2019 Recap
FSU Takes 2019 Darius Rucker Intercollegiate Title
Hilton Head Island, S.C. - No. 19 Florida State women's golf held on for the 2019 Darius Rucker Intercollegiate title on Sunday, carding a 285 (+1) to claim their first tournament win of the 2018-19 season. Florida State’s Frida Kinhult, a freshman, becomes the fourth freshman in eight years to win the individual crown, shooting a 204 (-9) for the tournament.
"I’m very proud the way this team played,” Florida State head coach Amy Bond said. “The team stuck to the gameplan and put together three really good rounds of golf.”
Host South Carolina and 13th-ranked Wake Forest (867, +15) tied for second place. No. 3 Duke (869, +17), Auburn (882, +30) and Vanderbilt (882, +30) rounded out the top five.
“With as young as the team is [four freshman], you never quite know what you’re going to get,” Bond added. “Our oldest player on the team is a junior. Our junior captain is trying to lead these four freshmen. They are working hard every single day, adjusting to life in college, which is not always the easier. They just did a really good job at handling every situation that was thrown at them.”
As a team, FSU took over the lead during the second round, and extended its lead to as much as 15 strokes during Sunday’s round. The Seminoles 2-under 850 is a tournament record, breaking Duke’s 2015 record of 858.
Kinhult took full control during the second round as well, keeping pace and eventually separating from the defending NCAA Champion, Jennifer Kupcho (210, -3) of Wake Forest, who finished in a tie for second with Alabama’s Angelica Moresco (210, -3). Kinhult’s 204 is also an individual tournament record, breaking the previous record held by former Alabama golfer, and current LPGA player, Cheyenne Knight (205) that was set in 2017.
“It’s amazing and it is a great feeling,” Frida said after the victory. “I scored another 3-under, and that was a ton of fun. It was tight for a little bit, I think I was only up two strokes on Jennifer [Kupcho] after 10 holes. It was nice [to have a larger lead] coming into those last few holes.”
“[A lead] is never safe in golf,” the freshman added. “Anything can happen. I just kept shooting for greens and tried to keep a par pace at that point. It was just a nice feeling.”
“Wow is all I can say about Frida,” Bond said. “She put together some really good rounds of golf. She was in constant control of her game and her emotions. When she needed to hit a shot, she pulled it off. Winning by six shots in this field, is super strong. I’m thrilled for her and how she handled herself this tournament.”
