FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Maria Jose Marin put her tee shot in the trees on the 16th hole Monday with a tournament on the line.
Most golfers make bogey from there and start doing math.
Marin drained a 20-footer for par instead.
One hole later, she knocked in a 10-foot birdie putt on the par-3 17th, and that was pretty much that.
Marin wins Blessings Collegiate for the third time in her career. She finished at 12 under par, which ties the lowest score she’s ever posted at the event.
The team race didn’t go the same way. Arkansas finished second at 12 over, eight shots behind champion Alabama.
Marin holds off Princeton challenger
She had to earn it.
Princeton’s Thanana Kotchasanmanee stayed right with her in the fight for first place, which is why that par on 16 mattered so much.
Marin closed with a 5-under 67. She’d shot 68 on Saturday and 69 on Sunday, so Monday was her best round of the three.
Her 17 birdies led the whole field. Kotchasanmanee had three fewer.
Marin also played the par 4s at 5 under for the tournament.
Put those together and you get a third trophy from the same event.
Hogs save their best round for last
As a team, the Hogs waited until the last day to play their best golf.
They shot an even-par 288 on Monday. Alabama shot 4 over the same day, so Arkansas made up some ground but not nearly enough.
Sophomore Sara Brentcheneff tied for fifth at 1 over. She shot 72 on Monday, though it could’ve been a lot lower.
She birdied Nos. 8, 9 and 10 in a row to get to 3 under for the day.
Then she made double bogey on the par-4 12th and bogey on the par-3 13th, and all three birdies were gone.
She parred the last five holes to hang on to her second straight top-five finish.
Liljeberg and Sathish fill out the lineup
Ebba Liljeberg also shot 72, her best round of the tournament.
The sophomore birdied Nos. 3 and 5 early but gave both back by the turn.
She got one back at the par-4 11th and then made six pars in a row.
A three-putt on 18 was the only thing that kept her out of the top 10. She tied for 11th at 8 over.
Swetha Sathish shot 77 on Monday. She also shot 77 on Saturday and 77 on Sunday, so at least nobody had to guess. The sophomore tied for 26th at 15 over.
Senior Abbey Schutte had an 80 that didn’t count toward the team score. She finished 34th at 20 over.
Arkansas also had two golfers playing as individuals. Natalie Blonien tied for 19th at 12 over and Melliyal Schmitt tied for 24th at 14 over.
What’s next for Arkansas
The Razorbacks leave Fayetteville with one trophy out of two.
Marin kept the individual title. Alabama took the team one.
There’s some good news in the lineup. Three of the five Hogs who played for the team score landed in the top 11.
The other two were at 15 over and 20 over, and that’s where an eight-shot gap can come from.
They won’t have to sit on it long.
Arkansas plays again Monday, Oct. 12 at the first Haskins Intercollegiate.
It’s at the Country Club of Columbus in Columbus, Georgia.
