Strong week for Florida, Vanderbilt defends Watersound

Maisie Filler is having a spectacular senior season.

She won the Moon Golf Invitational on Tuesday at Suntree Country Club in Melbourne, Florida, shooting 9 under over 54 holes to win by three over LSU’s Ingrid Lindblad, the top-ranked female amateur in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, and Lindblad’s teammate Aine Donegan. The win is Filler’s third of the season, with the others coming at The Ally and the Ruth’s Chris Tar Heel Invitational.

She also finished second at the Glass City Invitational in the fall and went 3-0 in match play at the Therese Hession Regional Challenge earlier this spring. Filler is the first Gator with three wins in a season since Sierra Brooks in 2018.

Filler sat No. 2 in the individual NCAA college golf rankings heading into the tournament. With the win, she easily takes pole position for the Annika Award with the stretch run of the season approaching.

In the team competition, LSU won for the second straight year and for the second time this season. Lindblad and Donegan paced the Tigers, but 2023 U.S. Women’s Amateur runner-up Latanna Stone (T-8) and Carla Tejedo Mulet (T-12) also helped LSU finish at 14 under, the only team to shoot under par.

Auburn placed second at 2 over with Northwestern (5 over), Vanderbilt (6 over) and Texas A&M and Florida (9 over) rounding out the top five.

Meanwhile, top-ranked Wake Forest had its worst finish of the season, coming in 12th out of 17 teams. However, the Demon Deacons were without Carolina Lopez-Chacarra because of an injury, and Mimi Rhodes withdrew after an opening 76, leaving only four players for Wake Forest in the final two rounds.

“We definitely faced some adversity this week with weather and injuries, but the team dealt the hand we were given, and we used this tournament as a simulation for overcoming what you can’t control,” coach Kim Lewellen said. “I am proud of the entire team, especially the four that played through these unusual circumstances. We are looking forward to getting home, regrouping and recovering before our next event in a few weeks.”