Lincoln - Audrey Judd shared individual medalist honors after heating up the soggy course at Wilderness Ridge with a two-under-par 70 in the final round of the 2017 Chip-N Club Invitational on Tuesday.
Judd, a senior from Olathe, Kan., used her final-round 70 to finish with a 54-hole score of two-over-par 218 (76-72-70) at the three-day event. It marked the second individual title of Judd's collegiate career, joining her victory at the 2017 Westbrook Spring Invitational in February.
Judd, who opened the day in third place, four strokes behind tournament co-champion Janet Yeo from UC Irvine, carded Tuesday's best round. Yeo managed a two-over-par 74 to hang on for a share of the title at 218 (73-71-74).
Judd's impressive round came in challenging conditions for the third consecutive day on the 6,251-yard layout at Wilderness Ridge. The morning round started with a temperature of 71 degrees and a 10 mph wind out of the west. Early in the round, a cold front moved through Lincoln and temperatures dipped into the 50s while the wind shifted to the NNW at 15 mph. A steady drizzle fell throughout much of the round.
"I am just really proud of Audrey. She was two-over through three and then the wind started shifting and the temperature started dropping, and that's when things can kind of get away from you," Nebraska Coach Robin Krapfl said. "But she just got mentally tough and stuck with it and started playing really great golf to end the front nine even. Then the back nine, she got off to a great start and finished with a 34 on the back to close at 70 for the best round of the day. Just a really impressive round. All the hard work she has put in is paying off for her. We started seeing that last year in the spring when she won her first title and finished the season so strong, and it carried over into the summer and now into the fall. I'm just really happy for her."
Judd helped the Huskers hold on to a runner-up finish in the eight-team race. Nebraska closed the tournament with a final-round 304 to finish with a three-round total of 910. The Huskers finished seven shots back of the team champions from Kansas (294-306-303-903). UC Irvine matched KU with a 303 of its own on Tuesday, to finish in third place at 914.
"We're not anywhere near playing to our potential yet, which gets me excited for the rest of the season," Krapfl said. "We need to keep focusing on fundamentals and working on the little things to take care of the big things."
In addition to Judd's winning performance, the Huskers got individual top-10 efforts from Annie Sritragul and Kate Smith. Sritragul, a sophomore from Bangkok, Thailand, settled for a 78 on Tuesday to close in seventh place at 225. Sritragul entered the final round in second place after rounds of 75 and 72 on Sunday and Monday.
Smith, a sophomore from Detroit Lakes, Minn., used a four-over-par 76 to finish in ninth at 230. Sophomore Haley Thiele rounded out the team scoring for the Huskers with an 80. She tied for 30th overall with a 54-hole score of 240.
Hannah Thiele rounded out Nebraska's lineup with a final-round 86 to finish in a tie for 40th at 243.
Senior Emily Gillman carded a 77 as an individual outside the Husker lineup on Tuesday to finish in a three-way tie for 35th with fellow Huskers Jessica Haraden and Noor Ahmed. All three Huskers closed the tournament at 242.
Nebraska returns to action at the Pinehurst Challenge in North Carolina, Oct. 9-10.
Chip-N Club Invitational
Host: Nebraska
Location: Lincoln, Neb.
Course: Wilderness Ridge Golf Course (Par 72, 6,251 Yards)
Oct. 1-3, 2017
Final Team Results
1. Kansas - 294-306-303-903
2. Nebraska - 306-300-304-910
3. UC Irvine - 305-306-303-914
T4. South Dakota - 316-310-306-932
T4. North Dakota State - 314-315-303-932
6. Boise State - 323-305-313-941
7. Creighton - 324-319-324-967
8. Omaha - 337-308-323-968
Final Individual Results
T1. Audrey Judd, Nebraska - 76-72-70-218
T1. Janet Yeo, UC Irvine - 73-71-74-218
3. Natalie Roth, North Dakota State - 76-73-71-220
T4. Yitsen Chou, Kansas - 73-76-75-224
T4. Victoria Chandra, Kansas - 70-78-76-224
T4. Abby Dufrane, South Dakota - 71-78-75-224
T7. Annie Sritragul, Nebraska - 75-72-78-225
T7. Sera Tadokoro, Kansas - 75-79-73-225
9. Kate Smith, Nebraska - 77-77-76-230
T10. Kaley In, UC Irvine - 76-81-74-231
T10. Pitsinee Winyarat, Kansas - 76-75-80-231
T10. Alejandra Lobelo, Boise State - 81-73-77-231
T10. Avery French, UC Irvine - 76-76-79-231
*T10. Samantha Chong, Omaha - 80-76-75-231
Nebraska Individuals
T1. Audrey Judd - 76-72-70-218
T7. Annie Sritragul - 75-72-78-225
9. Kate Smith - 77-77-76-230
T30. Haley Thiele - 78-82-80-240
*T35. Noor Ahmed - 81-79-82-242
*T35. Emily Gillman - 84-81-77-242
*T35. Jessica Haraden - 86-75-81-242
T40. Hannah Thiele - 78-79-86-243
*competed as an individual outside the team lineup