DADE CITY, Fla. – Barry University women’s golfer Francesca Perini shot a career-low 69 in the final round of the Saint Leo Invitational Tuesday, and finished as the individual runner-up.
Perini fired off eight birdies in the second round, moving to 4-under on the day twice Tuesday to shoot to the top of the leaderboard. She birdied the 105-yard, par-3 14th and the 345-yard, par-4 17th to vault to the lead with Florida Tech’s Felicia Leftinger.
Leftinger took a two-stroke lead with three holes to play, but bogeyed twice to set up the playoff. Leftinger, who shot par in the final round, won on the third hole of the playoff.
“She gave it all she had,” Barry coach Shannon Sykora said of his senior from San Lazzaro, Italy, who was playing in her first tournament this season. “I think she had something to prove.”
The Buccaneers finished fourth as a team, shooting 608 in the two-round tournament on the par-72, 6,160-yard Lake Jovita Golf & Country Club. Barry shot 301 in the final round. Florida Tech won the tournament at 13-over 589. Flagler was second at 598 and Lynn third at 600 in the 17-team field.
Barry’s Maria Paola Fiorio shot 76-78 – 154, finishing tied for 26th. Martina Bertuccioli was 29th after shooting 79-76 – 155. Bucs teammates Daniela Murray and Houria Elabbadi tied for 33rd at 158. Fiorio, Bertuccioli and Elabbadi each had two birdies. Murray had one.
Florida Tech led the tournament with 27 birdies, one more than the Buccaneers. Perini’s 12 birdies in the tournament topped the 96-player field by two, bettering Leftinger’s 10.
Perini’s 69 is tied for second all-time with RemiJin Camping’s 69 in the first round of the 2005 NCAA South Regional. Johanna Soderstrom holds the school record, a 67 in the first round of the Northern Illinois University Springlake Invitational in 2006.
Perini’s previous career-low was a 73, which came last year at the Kiawah Island Intercollegiate.
“Overall, I’m super proud of her,” Sykora said. “If she can just get a little more consistent, she would’ve probably won this tournament pretty easily.
“I’m happy with everybody’s effort. It’s just the little things we got to clean up.”