Charleston, S.C. – Western Carolina women's golf claimed both of its opening day matches on a windy Monday to advance to the championship pairing of the 2022 Oyster Shuck Match Play at the par-72, 5,810-yard Charleston Municipal Golf Course.
The Catamounts downed both the College of Coastal Georgia and rival Appalachian State by scores of 4-to-1 to advance to the finals on Tuesday morning.
WCU squares off for the tournament title against the fivesome from Austin Peay State as the Governors upended both Presbyterian (4.5-to-0.5) and Samford (3.0-to-2.0) to advance to the event championship. Tuesday's action begins with an 8:00 a.m. shotgun start.
Considered the top seed in the eight-team match-play tournament, Western Carolina won four of its five head-to-head matches over the College of Coastal Georgia to start Monday's competition to advance into the winner's bracket. In the afternoon pairing, the Catamounts again claimed victory in four of the five pairings to down the Mountaineers and punch their ticket to the top final match.
Among WCU's highlights on Monday were three golfers – senior
Madison Isaacson and freshman
Elizabeth Lohbauer and
Kaitlyn Wingnean – each scored victories in both of their respective matches. Both junior
Victoria Ladd and redshirt freshman
Kayleigh Baker split their two matches with Baker winning in the opener against Coastal Georgia in a one-hole playoff and Ladd claiming victory against the Mountaineers after falling on the final hole of her morning pairing.
App State will face Samford in the third-place match, with North Carolina A&T and Presbyterian meeting in the fifth-place pairing. Event host The Citadel will play the College of Coastal Georgia in the final pairing.
Results:
Western Carolina def. Coastal Georgia, 4.0-to-1.0
Madison Isaacson (WCU) def Madison Melton (CG), 7&6
Kristen Crooms (CG) def
Victoria Ladd (WCU), 1UP
Elizabeth Lohbauer (WCU) def Emma Day (CG), 1UP
Kaitlyn Wingnean (WCU) def Kelly Buker (CG), W-OT
Kayleigh Baker (WCU) def Emily Bickelmann (CG), W-OT
Western Carolina vs. Appalachian State, 4.0-to-1.0
Elizabeth Lohbauer (WCU) def Hannah Wang (APP), 2&1
Meghan Mitchell (APP) def
Kayleigh Baker (WCU), 3&2
Victoria Ladd (WCU) def Mary Seals Brown (APP), 1UP
Kaitlyn Wingnean (WCU) def Layla Meric (APP), 2&1
Madison Isaacson (WCU) def Sarah Hardin (APP), 7&5
Additional Opening Round Results – Monday, March 7:
Appalachian State def. North Carolina A&T, 3.0-to-2.0
Austin Peay def. Presbyterian, 4.5-to-0.5
Samford def. The Citadel, 4.5-to-0.5
Winner's Bracket Results:
Western Carolina def. Appalachian State, 4.0-to-1.0
Austin Peay def. Samford, 3.0-to-2.0
Consolation Bracket Results:
North Carolina A&T def. Coastal Georgia, 4.5-to-0.5
Presbyterian def. The Citadel, 3.0-to-2.0
Final Round Pairings – Tuesday, March 8
Championship Match: Western Carolina vs. Austin Peay
3rd Place Match: Appalachian State vs. Samford
5th Place Match: North Carolina A&T vs. Presbyterian
7th Place Match: College of Coastal Georgia vs. The Citadel
