FARMINGTON, Pa. -- Christopher Newport freshman
Ayla Browning put together the best day for the women's golf team on Tuesday, firing a career-low 74 (+2) in the second round of the Tartan Invitational. Browning climbed nearly 20 spots on the individual leaderboard on the second day and finished in 37th place with a 16-over 160 (86-74) to help lead the Captains to a ninth place finish as a team.
CNU scored a 58-over 634 (325-309) and shaved 16 strokes off their team score from the first round to the second. The 309 on day two is the second best single round performance of the season for Christopher Newport through three tournaments this year. It stands as a top-five effort over the last three years -- a stretch that spans over 35 rounds.
In addition to Browning's two-over 74, the Captains also got scores at 80 or better from the other three counting scores on Tuesday.
Alex Delgado fired an eight-over 80,
Elena Rezac was at seven-over with a 79 and
Katie Watson bounced back with a four-over 76 to round out the day two scoring.
Browning started the day on 17 and raced out to a good start with five holes at par or better to open the round. She knocked in four straight pars before adding a birdie two on the 149-yard par three 3rd hole. A string of bogeys slowed her momentum slightly, but she bounced back at the turn with back-to-back pars on 9 and 10 before adding her second birdie of the day on the 507-yard par five 11th hole. The rookie then closed out her career-best performance with four more bogey-free holes including another birdie, this time on the 361-yard par four 15th.
The Christopher Newport freshman made the third largest jump on the individual leaderboard after the first round. She fired a 14-over 86 on Monday before bouncing back to record the ninth best score in the field on Tuesday. Among the 64 golfers playing in the tournament at the Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, Browning was one of only 12 players to record a round at 74 or better in either round of the 36-hole event.
Another Captain that made a big move on Tuesday was
Katie Watson, who managed a 15-over 87 on day one but ranked second on the team in the second round with a four-over 76. Shaving 11 strokes off her opening round score, Watson moved up 14 spots on the individual leaderboard to finish 43rd. She recorded a team-high four birdies in the second round including back-to-back holes at the end of her round. Watson sank a three on the 340-yard par four 2nd hole, a four on the 496-yard par five 8th, and then went back-to-back on 15 and 16.
Senior
Elena Rezac had the highest tournament finish for the Captains with a 27th place showing after finishing out the tournament with a 158 (79-79). She followed up the opening round with another strong overall performance adding nine pars and one birdie to her card. Rezac dropped in a two on the 149-yard par three 3rd hole and finished the two-day event with three birdies and 18 pars.
Finally, Delgado finished in 30th on the leaderboard with a 159 (79-80). She recovered from back-to-back double bogeys on 3 and 4 to rally for six straight pars. She also opened and closed her round with three straight to finished out the day with a team-high 12 pars on day two. For the tournament, Delgado tied for the most pars recorded with 25 and was joined by Tiffany Chan (WashU), Zimo Li (Emory), and Julia Haetzel (W&L).
As a team, the Captains ranked sixth in total pars with 53 in the event. Christopher Newport has just one more event his Fall and will conclude the first portion of the 2024-25 season schedule at the Alvernia Fall Invitational from October 15-16.
