said her teams has worked hard the past couple months on being more positive. Even as the Sun Devils trailed for a majority of the day, she is proud of her team’s resilience and how they battled even after taking the lead.

The ASU women earned the win a day after the ASU men won in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

In the individual competition at the Darius Rucker, there was a four-way tie for medalist honors, and how each player got there was unique.

First, Mississippi State’s Julia Lopez Ramirez picked up her first win of the season and did so in record-setting fashion, shooting a tournament-record 7-under 64 to finish at 5 under. Her birdie putt on the last hole for a 63 came up inches short.

Then, Texas freshman Farah O’Keefe rolled in a lengthy birdie putt on her final hole to get to 5 under early and set the clubhouse lead that would hold on for the remainder of the day.

South Carolina’s Hannah Darling, a two-time first-team All-American, birdied two of her final five holes to get into the share of the lead.

Then Northwestern’s Jennifer Cai, who said in a post-round interview she had no idea where she should, was long on her final hole in two shots needing a par to join the group in the clubhouse. Her chip shot ran long and on to the fringe, but she buried the roughly 15-foot par putt to earn the win.

LSU’s Ingrid Lindblad, the No. 1 player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, finished a shot out of first, solo fifth at 4 under.