SIMPSONVILLE, Ky. (seminoles.com) — The Florida State Women’s Golf team won the NCAA Louisville Regional Championship and has advanced to the NCAA Championship Finals for the school-record fifth consecutive time as play in the event at the University of Louisville Golf Course came to a close. The Seminoles earned a three-stroke victory over Texas and UCLA to claim the first regional championship in school history. In winning the title, the Seminoles outdistanced South Carolina – the No. 1 overall seed in the 2021 NCAA Championship – by seven strokes.
Florida State junior Amelia Williamson finished in a tie for second place in the individual standings. She finished with a 3-under par score of 213 (68-72-73) in becoming just the third player in school history to finish in second place or higher in the individual standings of an NCAA Regional Championship. Williamson’s 3 under par score of 213 ranks tied for the fourth-lowest NCAA Regional Championship score in Florida State history.
Florida State will play in the NCAA Championship Finals for the school-record fifth consecutive championship. The event will be played at the Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz., May 21-26.
“Winning the first regional championship in school history is pretty special,” said Head Coach Amy Bond. “In the beginning of the year, I really didn’t know what we were going to have with two juniors and three freshmen. To be where we are in the season, and for them to win a regional for the first time is huge. The golf course was hard and weather was not good by any means. The girls handled a tough golf course and took control early.”
Florida State led the event wire to wire after taking hold of first place in the team standings early in the first round. The Seminoles led by five strokes after the first round, four strokes after the second round and increased its lead to 10 strokes during the third round of the tournament. The dominant Seminoles carded an under par score in the first round.
“This (the final round of regionals) is the most stressful day of the year for everybody,” said Bond. “I’m extremely proud of the way they played. They really stuck to their game plan and made the putts when they needed to.”
The tournament championship marked the third of the season for the Florida State. Bond and the Seminoles have now won championships at the Florida State Match Up, the Pinetree Collegiate and the NCAA Louisville Regional Championship.
Williamson (tied for second) and teammate Beatrice Wallin (tied for seventh) finished in the top 10 of the final individual standings. Both Seminole juniors finished under par with a 3 under par score of 213 for Williamson and a 1 under par score of 215 for Wallin. It marked just the fourth time in school history a pair of Seminole teammates finished in the top 10 of an NCAA Regional Championship. Most recently, Morgane Metraux and Amanda Doherty finished tied for fourth in the individual standings in leading the Seminoles to a second place finish in the NCAA Tallahassee Regional in 2018.
Williamson carded a 1 over par score of 73 in the final round and finished with a three round total of 213. She played her best golf on the back nine where she was 2 under par with three birdies and eight of nine holes played at par or better. After making the turn at 3 over, Williamson gained momentum with birdies on the first two holes on her back nine.
“I am really pleased with my individual performance,” said Williamson. “My swing is the best it has been in a long while so my confidence is increasing by the day. I am super excited for nationals next week in Arizona and can’t wait to go trophy hunting. We have a very talented team so I know big things can happen.”
Williamson tied her career best finish with her tied for second placing and earned the second top five finish of her career. She also finished in a tie for second place in the Florida State Match Up in February. Williamson tied her career best score vs. par (-3) which she earned at the Jim West Challenge during the fall of 2019.
Williamson enters the 2021 NCAA Championship Finials with a career-low 72.81 stroke average.
Wallin continued her brilliant play this spring as she finished 1 under with a 215 total and in a tie for seventh place in the individual standings. She totaled three birdies with two coming on her front nine.
“We all are very happy with a win,” said Wallin. “We all worked really hard to get to this point and we are looking forward to getting to Arizona and playing in nationals — which is the ultimate goal — to win.”
Wallin is a total of eight strokes under par during the postseason with two top-10 individual finishes. She was 7 strokes under par in finishing in second place in the ACC Championship and 1 under par in finishing in a tie for seventh in the NCAA Louisville Regional Championship. Wallin has finished under par in six of seven collegiate events and is a total of 28 strokes under par this spring.
Freshman Charlotte Heath led the Seminoles’ trio of first-year players with a final round score of 73. She totaled three birdies in finishing with her lowest single round score of the tournament. Alice Hodge carded a 74 and Taylor Roberts and 78 in the final round.
Williamson (13 birdies) and Wallin (12 birdies) finished 1-2 in the tournament in birdie putts made during the three round event. Hodge led all tournament participants with 45 of her 54 holes (.833 percent) played at par. As a team, Florida State totaled 180 holes scored at par – second only to Tennessee, which finished with 182 holes scored at par.
“Going to the National Championship Finals for the fifth consecutive year is extraordinary,” said Bond. “It’s a big deal because getting to the finals is difficult. To be one of the 24 teams left standing is unreal. It’s pretty cool to be able to say that this is our fifth straight trip. I am wowed. That we have put together those teams and had the players come in and really commit to our philosophy is awesome.”
The regional championship is the 14th win of Bond’s career at Florida State and ties her for first in school history for team championships by a head coach.
Bond, Florida State and the Seminole Legacy Golf Course will play host to the NCAA Tallahassee Regional May 9-11, 2022. It will be the second time and second time since 2018 that the Seminoles will host a regional on their home course. Florida State will also play host to the NCAA Tallahassee Regional Championship for women’s golf in 2026.
