Texas A&M Corpus Christi Claims Women’s Title at 39th PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi has found a variety of ways to win their last five appearances in the PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship presented by Chase and Kohler Co.

This week at The Park, it was all about team depth, considering the Islanders won the Women’s Team Championship without any player finishing in the top six. Instead, they finished seventh through 11th place to earn a nine-shot victory over defending champion North Carolina A&T State University.

“The biggest thing with this group is, at any given time, any five of them can be the No. 1 player,” Islanders coach Chris Adams said.

That team balance enabled Texas A&M-Corpus Christi to shoot 22-over Wednesday on the challenging par-71 layout to finish at 65-over 917. Samantha Gibbs led the way in seventh place, with Elsa Tornvall eighth, Tristan Gabbard and Lucia Ramirez tied for ninth and Hannah Creekmore tied for 11th place.

It was the fifth PWCC title for the Islanders in the last six years. They didn’t play last year because they were in the NCAA regionals.

“It feels great,” Adams said. “Anytime you can end with a win in your last tournament—I've got three seniors—it’s wonderful to end on such a high note.”

North Carolina A&T State University had a spirited comeback in the final round, shooting 299 to shave 11 strokes off Texas A&M-Corpus Christi’s lead.

But the Islanders’ team depth enabled them to win one for the thumb.

“This is a great event,” Adams said. “They host it on a fantastic golf course. They host it like it's a flat out PGA TOUR event, and it's an honor to be here and to win.”

Texas Southern University sophomore Thaiz Amezcua won Women’s Team Medalist honors with a final-round 73 to edge Sanaa Carter (75) of North Carolina Central University by a shot.

With the two leaders playing on different nines, Amezcua didn’t know she won with a par on the 18th hole until her teammates ran to her to hug and celebrate.

“I had no idea,” Amezcua said. “Honestly, I still can't believe it. I'm very happy about this. Last night, I was just thinking that it doesn't matter what I do, because I just try to be my best self. This is my biggest win.”

Amezcua played her final nine holes bogey-free, a birdie on the par-4 16th hole for the margin of victory. She finished at 10-over 223, despite fighting a cold all week.

“I was very sick the whole round,” she said. “I couldn’t even think straight. I was just telling my coaches to please tell me what to do, because I have no idea.”

Carter led by a shot after each of the first two rounds, but a double bogey on her 17th hole Wednesday was costly.

University of North Carolina Wilmington freshman Alexis Faieta won the Women’s Individual title by five shots over Carolin Alblas of Florida Atlantic University.

Faieta led after an opening 4-under 67 that featured an eagle hole-out from the sand on the 14th hole that was featured on SportsCenter’s Shot of the Day. She finished with a 70 and a 2-over 215.

“Just such a high,” Faieta said. “It's been so fun, even regardless of my performance, just everything else has just been a blast. The course, the location, all the people. I just had an amazing week, and to win is just the cherry on top.”