Baylor women’s golf opened its fall slate with a strong team showing in Charleston, S.C., finishing third at the Cougar Classic behind a big week from senior Bridget Boczar.
Boczar put herself in the mix with a second-round 66, fueled by seven birdies, then closed with a 73 to finish in a tie for second. It was her best result since a tie for second at The “Mo” last April.
Junior Malena Castro gave Baylor another steady scorecard, landing in a tie for 15th. She started with a 1-under 70 and backed it up with a 2-under 69 in the final round, giving her two rounds under par over the tournament.
Florida controlled the event from start to finish and won the team title at 16-under, 10 shots clear of Tennessee. Baylor ended one shot behind the Volunteers at 5-under to secure third place.
The Bears also outperformed a number of teams that were ranked ahead of them in the preseason poll, which had Baylor at No. 26. That group included Miami, Ole Miss, UCF and Vanderbilt.
"We beat six teams that were ranked ahead of us in the preseason polls, which shows the kind of potential this group has," head coach Jay Goble said.
Senior Yurang Li added a 2-under 69 in the second round on her way to a tie for 30th, and senior Charlotte Brook posted an even-par round during the tournament to finish tied for 64th.
"It was great to see everyone play at least one round at par or better," Goble said. "I loved seeing us get off to a solid start to the year this week. This is an extremely talented group, and I'm excited for our next couple of events."
The Cougar Classic was the first of four fall events for Baylor. The Bears will take a week off before heading to the Schooner Fall Classic in Norman, Oklahoma.
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