Virginia ended this weekend’s Chattanooga Classic in a distant second place at 25-over par, nine strokes behind first-place Florida’s 16-over par. The No. 27 Gators ran away with it, but the No. 13 Cavaliers emerged from the rest of the pack, especially considering the comeback required to get there.
There was not much movement on the team leaderboards between the first round Friday and the last two rounds Saturday in Ooltewah, Tenn. Four of the five teams that finished the tournament in the top five were ranked at least fifth going into the second day except for the Cavaliers.
After the first round, Virginia stood at seventh place out of 15 teams, having shot 16-over par, putting it 10 strokes out of first place. Aside from graduate student Rebecca Skoler, who shot a one-under 71 to rest in fifth place, not a single Cavalier was in the top 30.
But Virginia improved upon its first-round performance by shooting 11-over par in the second and then, in one of its best rounds of the season and the best round of the entire tournament, managed a fantastic two-under third round. The Cavaliers’ rally on the last day of competition lifted them from seventh place to second, with three golfers in the top 20 — quite an accomplishment in a field that included conference rivals No. 10 North Carolina and No. 22 Duke.
Sophomore Jaclyn LaHa and senior Megan Propeck had the standout performances and the most impressive individual comebacks of the tournament. LaHa shot a five-over 77 in the first round and, in one of the better performances of her career, followed that up with back-to-back one-under 71s, climbing from 34th place to second place. She finished three over par.
Propeck, though, made the difference. She shot a six-over 78 and a five-over 77 in the first two rounds, good for 45th place. It seemed like it would take a miracle for her to climb into the top quarter of the competition in the final round, and she managed one. When the dust settled, the senior stood at sixth place, rising 39 places. Propeck shot a seven-under 65. That was not only the best score of the tournament and the best round of her career — that 65 is a new Honors Course record. Propeck finished four-over for the tournament.
Skoler’s one-under 71 first round was followed by scores of six-over 78 and three-over 75 for an eight-over tournament, dropping her from fifth to 18th place. Her top 20 placement, however, was still crucial in the team’s second-place finish.
Graduate student Chloe Shiavone was relatively consistent throughout the tournament but gained lots of ground on the leaderboard from the first to the second day. She shot a six-over 78 in the first round and stood at 45th entering the second round. Her two-over 74 in the second round and four-over 76 in the third were good enough to lift her 15 places to 30th. Shiavone shot 12-over for the tournament.
Freshman Kennedy Swedick finished 54th, a 19-place improvement from her 73rd place standing after the first day. Swedick had a rough start with a nine-over 81 but recovered well with solid outings of five-over 77 and three-over 75. She shot 17-over for the tournament.
Sophomore Kiera Bartholomew competed individually, finishing 65th overall. She shot a nine-over 81, an eight-over 80, and a five-over 77. Bartholomew ended 22-over for the tournament.
All in all, the Chattanooga Classic was a roaring success for the Cavaliers. With only one competition remaining before the ACC Tournament, Virginia is cruising. They will try to continue their momentum at the Wolfpack Match Play Invitational April 7.
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