Golf Plus | Women's college golf comes to Lakewood Ranch Golf and Country Club
The 38th annual Pat Bradley Invitational wrapped up Tuesday on the Cypress Links course at Lakewood Ranch Golf and Country Club.
Toledo won the women's collegiate golf tournament with an 879 score, while Memphis (884) and tournament hosts Florida International University (891) took second and third, respectively.
Memphis' Leighann Cabush claimed the individual title with a 1-under par 215 for the three-day, 54-hole tournament.
It was a one-shot victory over Daytona States' Ji Sun Kang.
A total of 14 teams competed on the 6,261-yard, par-72 layout. In addition to the top three, other competing teams were: Daytona State, James Madison, Florida Gulf Coast, Western Kentucky, Florida Atlantic, Bradley, Georgia State, Cincinnati, Jacksonville, North Texas and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
Former Bradenton Christian standout Jordan Miller and IMG Academy alum James Leadbetter rounded out Florida Gulf Coast University's "A" team lineup that snagged third place at the recent Homewood/Hilton Garden Airport & FGCU Classic.
Miller tied for 48th place individually, posting a 74 in Tuesday's final round, while Leadbetter tied for 28th with a 229 total over three days. The son of famed swing instructor David Leadbetter, James carded back-to-back 76s on the difficult Old Corkscrew Golf Club in Estero.
FGCU finished with an 897 total, while the University of Florida won the event with a 13-under par 851.
The second stage of LPGA Tour Qualifying School wrapped up last Friday at the Plantation Golf and Country Club in Venice with a few Manatee County golfers gaining passage to the final stage slated for Nov. 30-Dec. 6.
Bradenton's Nelly Korda performed the best, firing a 4-under par 289 to medal the tournament by one shot over Grace Na, of Alameda, Calif.
The top 80 and ties qualified for the final stage held at LPGA International in Daytona Beach.
Former Southern California golfer Doris Chen, an IMG Academy alum, tied for fifth place with a 2-over par 290.
Bradenton's Ginger Howard (t-28th, 297) and Lakewood Ranch alum Ericka Schneider (t-36th, 298) also advanced.
Marika Liu, Mia Piccio, Christina Miller, Jennifer Neville and Victoria Tanco were among the area players not to qualify for the final stage.
The 2015 Sarasota Open, one of the West Florida Golf Tour's majors, concludes Thursday at the Meadows Country Club. Carlos Sainz Jr., a native of Elgin, Ill., leads the way with an 18-under par 198 through three rounds. He holds a five shot lead over New Smyrna Beach's Kevin Aylwin.
The top local performer is Bradenton's Samuel Chavez, who is tied for 11th place with Sarasota's Michael Visacki and Clearwater's Ryan Gildersleeve with 5-under par 211s.
Lakewood Ranch's Adam Hogue and Lakewood Ranch High alum Seath Lauer are in a group tied for 14th place, while Lakewood Ranch's Chris Kennedy (tie for 18th) and Bradenton's Sean Jacklin (22nd) round out locals that made the cut in this week's tournament. Tee times begin at 8 a.m. on Thursday, with the leaders starting at 10:06 a.m.
-- Jason Dill, Herald sports reporter
This story was originally published October 28, 2015 at 6:49 PM with the headline "Golf Plus | Women's college golf comes to Lakewood Ranch Golf and Country Club ."