Lammers, Titans Charge Past Oakland For Horizon League Championship
HOWEY-IN-THE-HILLS, Fla. (4/27/2014) -- The Titans went hunting for some Golden Grizzlies today and led by two-time HL Player of the Year and now two-time HL medalist senior Lindsey Lammers (Milan, Mich. / Milan), the University of Detroit Mercy women's golf team won its second straight Horizon League Championship as play came to an end on Sunday at the Par 72, 5,817-yard Las Colinas Course at the Mission Inn Resort.
Detroit began the final round trailing rival Oakland by eight shots, but with four players posting scores in the 70's, the red, white and blue raced past OU with a 311 and won the title by seven strokes in finishing with a 943 (317-315-311). The 943 is tied for the second lowest 54-hole total in school history with the 943 Detroit recorded to win the 2010 championship and behind only the 920 it won with last year.
The victory also means that the Titans receive the league's automatic berth to the NCAA Regional Championships, which will be announced tomorrow live on the Golf Channel between 6-7:00 p.m.
"I told the team last night to just be themselves and play one shot and one hole at a time," said head coach Terri Anthony-Ryan (Golf Pro Beenchwoods, Southfield, Mich.). "I told them that they are used to this pressure and that they are still in it and I don't want the season to end."
The win marked the second-straight year that the Titans have won the trophy and the third time since 2010, with the other two seasons placing second.
Lammers – who broke the school record with her eighth career victory - started the day tied for first and then opened her lead up to as many as three, winning the HL medalist by two shots with a career-best 228 (76-77-75). She tallied a 3-over 75 on the final 18 with 10 pars and three birdies en route to her second career HL title as she won the event in 2012, the only Titan to win it multiple times.
She was All-Tournament for the third-straight year as she recorded nine birdies and 31 pars in the 54 holes, with her 228 the second best score by a UDM golfer at the league championship, behind only Alainna Stefan's 226 in 2010. Lammers has now also finished in the top nine in 23 of her last 25 events with eight wins and five runner-up efforts since her sophomore year.
Senior Christina Thorne (Kingston, Ont. / Bayridge) was All-Tournament for the second-straight season as she was third with a 233 (79-76-78), her 15th career top-10 tournament. The two-time All-HL performer fired a 78 on Sunday with 10 pars and back-to-back birdies on 12 and 13. She had six birdies on the weekend along with tying for the team lead at 31 pars.
"Lindsey and Christina are just two great players," said Coach Ryan. "Lindsey knows that the pressure is on her every tournament and she continues to play her game, and Christina is right there and always comes up with big shots."
Junior Olivia Richards (Waterford, Ont. / Simcoe Compostie) tied 12th with a 239 (79-81-79) and freshman Sarah Thompson (Canton, Mich. / Plymouth) shared for 17th with a 244 (83-82-79), which tied a season-best.
Richards shot a 79 on the final 18 and played real steady with 11 pars and a birdie on the Par 5 13th hole, while Thompson picked the best time to come through with her best round of the weekend with a 79 as she had 11 pars and a birdie on the Par 4 16th hole.
"On the back nine, I told Sarah that we needed her to match or beat the score Oakland put up and she did that and came up big for us," added Coach Ryan.
Junior Jessica Mallender (Amherstburg, Ont. / General Amherst) tallied a career-low 253 (84-81-88) in the tournament, her first-ever Horizon League Championship appearance.
"Olivia and Jess have been a part of this program for three years and they know what we need to do to win," said Coach Ryan. "Olivia played well today and gave us the score we needed and Jess came up with a score yesterday so when you have your entire team contributing, that is a great sign."
The 2014 NCAA Division I Women's Golf Championships selections will be announced live via the Golf Channel Monday, April 28, during Golf Central which will air that evening from 6 to 7 p.m (EST). Additionally, the show will be streamed live on the Golf Channel website and posted afterwards on the NCAA website at www.ncaa.com.
The Titans participated in the NCAA Central Regional last year, hosted by Oklahoma at the Jimmie Austin Oklahoma Golf Course, and in the NCAA Central Regional in 2010 at the Otter Creek Golf Course in Columbus, Ind.
HOWEY-IN-THE-HILLS, Fla. (4/27/2014) -- The Titans went hunting for some Golden Grizzlies today and led by two-time HL Player of the Year and now two-time HL medalist senior Lindsey Lammers (Milan, Mich. / Milan), the University of Detroit Mercy women's golf team won its second straight Horizon League Championship as play came to an end on Sunday at the Par 72, 5,817-yard Las Colinas Course at the Mission Inn Resort.
Detroit began the final round trailing rival Oakland by eight shots, but with four players posting scores in the 70's, the red, white and blue raced past OU with a 311 and won the title by seven strokes in finishing with a 943 (317-315-311). The 943 is tied for the second lowest 54-hole total in school history with the 943 Detroit recorded to win the 2010 championship and behind only the 920 it won with last year.
The victory also means that the Titans receive the league's automatic berth to the NCAA Regional Championships, which will be announced tomorrow live on the Golf Channel between 6-7:00 p.m.
"I told the team last night to just be themselves and play one shot and one hole at a time," said head coach Terri Anthony-Ryan (Golf Pro Beenchwoods, Southfield, Mich.). "I told them that they are used to this pressure and that they are still in it and I don't want the season to end."
The win marked the second-straight year that the Titans have won the trophy and the third time since 2010, with the other two seasons placing second.
Lammers – who broke the school record with her eighth career victory - started the day tied for first and then opened her lead up to as many as three, winning the HL medalist by two shots with a career-best 228 (76-77-75). She tallied a 3-over 75 on the final 18 with 10 pars and three birdies en route to her second career HL title as she won the event in 2012, the only Titan to win it multiple times.
She was All-Tournament for the third-straight year as she recorded nine birdies and 31 pars in the 54 holes, with her 228 the second best score by a UDM golfer at the league championship, behind only Alainna Stefan's 226 in 2010. Lammers has now also finished in the top nine in 23 of her last 25 events with eight wins and five runner-up efforts since her sophomore year.
Senior Christina Thorne (Kingston, Ont. / Bayridge) was All-Tournament for the second-straight season as she was third with a 233 (79-76-78), her 15th career top-10 tournament. The two-time All-HL performer fired a 78 on Sunday with 10 pars and back-to-back birdies on 12 and 13. She had six birdies on the weekend along with tying for the team lead at 31 pars.
"Lindsey and Christina are just two great players," said Coach Ryan. "Lindsey knows that the pressure is on her every tournament and she continues to play her game, and Christina is right there and always comes up with big shots."
Junior Olivia Richards (Waterford, Ont. / Simcoe Compostie) tied 12th with a 239 (79-81-79) and freshman Sarah Thompson (Canton, Mich. / Plymouth) shared for 17th with a 244 (83-82-79), which tied a season-best.
Richards shot a 79 on the final 18 and played real steady with 11 pars and a birdie on the Par 5 13th hole, while Thompson picked the best time to come through with her best round of the weekend with a 79 as she had 11 pars and a birdie on the Par 4 16th hole.
"On the back nine, I told Sarah that we needed her to match or beat the score Oakland put up and she did that and came up big for us," added Coach Ryan.
Junior Jessica Mallender (Amherstburg, Ont. / General Amherst) tallied a career-low 253 (84-81-88) in the tournament, her first-ever Horizon League Championship appearance.
"Olivia and Jess have been a part of this program for three years and they know what we need to do to win," said Coach Ryan. "Olivia played well today and gave us the score we needed and Jess came up with a score yesterday so when you have your entire team contributing, that is a great sign."
The 2014 NCAA Division I Women's Golf Championships selections will be announced live via the Golf Channel Monday, April 28, during Golf Central which will air that evening from 6 to 7 p.m (EST). Additionally, the show will be streamed live on the Golf Channel website and posted afterwards on the NCAA website at www.ncaa.com.
The Titans participated in the NCAA Central Regional last year, hosted by Oklahoma at the Jimmie Austin Oklahoma Golf Course, and in the NCAA Central Regional in 2010 at the Otter Creek Golf Course in Columbus, Ind.
