Florida State gets another boost from Evans Derby win

March 25, 2019 | by AmateurGolf.com Staff

Frida Kinhult (FSU Athletis)

A second consecutive victory for Florida State proves that the Seminoles are among college golf's best teams

Florida State overtook two of the top 5 teams in the country on the final day of the Evans Derby Experience, moving three spots up the leaderboard to claim their second consecutive big victory of the spring season.

When the Seminoles won the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate earlier this month, Florida State head coach Amy Bond put it in the category of biggest all-time wins for the program. With the Evans Derby win, Florida State establishes some consistency, and their place at the top of the game.

Florida State was the only team in the 14-team field to score under par in the final round at Sagahatchee Country Club in Opelika, Ala. At 6 under for the tournament, the Seminoles were four shots ahead of three teams in a tie for second: Duke, Texas and Arkansas.

Duke is No. 1 in the Golfweek/Sagarin College Rankings while Texas is No. 4 and Arkansas No. 6, respectively. Florida State started the week at No. 13.

Florida State, however, claims the top-ranked player in Frida Kinhult. At the Evans Derby, Kinhult, a freshman, led the team with a T-3 finish individually. Her final-round 2-under 70 was second-best among the Seminoles on Monday, behind only junior Amanda Doherty, who had a bogey-free 3-under 69.

Doherty, winner of this winter’s Sally Amateur, will play the Augusta National Women’s Amateur next month, along with teammate Beatrice Wallin. Kinhult will play the ANA Inspiration on a sponsor exemption.

“The hole locations today were difficult and the wind picked up late in the round but all of the girls executed the game plan and stayed patient through the round,” Bond said in a school release. “We can’t get complacent because there are still many things we have to work on. But, we are going to enjoy this and get back to work on Wednesday.”

Beneath the three-way tie for second, Florida finished solo fifth at 16 over, followed by Kent State in sixth. This marks the first time in nine season starts that Kent State has finished outside the top 3.

Karoline Stormo, a Kent State junior, won the individual title at 3 under. Arkansas senior Maria Fassi, last year’s Annika Award winner, was right behind her in second at 2 under.

The Evans Derby was originally scheduled to be played at Auburn University Club, but was moved to Saugahatchee because of excessive rain in the Auburn area of late. Saugahatchee will also now host the NCAA Women’s Regional that was slated for Auburn University Club in May.

Results: Evans Derby Experience

Place	Player	Location	Pts	Scores
1	Karoline Stormo	, Norway	800	74-69-70=213
2	Maria Fassi	, Mexico	500	70-76-68=214
T3	Frida Kinhult	, Sweden	400	75-70-70=215
T3	Julie McCarthy	, Ireland	400	72-71-72=215
T3	Beatrice Wallin	, Sweden	400	72-71-72=215