Women's Golf Wins UAB Fall Beach Blast Tournament

While the rest of the country waited in anticipation of Tuesday's historic election, the Columbia women's golf team set its sights on victory of a different nature, claiming the championship title at the 2008 UAB Fall Beach Blast. Held at the Peninsula Golf and Racquet Club in Gulf Shores, Ala., the two-day, 36-hole tournament featured nationwide competition including schools located everywhere from Ohio to Florida.

The Lions led at the conclusion of day one after the team shot a 297, three strokes ahead of Samford University and six strokes ahead of third-place Texas-San Antonio. Freshman Lynda Kwon had Columbia's best round, finishing Monday in second place with an even-par 72, one shot behind Samford's Sara Hunt. Junior Stevy Loy and sophomores Jennifer Adyorough and Jasmine Chean were tied for 11th place with a score of 75, while senior Carly Nathanson tied for 29th with a 79.

The second day of competition would prove fruitful for Loy, who shot to first place overall with an impressive 67 in the round, bringing her tournament total to 142, good for two under par. Adyorough and Kwon tied for ninth, while Chean tied for 17th. The Lions shot 300 as a team on day two, concluding play with a final score of 597, six shots ahead of Samford. Jacksonville State finished third after moving one stroke ahead of Southern Mississippi with a team round of 305.

Columbia needed clutch performances from each member in the back nine on Tuesday to hold off the rest of the pack. Loy capped off her stellar round with her seventh birdie of the day on the final hole. Chean, meanwhile, picked up two birdies in the last three holes to finish the round with a 78.

The victory marks the conclusion of the Lions' fall schedule and the first time the team has finished a tournament on top this season. Columbia will resume play on March 21 at the First Market Bank Intercollegiate Invitational in Williamsburg, Va.