Alabama Repeats as Darius Rucker Intercollegiate Champion with Two-Shot Victory

Sophomore Cheyenne Knight fired a school record-equaling 65 in the final round to lead Alabama to victory at the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate on Sunday. Alabama’s win at the Rucker is the second in a row for the team and for Knight, who earned individual medalist honors a year ago as well.

As a team, Alabama finished at 2-over par on Sunday and 7-over par overall (292-291-286/859) to outdistance second-place Duke, which finished at 9-over par (286-287-288/861). Arizona State finished third at 13-over par (288-288-289/865), South Carolina was fourth at 24-over par (289-291-296/876). Georgia (292-295-293/880) finished fifth at 28-over par at the par-71, 6,218-yard Long Cove Club in Hilton Head Island, S.C.

Knight (68-72-65/205) played a bogey-free round on Sunday with three birdies on both the front and back nines to win by seven shots over Arizona State’s Linnea Strom and become just the fifth Tide golfer to shoot a round of 65. Knight’s previous low round was a five-under par 66 in the first round of the Schooner Fall Classic earlier this season. Her three-round score of 205 is the second-lowest of her career, behind only her school-record 202, set at the 2016-17 season-opening Mason Rudolph Championship, and the fifth-lowest in school history.

Freshman Kristen Gillman (58-71-75/214) finished fourth at 1-over par. Sophomore Lauren Stephenson (71-75-72/218) tied for 9th at 5-over par. Junior Lakareber Abe tied for 51st at 14-over par (75-73-79/227) and senior Mia Landegren (78-80-74/232) tied for 67th at 19-over par.

Alabama has now won four of the last seven titles at the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate. The Tide also won in 2011, 2012 and 2016.

Alabama has finished first or second in four of its six tournaments this season, with wins at the Rucker and at the Mason Rudolph Championship and runner-up finishes at the Schooner Fall Classic and the Ruth’s Chris Tar Heel Invitational.

The Crimson Tide will return to action at the Bryan National Collegiate at the Bryan Park Golf Course in Brown’s Summit, N.C., March 31-April 2.

2017 Darius Rucker Intercollegiate

Long Cove Club

Hilton Head Island, S.C. (University of South Carolina)

Alabama Final Results

Cheyenne Knight- 68-72-65*/205 (-8)

Kristen Gillman- 68-71-75/214 (+1)

Lauren Stephenson- 71-75-72/218 (+5)

Lakareber Abe- 75-73-79/227 (+14)

Mia Landegren- 78-80-74/232 (+19)

*- Equals school record for low round

Final Team Standings