KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — BYU women’s golf held off two top-25 teams to win the Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Championship in Knoxville, Tennessee, with a 2-over par total of 854. The win marks the first time the Cougars have captured consecutive tournament victories since the fall of 2016.
“Our girls are good and stayed locked in from the first shot to the last,” said BYU head Coach Carrie Roberts. “They stayed composed, in control and did what they needed to do to win.”
BYU won by three shots over the 15th ranked Miami Hurricanes who finished with a 5-over-par, 54-hole total of 857. UTSA, Chattanooga and Augusta finished in a three-way tie for third at 12-over 864.
Individually, three Cougars were among the 14 players in the field to shoot under par in the final round. BYU was led by Allysha Mae Mateo who shot 1-under par for the tournament with steady rounds of 71-71-70—212 to finish in a tie for fourth. The reigning WCC Golfer of the Year was the only Cougar without a double bogey in three rounds at the difficult Cherokee Country Club.
"I think the preparation we put in during the summer and our overall hunger for redemption following last season is our ultimate driver," said BYU senior Allysha Mae Mateo. "We have consistently worked hard and knew what we each had to work on and we did that. This team is just hungry to compete and win."
Senior Kerstin Fotu finished in a tie for 12th at 2-over par with rounds of 68-68-79—215. Lila Galeai moved up 11 spots in the final round after an even-par 71 gave her a 54-hole total of 73-73-71—217, finishing in a tie for 20th.
Annick Haczkiewicz posted the best final round for the Cougars with a 2-under 69 to vault up the leaderboard 25 spots into a tie for 31st. The senior from Las Vegas posted a three-round total of 76-74-69—219.
Freshman Addie Anderson rounded out the scoring for BYU with rounds of 78-71-73—222 to finish in a tie for 44th.
The Cougars next travel to Wolcott, Colorado, for the Golfweek Challenge at Red Sky Golf Club on Sept. 27-29.
| Place | Player | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Total | To Par |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T-4 | Allysha Mae Mateo | 71 | 71 | 70 | 212 | -1 |
| T-12 | Kerstin Fotu | 68 | 68 | 79 | 215 | +2 |
| T-20 | Lila Galeai | 73 | 73 | 71 | 217 | +4 |
| 31st | Annick Haczkiewicz | 76 | 74 | 69 | 219 | +6 |
| T-44 | Addie Anderson | 78 | 71 | 73 | 222 | +9 |
Final Team Leaderboard (Top 5)
| Place | Team | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Total | To Par |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | BYU | 288 | 283 | 283 | 854 | +3 |
| 2nd | Miami | 282 | 292 | 283 | 857 | +5 |
| T-3 | UTSA | 290 | 289 | 285 | 864 | +12 |
| T-3 | Chattanooga | 288 | 290 | 286 | 864 | +12 |
| T-3 | Augusta | 296 | 278 | 290 | 864 | +12 |