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Kate Matthews flirted with All-American honors but came up just short as the junior finished 13th overall at the
NCCAA National Tournament in Palm Coast, Florida, this week. Matthews competed as an individual at the tournament with twenty-six golfers lining the tournament field.
"Kate showed great determination after a slow start to the tournament," Bruins Head Coach Denny Scott said. "It was a heartbreaking finish to come so close, but I believe she'll bounce back and be more determined than ever to be back here at nationals for her final season next year. Hopefully, our whole ladies' team will join her in competition."
Matthews earned an invitation to the national tournament after finishing 3rd overall on the
leaderboard at the
NCCAA South Regional Tournament in Columbia, South Carolina, on September 24.
Last season, Matthews became the first female golfer in program history to compete at the national tournament and she made the most of her opportunity with a 5th place finish overall. Her performance earned her All-American honors, the first for a female golfer in Bruins program history.
This season, Matthews knew she would have to be at her best as she competed against a tough tournament field and a difficult course at Hammock Beach Resort. Weather would play a factor throughout the tournament which influenced scores.
In the opening round, Matthews began with a par before
struggling with a double bogey on hole two. She bounced back after some early struggles as she birdied the sixth hole to move to +3 on the day.
After making the turn, Matthews ran into a struggle on hole ten before again bouncing back as she parred four of the next five holes to help finish the opening round with an 86. This placed Matthews tied for 16th overall on the
leaderboard.
Matthews shook off her opening round struggles on the second day of the tournament as she came out with seven straight pars before recording birdie on hole eight. She made the turn at even par and gathered momentum on the back nine.
Matthews continued to make key shots to position herself well on the green as she recorded a birdie on hole seventeen before parring the last hole to post her best-ever score as a Bruins with a 75. This performance moved her up to 13th overall on the
leaderboard.
Entering the final round of the tournament, Matthews knew she would have to play well if she wanted to sneak into the top-ten and earn All-American honors. After recording bogeys on holes one and three to start the round, Matthews bounced back with a birdie on hole four before recording back to back pars. She then birdied the 8th hole par three to make the turn at +7 after some early struggles in the round.
On the back nine, Matthews recorded birdie on hole eleven before recording two additional birdies on holes fourteen and sixteen. As a result, Matthews finished her final round of the tournament with a score of 79.
Although Matthews bounced in and out of the top ten throughout the final rounds, the final tallies landed her at 13th overall as the tournament ended.
"Kate had some goals coming into this tournament, but we were so proud of her determination and focus to come back in that second round," Coach Scott said. "She posted her best competitive round as a Bruin and was able to overcome a challenging course."
Matthews finished just four strokes from earning All-American honors and finishing in the top ten. The Bruins women's golf team wrapped up their 2020 fall season and the team will begin competing again this Spring.
