PALM CITY, Fla. – Lipscomb Women's Golf kicked off its 2026 spring season with a second-place finish at the Advance Golf Partners Collegiate hosted by UNCG. The Bisons tied host UNCG for second and finished behind only Virginia Tech, ranked No. 37 in the country.
In unseasonably cold and windy conditions, the Bisons shot an 899 (+35) overall. The first two rounds saw Lipscomb shoot a 307 (+19) and 306 (+18), but the Bisons dug in and improved with a 286 (-2) over the final 18 holes, improving four places on the leaderboard en route to the second spot. The Bisons' (-2) in the third round was just one of three under-par team rounds, with the other two being by No. 37 Virginia Tech.
Individually, Lipscomb was led by
Katya Tibbetts throughout the entire tournament. She sat tied for third place after shooting a 73 (+1) in the first round. Her second round saw her shoot a 77 before carding her best round, a 71 (-1), on Tuesday. All told, she finished with a 221 (+5) and tied for ninth.
Christina Surcey was the Bisons' next finisher, tying for 16
th with a 224 (+8). She carded a 79 in her first round, but heated up with a 72 and 73 in the second and third rounds, respectively. Surcey consistently climbed the leaderboard throughout the tournament, jumping 24 total spots over the course of the three rounds.
Ava Bankston was next for the Bisons, with another top-25 performance. In her first two rounds, she shot a 78 and 79, respectively, while posting the best round of the event for Lipscomb, with a 70 (-2), in the final round.
Casey Yu and
Savannah Howell rounded out team scoring for the Bisons, as they tied for 45
th. Yu was consistent throughout the event, shooting a 77, 78, 78 (+17) while Howell steadily improved over the rounds with scores of 82, 79, 72 (+17).
Three individuals competed for Lipscomb in Maria Alcocer,
Bridget Craig and
Sonja Tibbetts.
Alcocer finished tied for 76
th (85, 80, 75, +24), Craig finished 82
nd (80, 85, 78, +27) and
Sonja Tibbetts finished tied for 93
rd (91, 80, 81, +36).
HEAD COACH SHANNON O'BRIEN
"The team battled crazy cold elements for two days and were determined to climb the board in the third round. I'm really proud of their fight and unity. All nine players supported one another and helped celebrate the next. The team should be so proud of their perseverance and grit. I'm proud of their heart to fight to the very end."
UP NEXT
The Bisons will be back in action Feb. 21-22 at the Space Coast Classic presented by MoonGolf in Melbourne, Florida at the Duran Golf Club.
