Georgia women’s golf begins year with sixth place finish at Cougar Classic
The Georgia women’s golf team opened up its 2023-24 season with a sixth place finish at 16-under 836 in the 2023 Cougar Classic in Charleston, S.C. from Sept. 11-12.
“It was a very solid way to start the year,” Georgia head coach Josh Brewer said. “Any time you compete, you want to win, but we know we are building and will play our best golf in the future. At the same time, there were a lot of positives to take away from this tournament and how we started the season.”
The storied Cougar Classic tournament is hosted annually by the College of Charleston and takes place at the Yeamans Hall Club with 36 holes on Monday and a final round of 18 holes on Tuesday.
After a 4:45 p.m. stoppage on day one, the Bulldogs found themselves ranked 7th after most golfers had completed 28 holes. The team was at 11-under on the day and looked to recuperate for a strong Tuesday showcase.
The Georgia golf squad shot a collective 4-under 280 for the final round of the par-71 course in Charleston on Tuesday. The final tally included performances of 3-under 68 from Caterina Don along with 1-under 70 from Natachanok Tunwannarux and Napat Lertsadwattana. LoraLie Cowart and Bernice Olivarez Ilas both shot 1-over-72.
The Bulldogs’ overall scores were led by 3-under par performances from Don, Tunwannarux and Cowart. Don finished tied for ninth at 8-under 205, Lertsadwattana tied for 20th and at 4-under 209 and Cowart finished tied for 28th at 3-under 210.
The remaining two Bulldogs, Ilas and Lertsadwattana, finished tied for 45th at 215 and tied for 70th at 220, respectively. In addition, Kate Song, who competed individually, finished tied for 56th with a 216 final scorecard.
Each of the Bulldogs shot for par-or-better in at least one round of their combined 18.
Ole Miss finished in first with a final tally of 36-under 816. LSU and Clemson rounded out the top-three team performances with final scores of 821 and 822.
Savannah Grewal of Clemson and Ingrid Lindblad of LSU tied for first in the competition, each claiming a piece of the individual trophy with identical scores of 16-under par 197.
Don’s 8-under display was the highlight of the Bulldogs’ performance at the Cougar Classic, falling one stroke short of her career-low dating back to the 2019 Minnesota Invitational.
“I’m happy for Caterina [Don],” Brewer said. “She came out on fire as a freshman and won her first tournament. She played really well this week as well. She’s been here five years. Golf doesn’t owe anyone anything, but I’d really like to see her have the type of season I know she deserves considering everything that she’s given to this program. She’s certainly off to a great start.”
Coach Brewer said he hopes his players will take the momentum in stride to build upon a promising opener as they move toward their next tournament at The Wind
