Sierra Brooks waited anxiously in the clubhouse after finishing the stroke play portion of the NCAA Championships in a tie for first with Arkansas’ Maria Fassi.
Brooks ended with an overall score of 4 under, but Fassi still had 13 holes remaining to clinch the individual title.
Fassi claimed sole possession of the lead with a birdie on the par-4 sixth and never gave it back, carding an overall score of 8 under to beat out Brooks for the NCAA individual title on Monday in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
The Gators were eliminated from the NCAA Championships despite Brooks’ showing at the event. They finished in 10th with an overall score of 42 over.
Florida entered the final round in 13th (+31) and needed a spark to qualify for the match play quarterfinals, as only the top eight teams advance.
But four out of UF’s five golfers recorded a score above par on the last day, which ultimately put an end to its season.
Brooks started off well, extending her lead to three strokes after birdieing three of the last four holes on the front nine.
But the junior’s performance on the back nine hurt her chances of taking home the NCAA individual championship.
She registered a bogey on hole 10 and two double-bogeys on the 12th and 14th to finish the round at even par.
Fassi, however, was consistent throughout the final round of stroke play.
She had the luxury of playing on her home course, the Blessings Golf Club, and took advantage of it by recording five birdies and zero bogeys on her way to the NCAA individual crown.
Marta Perez, who carded a score of 11 over for Florida in the second round, performed better on Monday. She registered seven birdies — after posting only one on Sunday — to finish the last round at 2 over.
Addison Baggarly got off to a bad start in the final round, shooting a double-bogey on her first hole. She closed out the front nine with two birdies on holes six and eight, but recorded none on the front nine, ending the last day with a score of 4 over.
Elin Esborn remained steady after a 13-over finish in the opening round of the event, posting a score of 5 over in each of the last two rounds.
Clara Manzalini recorded two triple-bogeys on Monday, with one coming on hole seven and the other on hole 14. The freshman closed out the tournament with a 6-over score on the final day.
Follow Bryan Matamoros on Twitter @bmatamoros_. Contact him at bmatamoros@alligator.org.
Sierra Brooks finished the second round of the NCAA Championships tied for first on the individual leaderboard, but settled for second place after Arkansas' Maria Fassi pulled away in the final round.
