VERO BEACH, Fla. – [
CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL] - In a down-to-the-wire finish, Lynn University pulled out an impressive win at the 2021 Sunshine State Conference Women’s Golf Championship. The Fighting Knights carded a third-round score of 302 to give them a total of 905, narrowly escaping the 908 total of the Tampa Spartans. Lynn was led by Helen Kreuzer, who captured the individual title with a three-round score of 214, two under par.
Kreuzer held a commanding four-stroke lead heading into the final round, sitting at -2 through two rounds. A late charge from Tampa’s Kiira Riihijarvi, the defending champion, made the top of the leader board very interesting heading into the final three holes. Both Lynn and Tampa, as well as Kreuzer and Riihijarvi, were within two strokes of each other.
As the scorecards rolled in, the two teams continued to jump each other in the standings. Kreuzer and Riihijarvi were paired with each other, and all eyes were on the duo as they played the eighteenth hole. Kreuzer came through with the shot of the tournament, chipping in for birdie from roughly 10 yards away to clinch both the team and individual titles.
INDIVIDUAL LEADERBOARD
2021 SSC Women's Golf All-Tournament Team
1) Helen Kruezer, Lynn
2) Kiira Riihijarvi, Tampa
3) Francesca Santoni, Saint Leo
4) Camila Madariaga, Lynn
5) Poy Prasurtwong, Palm Beach Atlantic
Following their tied scores after day one, Tampa and Lynn battled it out on the course during round three. The Spartans won three of the five individual matches, but the Knights held their own when it counted. The win was Lynn’s third in school history, and second in a row. This is the fifth time in SSC history that a team has repeated as champion in back-to-back years.
Final Team Scores
1) Lynn (905)
2 )Tampa (908)
3) Florida Southern (921)
4) Rollins (927)
T-5) Barry (939)
T-5) Palm Beach Atlantic (939)
7) Saint Leo (947)
8) Nova Southeastern (952)
9) Embry-Riddle (969)
10) Eckerd (979)
2021 SSC Women's Golf Tournament Notes
- The 2021 tournament is the 22nd in conference history. Bent Pine Golf Club in Vero Beach becomes the 14th course to host the tournament.
- SSC golfers had a round average of 79.54 at Bent Pine, which was the toughest since the field had a combined 82.41 average at Crandon in 2016.
- Kruezer is the 17th overall individual winner winner, first from Lynn
- Prasurtwong is the first golfer from Palm Beach Atlantic to finish within the Top-5 or Top-10
- Kruezer’s -2 is the third best finish in SSC tournament history. NSU's Michelle Ruiz holds the scoring record for a three-round tournament at -6 (2018 - Osprey Point), followed by Riihijarvi at -3 (2019 - Lake Jovita).
- Riihijarvi, 2019 champion, finished 3 over in this year's event. It stands as the 13th best SSC tournament score.
- UT's Emilie Bjorge along with Kruezer and Riihijarvi posted tournament low rounds of 70, extending the list of -2 or better performances to 34 in tournament history.
- Kruezer and NSU's Sofia Garcia Austt join the list of 42 other women’s golfers with two or more Top-10 finishes in the SSC championship.
- Riihijarvi joins the short list of 27 other women’s golfers with two ore more Top-5 finishes in the SSC Championship. She also join the list of 26 women with three or more Top-10 finishes.
- Kelly Harris becomes Embry-Riddle’s First Top-10 finisher,