It was a record-setting performance on several fronts by the University of North Florida women’s golf team that director of golf Scott Schroeder admits he didn’t see coming.
“We’ve been improving the whole spring semester and they’ve been working hard,” Schroeder said. “I knew we were playing well but I didn’t see us playing this well. It was a lot of fun.”
UNF shattered the ASUN record for team score, score in relation to par and single-round score April 17-19 in winning its fourth ASUN Tournament title by 27 shots over Stetson and Florida Gulf Coast at 20-under 844 at the Dothan (Ala.) Country Club.
Junior Brianna Castaldi of Port St. Lucie became the Ospreys’ first ASUN Tournament medalist, leading four Osprey players among the top seven. She posted a 9-under 207, which is the third-lowest winning score in conference history.
UNF took control in the second round
The Ospreys broke the record of 12-under 852 set in 2021 by Kennesaw State at the Kinderlou Forest Golf Club in Valdosta. The margin of victory was the second widest in ASUN history, after Kennesaw’s 30-shot edge in 2021.
Castaldi topped Isaki Sakashita of Stetson by three shots. Castaldi (73) was in cruise control after opening rounds of 67-67, with her first-round score also an ASUN record.
Sophomore Bradyn Smith of Gainesville, whose career-low 65 in the second round matched the second-lowest in ASUN tournament history, shot 76 and tied for fourth with junior Kaitlyn Schroeder of Jacksonville (73) at 3-under. Junior Mohea Mansbendel (74) of New Caledonia finished alone in seventh at even par.
UNF set the ASUN Tournament record for the lowest 18-hole score in the second round at 18-under 270. It turned an 11-shot lead through 18 holes into a 28-shot margin.
“The second round was something we really didn’t see coming,” Schroeder said. “18-under doesn’t happen very often and beating the best team in the field [Florida Gulf Coast] by 18 shots on a given day was pretty special.”
Scott Schroeder’s final-round message: No big scores
Schroeder said the team’s formula for domination was getting off the tee.
“They all drove it pretty well,” he said. “Brianna and Bradyn made a boatload of birdies and Kaitlyn and Mohea were very consistent.”
Scores were higher across the board as wind picked up and temperatures dropped from the 80s in the first two rounds to the 60s in the final round. But Schroeder said his team followed the game plan, which was to avoid big numbers.
“The message was that bogeys aren’t going to kill us,” he said. “Don’t play reckless. Taking a bogey was not a big deal if you were out of position.”
The only double bogeys made by a UNF player who scored in the final round was two by Smith. She more than offset that with five birdies.
Jacksonville finished 11th at 76-over. The Dolphins’ low player was Eric Marcelino (76), who tied for 26th at 11-over.
North Florida will learn of its NCAA regional site on April 29 at 1 p.m. during the selection show aired on Golf Channel.
The ASUN men’s golf tournament is April 21-23 at Kinderlou Forest.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: North Florida women’s golf team dominates ASUN tournament
Reporting by Garry Smits, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union / Florida Times-Union
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
