The Virginia Tech women's golf team posted the program's best-ever single round and jumped six spots on the leaderboard to finish sixth at the Golfweek Conference Challenge on Wednesday afternoon. The three-day tournament was played at the par 72, 6,216-yard Red Sky Golf Club's Fazio Course in Wolcott, Colorado, near Vail.
The Hokies, who entered the final round in 12th place, fired a 12-under 276 on Wednesday, the best team round in program history. Tech finished with an 882, good for sixth place. The 276 was the second-best round of the day and the three-day tournament. Tech's round was so strong across the board that the non-counting fifth round was an even-par 72.
The round was highlighted by a hole-in-one by Amanda Hollandsworth on the par 3, 150-yard seventh hole. It is Hollandsworth and the Hokies' second hole-in-one in collegiate competition, following an ace in the Florida State tournament in her freshman year. Hollandsworth carded a 5-under 67 on Wednesday, tying her low collegiate round.
Emily Mahar, a sophomore from Brisbane, Australia, led the Hokies in the tournament with a 1-over 217, tying for 13th place. She has led the Hokies in both events this season.
Elizabeth Bose, a senior from Norfolk, Virginia, and Jessica Spicer, a junior from Bahama, North Carolina, tied for 21st at 219 and Hollandsworth, a graduate student from Floyd, Virginia, tied for 52nd at 229. Keera Foocharoen, a freshman from Bangkok, Thailand, who was forced to leave the course on Tuesday due to illness, returned to action on Wednesday, shooting a 2-under 70. Spicer's 70 on Wednesday also tied her career-low round.
Top-ranked UCLA won the team title with a 32-under 832, setting a new tournament record, including their tournament record 271 in Wednesday's final round. The Bruins finished 33 strokes ahead of Pepperdine. Denver was third at 873, Campbell was fourth at 876 and SMU was fifth at 878, four strokes ahead of the Hokies. Georgia was seventh at 884, TCU was eighth at 888, East Tennessee State was ninth at 892 and San Diego State rounded out the top 10 of the 18-team event in 10th place at 895.
The Hokies return to action on October 8-9, as they travel to the Illinois Invite at Medinah. The tournament, hosted by the University of Illinois, will be played at the historic Medinah Country Club in Medinah, Illinois.
