Kuala Lumpur: Buoyed by her recent selection to the national squad for the South East Asia (SEA) Games, Malaysia’s top-ranked women amateur Genevieve Ling claimed her maiden National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) title at the Wyoming Cowgirl Classic on Tuesday.
The Boise State University sophomore rallied from a one-stroke deficit, firing a one-under 71 at the Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club to capture the individual title by two strokes.
“I had to stay very patient out there today,” said Genevieve, who concluded the event with an even-par 216 (72-73-71). “I was hitting the ball well, but wasn’t rolling as many putts as I would have liked. I focused on staying in the present and trying to get as many birdies as I could. Overall, I was happy with my game.”
Genevieve grabbed sole possession of the final-round lead with a birdie on the par-4 14th hole, and led by as many as three before ultimately finishing one stroke clear of her nearest competitor. She put together 16-straight bogey-free holes – including a pair of birdies – before dropping her first shot of the day.
“It feels great to win my first tournament as a Bronco. It’s awesome to see the results from the work that I put in, and the extra push that I get from the team makes me strive to keep improving,” she added.
“I’m really proud of Gen for playing so consistently this week,” noted BSU head coach Nicole Bird. “I knew this moment would come sooner rather than later, and it’s exciting that she earned her first collegiate victory. It’s especially exciting that she’s the third Bronco in a row to win this tournament. She made lots of smart decisions this week, and her ball striking was as good as I have ever seen it. I’m very happy for her, especially heading into the conference championships in April.”
Genevieve is one of only 10 Bronco women’s golfers to win a tournament all-time, and the victory is just the 15th in school history.
Boise State finished tied for fifth amongst the 22 schools in the field, posting scores of 300-307-296 (903, +39). Nevada won the tournament with an 888 (+24).
