Houston made a big statement to start the season by winning the Mason Rudolph Championship at Vanderbilt Legends Club in Franklin, Tenn. The Cougars climbed to the top of the leaderboard with a 4-under 284 in the final round, the only Sunday team score under par. It allowed them to leapfrog Clemson and Vanderbilt, the host team, and win by two shots.
Houston finished the championship at 2 over after a steady week. Still, the Cougars were in sixth at the start of the day on Sunday. They were seven shots out of it.
Houston’s leading scorer was Maria Jose Martinez, who despite going 3 over in her first three holes, rallied with four more birdies to close the front nine before playing the back nine in 3 under. Her 69 was the low Cougar score on Sunday and lifted her to a tie for second individually. The team also counted a 71 from Hannah Screen and Brooke McDougald and a 73 from Karen Fredgaard. Four of the five – all but McDougald – are underclassmen.
This marks the eighth team title in Houston’s short history as a team.
Auburn finished fourth and Charlotte, another relatively new team (the 49ers are competing for just the third season) logged a second consecutive top-5 to start the year.
UCF freshman Tunrada Piddon was 6 under for the tournament and edged Martinez by two shots for medalist honors.
