FAYETTEVILLE (KFSM) – When Blessing Golf Club was named as the host site for the 2019 NCAA golf championships, the Arkansas women knew they would have a good chance to have a solid showing.
They did better than that. Razorbacks’ senior Maria Fassi claimed the individual championship on Monday as she posted a three round score of 8-under, four strokes better than the rest of the field.
There were still golfers on the course when Fassi completed her round but the Razorback had at least a seven stroke lead on those still playing their final round with five holes left.
Entering Monday’s round, Fassi was just off the pace of Florida’s Sierra Brooks but local knowledge and a strong stretch in the middle portion of her round was enough to give Arkansas their first individual champion since Stacy Lewis in 2007.
Fassi made birdie at No. 6, 8 and 12 to really get the round going on the par-73 course. The Razorback senior put any question of a collapse to bed with a birdie at No. 16 to move to 5-under for the day.
As a team, Arkansas moved on to the quarterfinals as one of eight teams that advance to the match play portion of the championship. The Razorbacks will be paired in a head to head match play format in the morning. Should Arkansas win, they would play the semifinals on Tuesday afternoon with the national championship to be decided on Wednesday.
