USC wins NCAA St. George Regionals, Finkelstein wins individual title

ST. GEORGE, Utah – After leading all three rounds, Southern California won the 2015 NCAA Division I Women’s Golf St. George Regional Championships on Saturday.

"It was great to have a cushion coming into the final round, but it was still a sense of relief to win the tournament and advance," USC head coach Andrea Gaston said. "By our standards, it wasn’t the best finish today, but Entrada Country Club is very difficult and it showed in the scores. Playing a golf course like this, where we were really challenged in every way, will help us at nationals. We head to Florida knowing we can survive, and even thrive, at a very difficult venue. Hopefully, that toughness will be something we can take away from this week."  

USC had a dominating performance, never shooting a team total higher than 300. The Trojans won shooting 26-over-par. Stanford came in second place (+34), while Arkansas held steady in third (+40). The remaining top six teams advancing to the NCAA championships are UNLV, Virginia and California.

The individual champion was Dana Finkelstein from UNLV. She shot 67 in the third round to move up to first place (-2). Alana Uriell and Gaby Lopez, both from Arkansas, moved up to tie for second place (+3). Gabriella Then made the biggest leap in the third round, moving up 15 spots to take fourth place, one spot above Annie Park, a fellow USC player. Emily Williams from Middle Tennessee won the 10th and final spot in a playoff hole.

The top 10 individual finishers, regardless of how their team finished, will advance to the NCAA championships. Individual competitors Alivia Brown from Washington State and Meghan MacLaren from Florida International both moved up to the top 10 in the third round to keep their seasons alive.

The NCAA Division I Championship will be held on May 22-27 at the Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Florida.

2015 NCAA Division I Women's Golf St. George Regional Championships - May 9, 2015