PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Houston’s Leonie Harm staged the finest round in program history, rallying to reach the NCAA Women’s Golf Championship with a final round, 7-under 65. The round put Harm into a three-woman playoff for two spots, which she clinched with a par putt on the seventh playoff hole.

With the top-3 individuals not on a qualifying team earning a place at the NCAA Championships, Harm joined Michigan State’s Sarah Burnham and BYU’s Rose Huang in a playoff for the final two spots. Those three tied at 4-under 212 with Texas A&M’s Maddie Szeryk earning the first spot after finishing second at 7-under 209.

The three players each made par on the first four playoff holes before Huang drained a birdie on the par-5 fifth hole to earn the second spot in the NCAA Championships.

After Harm and Burnham each made par on No. 6, both players put their tee shots off No. 7 in the middle of the way. However, Burnham’s second shot went long and into a creek behind the green. Dropping and hitting 4, Burnham nearly chipped in for par but was forced to settle for bogey.

Hitting her approach within 10 feet, Harm putted to within a foot and then calmly drained the par putt to earn her second appearance at the NCAA Championships, set for May 18-23 at Karsten Creek Golf Club in Stillwater, Okla.

Harm became the first Cougar to compete at the NCAA Championships in 2016 after qualifying out of the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional.
The Gerlingen, Germany-native earned her place in the playoff with the Regional-tying low round on Wednesday, moving up 30 places in the individual standings.

Harm, who was honored as the American Athletic Conference Player of the Year, drained six birdies with an eagle and only one bogey to best the Cougars’ previous low round, held by her and current teammate Courtney Tibiletti.

Beginning the round off No. 10, Harm jumped out to a quick start with a birdie on the par-5 11^th hole but returned to even par with a bogey on the par-3 12^th hole, the only blemish on her scorecard.

After a par on No. 13, Harm bounced in an eagle from 57 yards out on the par-5 14^th hole and never fell below par for the rest of the day. She continued her stellar play with a birdie on No. 15 and capped her first nine with another birdie on No. 18.

She wasted little time on her second nine with a birdie on the 141-yard, par-3 second hole and added another birdie three holes late on the par-5 fifth hole. Following three straight pars, she capped her tournament with a birdie on the par-5 ninth hole to finish at 4-under 212.

As a team, the Cougars bettered their total for the second straight day, finishing with a score of 293 to post a three-day total of 890 and place 11^th. Senior and All-American Athletic Conference perfomer Megan Thothong tied for 19^th at even-par 216. Senior Courtney Tibiletti tied for 67^th at 230, while sophomore Amanda Elich tied for 74^th at 233. Senior Allie Andersen tied for 81^st at 236.

SMU junior Brigitte Dunne fired a 1-over 73 in her final round, finishing at even par for the championship and in a tie for 19^th overall. Dunne was one of 21 individuals at even-par or better for the regional. The finish improved on Dunne's 27th-place finish at the NCAA Albuquerque Regional last season.

Among non-advancing team performers, Dunne was seventh overall.

Fellow Mustang Faith Summers logged her best round of the tournament with a 2-under 70 on Wednesday to jump 28 spots on the leaderboard to finish in a tie for 42nd in the 96-golfer field. The finish improved on Summers' 57th-place finish at the Albuquerque Regional as a freshman.

In Tallahassee, Kaeli Jones wrapped up her participation after a 2-over round of 74 left her 46^th in the field of 96 at the Don Veller Seminole Golf Course. Jones was 3-over for the tournament after posting scores of 75 (+3) and 72 (E) on Monday and Tuesday, and the senior got off to a stellar start with birdies on the 5^th and 6^th holes. However, the back nine was not as kind, leaving her at 2-over on her round.

After a virus ravaged the Pirates and the field in the Austin Regional, ECU wrapped up play by shooting a final round 303 Wednesday afternoon.
The Pirates were charged with a DNF (Did Not Finish) after they did not have four finishers required to receive a team score during Tuesday's second round due to an illness that spread through the team Monday night.

Freshman Kathryn Carson was one of only two Pirates to play all three rounds and finished tied for 49th at 10-over-par 226 (74-78-74). Junior Carley Cox finished one stroke behind her teammate tied for 56th at 11-over-par 227 (76-74-77).

Sophomore Dorthea Forbrigd returned to the links Wednesday after being forced to miss round two due to an illness and posted a 4-over-par 76 as did senior Lisa Pettersson, who was also unable to participate in Tuesday's competition. Senior Kate Law did not compete for the second straight day.