Puerto Rico Women's Classic: Arkansas comes from behind to best LSU by one shot

06 Feb 2024
by Justin Golba of AmateurGolf.com
see also: View results for Puerto Rico Women's Classic, The Grand Reserve Golf Club, Anna Morgan Rankings
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Arkansas Women's Golf Team (Arkansas Athletics Photo)

Arkansas turned a six-shot deficit into a one-shot victory at the Puerto Rico Women's Classic at The Grand Reserve Golf Club in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, hosted by Purdue University.

The Razorbacks defeated the LSU Tigers by one shot, finishing at 10-under with team rounds of 293, 285, and 276. The final round, 12-under 276, was the best team round for the Razorbacks since 2021.

Arkansas was led by Ela Anacona, who finished in solo tenth place at 3-under. Reagan Zibilski and Kendall Todd finished T11, and Maria Jose Marin finished T16. Anacona won the 2023 Women's Latin America Amateur.

LSU finished in solo second place at 9-under with team rounds of 283-289-283 and shot a final round 5-under 283.

Auburn finished in solo third place at 8-under, Texas A&M finished in solo fourth place at 6-under, and Oklahoma State finished in solo fifth place at 4-under.

Anna Morgan of Furman also started one shot back of the individual lead, and a final round bogey-free 5-under 67 propelled her to a two-shot win. Morgan shot rounds of 68-71-67. She ended the tournament on a 32-hole bogey-free streak.

Morgan teed off on No. 7 and birdied her first hole, then added consecutive birdies on No. 11 and No. 12. She concluded the round with back-to-back birdies on No. 2 and No. 3 to secure the victory.

This win is a program-best seventh win for Morgan, who broke Dottie Pepper, Betsy King, Jennifer Perri, and Beth Daniel's program record of five wins each last year when she won her sixth event.

Morgan also won the 2023 North and South Women's Amateur at Pinehurst Resort.

Ingrid Lindblad, who is ranked No. 1 in the Golfweek/AmateurGolf.com Women's rankings, finished in solo second place at 8-under and led the way for the second place finishing Tigers. Lindblad shot rounds of 71-69-68 to shoot 8-under.

Carla Bernat of Kansas State, the 36-hole leader, finished T3 along with Blanca Fernandez Garcia-Poggio, and Megan Schofill of Auburn at 7-under. Schofill was the 2023 U.S. Women's Amateur champion.

Anna Foster of Auburn and Isabella McCauley of Minnesota finished T6 at 6-under.

Anna Davis of Auburn finished T25 at 1-over after a final round 1-under 71. She started on No. 5 in the shotgun start and birdied her first hole. She recorded four birdies and three bogeys in her final round, including a birdie on No. 3, her 17th hole, to finish 1-under. She shot rounds of 73-73-71. Two of her three rounds were counted in her debut performance to help the Tigers to a third place finish.

Davis won the 2022 Augusta National Women's Amateur and made the 2023 U.S. Women's Amateur quarterfinals. She most recently finished in solo second place at the AmateurGolf.com San Diego Amateur.

Check out her exclusive interview with AmateurGolf.com below.