Tradition wide open for 2019

Duke and Wake Forest have won seven Landfall Tradition championships since 2007, including four of the last five. They also staged an epic battle for the NCAA championship last May, which explains why neither team is participating at the Dye Course this weekend in host UNCW’s tournament.

By reaching the national final, the Blue Devils and Demon Deacons were invited to the prestigious East Lake Cup, set for Monday through Wednesday in Atlanta and televised on Golf Channel. The other two 2019 NCAA semifinalists - Arizona and Auburn - join Duke and Wake in the match play event, earning valuable preparation for late spring in the format that decides the national title. Playing in Wilmington would’ve created an exhausting week of golf and eliminated practice rounds at East Lake.

The coaches made the right choice, obviously, but the Landfall Tradition might feel different without the Blue Devils and Demon Deacons. The programs dominate the record book of the 54-hole stroke play tournament, a prestigious event in women’s college golf for the last 18 years.

Duke has the record for team score - 855 in 2015. Wake’s Jennifer Kupcho set the individual tournament record with a flawless 207 in 2016, showing area golf fans the extraordinary ballstriking she revealed to the world by winning the 2018 NCAA Championship and inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur last spring.

Kupcho, who earned more than $400,000 in 15 starts on the LPGA Tour last year, is one of four Wake or Duke golfers (out of six total) to share the Landfall Tradition 18-hole record of 66.

Duke’s Gina Kim was medalist last year and scored a key point for her squad in the NCAA semifinals against Arizona. The Blue Devils won a record fourth Landfall Tradition title, firing a 3-under 285 in the final round for a two-shot victory. After a string of high finishes, their next victory came seven months later. Duke outdueled Wake 3-2 in a wild, thrilling final match to win the seventh national championship in program history.

Despite the absence of the ACC powerhouses, the tournament has once again drawn a strong field, attracting seven of the top-25 teams in the Golfstat rankings. No. 9 South Carolina - the 2016 champion - and No. 10 Michigan State are the favorites in an 18-team lineup that includes Alabama (13), Oklahoma State (17), Illinois (18), Florida State (25), North Carolina (26), Virginia (33) and N.C. State (86).

UNCW finished seventh, sixth and 16th in its three previous fall starts and is No. 103 in the Golfstat rankings.

Adams returns to Symetra in 2020

Former UNCW golfer Lori Beth Adams fell $1,823 shy of a chance to compete for an LPGA Tour card for the 2020 season. Adams earned $36,817 in 15 starts on the LPGA’s developmental circuit, the Symetra Tour, and finished 37th on the money list. The top 35 golfers earned a spot in the LPGA Q-Series, a 144-hole qualifying tournament, which begins this week in Pinehurst with LPGA Tour cards for next season on the line.

Adams plans to use the offseason to work on her game and focus her attention on finishing top 10 on the Symetra Tour money list in 2020 which would earn a LPGA Tour card for 2021. Adams missed the cut in five LPGA Tour starts this year.

The Burlington native recorded a 71.34 stroke average on the Symetra Tour, finishing 23rd in driving distance (266.1 yards) and top 50 in greens in regulation and driving accuracy. She was 72nd in putts per green in regulation and led the Tour in sand saves, converting 75 percent.

Howell wins again

Wilmington amateur Trey Howell continued his winning ways last weekend, partnering with his father Gene to win the inaugural George Williams Invitational at Coharie Country Club in Clinton.

Howell teamed with Neil Wilkinson to win the N.C. Four-Ball title at the Country Club of Landfall earlier this month. At Coharie, he and his father shot 67-66 for a two-shot victory over Mark Olbrych and Anthony Conn of Raleigh.

The tournament’s namesake is 102 years old and was a top amateur golfer in eastern North Carolina for decades. He rode the course on Sunday afternoon, speaking with each competitor and also presented awards to the winners.

Jack Nance and Bill Nance won the senior division, while Bob Yow and Jeff Heath claimed the super senior division.