MELBOURNE, Fla. – Led by top-five finishes from graduate student Beth Lillie and freshman Amanda Sambach, the No. 8 Virginia women’s golf team placed second at the Moon Golf Invitational on Tuesday. The Cavaliers finished at 4-under 860, including a final-round score of 3-under 285. It marked the seventh consecutive round UVA has shot par or better as a team. Florida State captured the team title at 10-under 854.
Lillie tied for second place at 7-under 209 after shooting 4-under 68 during the final day of play. Lillie’s finish was the 15th top-10 showing during her career. Her 54-hole total topped her previous best tournament score of 5-under 211 at the 2020 IJGA Collegiate Invitational.
After shooting a career-best 66 on Monday, Lillie’s final round got off to a rocky start when she made bogey on her first and third holes. Starting on the fifth hole, she played her next seven holes at 7-under par, including an eagle on the par-5 10th hole. She completed her final seven holes at 1-over par.
LSU’s Ingrid Lindblad captured medalist honors by topping the field with a score of 10-under 206.
Sambach used an eagle on the par-5 18th hole to finish her final round at 3-under 69, matching her low collegiate single-round total. Her three-day total of 5-under 211 eclipsed her previous best tournament score – at the UCF Challenge – by a stroke. It was her second top-10 finish of the year.
Rounding out UVA’s scoring was sophomore Jennifer Cleary in 26th place at 4-over 220, sophomore Rebecca Skoler in 37th place at 221 and junior Celeste Valinho in 65th position at 227. Skoler and Valinho both shot 2-over 74 during the final round while Cleary posted a score of 75. The event was Skoler’s first time competing for UVA as a scoring player.
The Cavaliers are off until March 13 when they travel to Palos Verdes Estates, Calif., for the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge.
Moon Golf Invitational
Suntree Country Club
Melbourne, FL
Par 72, 6,479 yards
Final Results
Team Results
1. Florida State 286-287-281-854
2. Virginia 287-288-285-860
3. UCF 292-286-282-861
4. LSU 292-287-282-861
5. Alabama 297-286-279-862
6. Florida 291-290-289-870
7. Auburn 295-287-289-871
7. South Carolina 295-291-285-871
7. Arkansas 296-294-289-879
10. Baylor 301-288-293-882
10. Duke 304-290-290-884
12. North Carolina 298-305-282-885
13. Louisville 291-305-296-892
14. Augusta 302-297-300-899
15. Miami 307-308-300-915
Individual Leaders
1. Ingrid Lindblad, LSU 66-67-73-206
2. Beth Lillie, Virginia 75-66-68-209
2. Kendall Griffin, Louisville 68-70-71-209
Virginia Results
2. Beth Lillie 75-66-68-209
5. Amanda Sambach 70-72-69-211
26. Jennifer Cleary 69-76-75-220
37. Rebecca Skoler 73-74-74-221
65. Celeste Valinho 75-78-74-227