Golfweek

After a disappointing start to the spring season, South Florida claimed its first victory of the year Tuesday at the JMU Eagle Landing Invitational.

The Bulls, No. 87 in the Golfweek/Sagarin College Rankings, placed 12th in each of their first two starts this spring. But at Eagle Landing Golf Club in Orange Park, Fla., it was a different story. The Bulls posted 34-over 898 to beat Illinois (904) by six strokes. Central Arkansas (906) finished third, Kennesaw State (907) was fourth, and East Carolina and Stetson tied for fifth at 915.

Illinois sophomore Hailey Koschmann fired a final-round 75 to beat Chattanooga’s Emma de Groot by three shots. The only player to break par during the three-day, 54-hole tournament, Koschmann finished at 2-under 214 to win the individual medal.

East Carolina’s Abby Bools (73) was third at 220, South Florida’s Shena Yang (76) placed fourth at 221, and Stetson’s Alexandria Buelow (76) and South Florida’s Rachel Edwards (72) tied for fifth at 223.

South Florida closed the fall season with a third- and second-place finish in its last two events, respectively. But the Bulls failed to crack the top 10 in the spring’s first two tournaments, finishing 12th out of 16 teams at last week’s UCF Challenge.