Latanna Stone continues her hot streak at Orlando Int. Am

January 6, 2022 | by Sean Melia of AmateurGolf.com

Latanna Stone wins second-straight title (photo: Orlando Int. Am)

Latanna Stone backs up her Dixie win last month with her second straight Orlando International Amateur championship

It's never easy defending a title, but Latanna Stone made it look easy as she tamed the Crooked Cat and Panther Lake courses on her way to a dominant seven shot win in the Women's Orlando International Amateur.

Last year, Stone finished with a score of 5 under, but this year she outdid herself, finishing 12-under par for a seven-shot victory. Alexa Pano finished in second place at 5 under and Michelle Liu rounded out the top 3 with a score of 4 under.

Stone, a junior at LSU, is the second Tiger to win an event in the last week, following Lauren Clark's victory at the Citrus Golf Trail.

While Stone plays her college golf in Baton Rouge, she calls Riverview, Fla. home. Her performance made it pretty clear she's comfortable playing golf in the Sunshine State.

"The thing that has helped me over the past month is being home and being able to have lessons with my mental, putting, and swing coach," Stone said. "It's hard to be at school when all of your coaches are located in Florida."

The coaching paid off right away for Stone, as the tournament started auspiciously; she eagled the par-5 first hole and followed that up with a birdie on the second. Her opening round 67 at Crooked Cat was one of only two rounds better than 71 in the entire field. Michelle Liu kept pace with a 68 of her own.

However, Stone's bogey-free second round 67 is what really separated her from the pack. With back-to-back 67s, Stone was in the driver's seat with a seven-shot lead heading into the third round.

It can be challenging to sleep on big leads. Players can get ahead of themselves or allow nerves and expectations to cloud their process. However, Stone stayed strong.

"I think that staying mentally positive helped me achieve the 'W'", Stone said following her round.

She was so locked in that she had even lost track of where she stood in the tournament.

"I kept forgetting I had a big lead and I would sometimes play a little aggressive." Stone said, "I was trying to apply some pressure."

It might be her mental strength that has lead to a really solid stretch of golf for Stone. In her last five events she had two top fives and two victories.

Results: Women's Orlando International Amateur

Place	Player	Location	Pts	Scores
1	Latanna Stone	Valrico, FL	500	67-67-70=204
2	Alexa Pano	Lake Worth, FL	400	72-71-68=211
3	Michelle Liu	, Canada	300	68-73-71=212
4	Caroline Craig	Sautee Nacoochee, GA	300	74-70-71=215
T5	Elle Johnson	Inman, SC	300	76-71-69=216

View full results for Women's Orlando International Amateur

About the Women's Orlando International Amateur

Latanna Stone continues her hot streak at Orlando Int. Am

The Women's Orlando International Amateur Championship is an annual golf tournament gathering high-level amateur golfers from the United States of America and abroad. 54-hole stroke play championship, playing 18 holes per day. Open to low-handicap am...