Jack Belote, MemphisThe senior helped the Tigers capture their first team title since 2008 at the Mason Rudolph Men's Championship when he shot a 11-under 205 to win individual honors by one stroke over South Carolina's Blaine Woodruff.
Belote's performance at Vanderbilt Legends Club outside Nashville tied the second lowest in Memphis history as he became the first UM player to win an event since 2007.
Interestingly, this wasn't the first time Belote had found success at the Mason Rudolph. A year ago he posted his best score of the fall season with a final-round 70 at the event, good for 16th place. Meanwhile, as a freshman in 2008 he finished 17th in the tournament in his first collegiate start.
Honorable mention: Josh Anderson, Pepperdine
The junior had a 10-under 206 showing at Washington National GC, shooting back-to-back 68s after opening with a 70 to win the individual title at the Kikkor Golf Husky Invitational by four strokes over teammate Andrew Putnam.
WOMEN
Pia Halbig, CaliforniaWith a 13-under 203 at the Mason Rudolph Women's Championship, the senior from Germany set both a tournament and a school 54-hole scoring record en route to claiming her first individual college victory by three strokes over Wake Forest's Michelle Shin.
The previous Cal record was eight under, held by Sophia Sheridan and Shannon Yocum.
Halbig's second-round 67 Saturday at the Vanderbilt Legend Club also tied Cal's 18-hole scoring mark.
"Pia was just stellar through all three rounds," said women's coach Nancy McDaniel. "Shooting a four-under, five-under, and then another four-under shows the level of play she is at. This win really had purpose. She didn't win because someone else wasn't playing well. Those two [Halbig and Shin] went toe-to-toe until the end. Pia just played purposefully, making birdies down the stretch."
Indeed, during her final round, Halbig made four birdies on the back nine, including three straight on the 14th, 15th and 16th holes.
Honorable mention: Emily Tubert, Arkansas and Nicole Zhang, Notre Dame.
The two freshmen each won tournaments in their first college starts while propelling their schools to team titles. Tubert shot a five-under 211 to claim the Susie Maxwell Berning Classic title in Norman, Okla.; Zhang shot a nine-under 209, a school record, to triumph at the Mary Fossum Invitational in East Lansing, Mich.
Photos courtesy of Memphis and California Sports Information Departments.
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