Last Wednesday, DU women’s golf sophomore Anna Zanusso (Castelfranco Veneto, Itay) tied for ninth place in a historic performance at the NCAA Championships. A ninth-place finish is the highest in the NCAA Tournament by a DU player since 2008 when Stephanie Sherlock took fifth.
Zanusso’s leaderboard performances on the first few days of the tournament allowed her to qualify for the final and championship round. On the first day of the championships, Zanusso finished in a tie for 74th overall with a 4-over 76. However, she continued to climb the ranks each day with a 40th overall finish on day two. With an impressive performance on the back nine, going 2-under, Zanusso improved 34 places.
Then, on the third day of the championship, Zanusso tied for 16th overall and secured a spot in the finals. With a dominant 3-under and four birdie performance on the front nine, Zanusso moved up 24 spots to qualify for the final day of competition.
Regarding her performance, Coach Lindsay Kuhle praised Zanusso’s confidence.
“She has really shown that she is one of the best players in college golf at this high level and can compete with the very best,” said Kuhle. “I am very proud of the determination and confidence that she has played with [all] week.”
As her championship play began, Zanusso was strong on the front nine holes, shooting a 36 even with par. However, the back nine were where Zanusso shined. With three birdies, Zanusso shot a 2-under 34 to earn her ninth-place NCAA Championship title.
As only a sophomore, the DU golf program is excited for what Zanusso can do.
“To be the highest finisher of any non-power five schools and beating six players in the top 10 of college golf shows her talent,” said Coach Lindsay Kuhle. “Our program has incredible talent, and we will continue to climb the rankings in the next few years with Anna.”
Zanusso has a notable overall performance on the par 5s at the tournament. On her third day of play, Zanusso improved to consistently shoot 4-under on the par fives.
Although Zanusso’s performance concludes the DU golf season, the team looks towards next fall when they will return to action.
