BOCA RATON â€" With the Sunshine State Conference Championships featuring the top two teams in the country, was it any surprise #1 and #2 were tied for first going into the final round of tournament? Both top-ranked Nova Southeastern and 2nd-ranked Florida Southern had two-round scores of 597 on Monday, and two-time individual champion Sandra Changkija had a one-stroke lead over newcomer Megan Kiley in the individual race.
In round one, Florida Southern counted a one-under par 71 from Kiley, a 72 from Marianne Andersson, a 75 from M.J. Audette, and a 76 from Emily Flanigan for a team score of 294. It was the best round ever shot by the Moccasins in a Sunshine State Conference Tournament. It was also six strokes ahead of Nova Southeastern, which got a 72 from Changkija, but had to count a 78 at the other end.
The Sharks weren’t even second either, as 4th-ranked Rollins used a 71 from Fabia Rothenfluh for a first-round score of 299; but while Florida Southern, Nova and Rollins were in a 3-way battle for first, Saint Leo was a distant fourth with a 316.
Kiley, a transfer from the University of Indianapolis, birdied three of her first five holes, and was four-under with six holes remaining. Though she stumbled a bit after that, she still ended round one tied for first place with a Rothenfluh. Her 71 made her the first Moccasin since Jackie Barenborg in 2006, to break par in any round of the conference tournament. Kiley then started the second round with three birdies on the same three holes where she had them in the morning, and carded a 74. That gave her a 145 for the day.
Changkija, who won the tournament in 2008 and 2010, had scores of 72 in each round Monday, putting her on the verge of becoming the first golfer in the 13-year history of the tournament of shooting even par or better. She had five birdies in both rounds, but bogeys on two of her last three holes kept her from slipping under par.
After her 71 in round one, Rothenfluh slipped to a 77 in round two, and was four strokes behind the leader with a 148. Joanna Coe, the 2009 individual champion from Rollins, was tied with Saint Leo’s Jordan Hatch for fourth with a score of 149. Hatch had the best score of round two with a one-under par 71.
In addition to Kiley’s 74, the Moccasins counted a 75 from Flanigan, a 76 from Silvie Dittertova, and a 78 from Audette in the second round. The Sharks had scores of 72, 74, 75, and 76 to catch Florida Southern at the end of the day. Both teams were 13 shots ahead of Rollins, with no other team closer than 30.
While Kiley was alone in second, Flanigan was tied for seventh with a 151, Andersson was tied for 10th with a 152, Audette was tied for 13th with a 153, and Dittertova was tied for 20th with a 159.
The final round of the tournament is Tuesday at the Boca Country Club, beginning at 8:00 a.m.
