CLIFTON SPRINGS, N.Y. – Danielle Bambola (Miller Place) birdied the second playoff hole to win a three-player tiebreaker and claim medalist honors at the William Smith Invitational. The two-day tournament was held at the Clifton Springs Country Club.
 
Bambola was the tournament champion for the third straight year. She claimed the title outright last fall, and in 2017 she shared medalist honors but no playoff was conducted.
 
Bambola led the 57-golfer field after Saturday's action by at least five strokes with a 77, including two birdies, and carded an 82 Sunday for a 159. Hamilton's Emily Moy had an 83 Saturday and a 76 Sunday, while Ithaca's Peyton Greco followed up her 84 Saturday with a 75 Sunday, leading to a three-way sudden-death playoff for the title.
 

 

On the first playoff hole, Bambola outdrove her opponents on the par-4 by about 30-40 yards, but all three reached the green on their second shots and two-putt for pars. On the second hole, a 411-yard par-5 with a bunker-protected, two-tier green, Bambola was the only one to reach the green in two and was facing a 15-foot putt for eagle. Greco was on in three shots but on the lower tier of the green, and her birdie putt to the hole on the upper tier was short. Bambola left her eagle putt about a foot short and tapped in for birdie. Moy reached the green in three but, following Bambola's birdie, missed her birdie attempt to the left to give Bambola the title.
 
Jordana Testa (East Norwich/Oyster Bay) finished in a three-way tie for 15th place with a 177, bouncing back from a 95 Saturday to register a career-best 82 Sunday. Freshman Alivia Waldron (Saranac) birdied two holes Saturday and posted a career-best 87, followed by a 91 Sunday for an 18th-place score of 178.
 
Kristin Scali (Garrison/James I. O'Neill) tied for 19th place with a 179 (92-87), including one birdie Sunday, and Amanda Gaffney (Williamsville/Williamsville East) tied for 24th place with a 184 (92 each day). Freshman Camryn McHale (East Greenbush/Columbia), as an individual entry, tied for 38th place with a 202 (101 each day).
 
Cortland finished third out of nine teams in the final standings with a 690 (348-342). Hamilton won the team title with a 655 (335-320), followed by Ithaca (342-324-666), Cortland, and Union (357-351-708).
 
Cortland is idle next week and will co-host the two-day Cortaca Invitational Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 28-29, with Ithaca College. The opening day will be held at the Country Club of Ithaca and the second day will be conducted at the Cortland Country Club.
 
WILLIAM SMITH INVITATIONAL (September 14-15, 2019)

Complete Results (including links to scorecards)

FINAL TEAM SCORES:

Place, School              Day 1-Day 2-Total Score
1) Hamilton                   335-320-655
2) Ithaca                       342-324-666
3) Cortland                   348-342-690
4) Union                       357-351-708
5) Nazareth                  380-374-754
6) William Smith           402-400-802
7) Utica                         424-397-821
8) Keuka                       471-433-904
9) St. Lawrence            485-467-952
 
INDIVIDUAL SCORES (TOP 5, PLUS OTHER CORTLAND)

Place, Name (School)                         Day 1-Day 2-Total Score
1) * Danielle Bambola (Cortland)          77-82-159
tie 2) Peyton Greco (Ithaca)                  84-75-159
tie 2) Emily Moy (Hamilton)                   83-76-159
4) Maddie Hong (Hamilton)                   82-78-160
5) Sophia Archos (Hamilton                  83-78-161
 
tie 15) Jordana Testa (Cortland)           95-82-177
18) Alivia Waldron (Cortland)                87-91-178
tie 19) Kristin Scali (Cortland)               92-87-179
tie 24) Amanda Gaffney (Cortland)       92-92-184
tie 38) # Camryn McHale (Cortland)     101-101-202
 
* Bambola won three-way playoff for medalist honors with birdie on second playoff hole
# Individual entry
 
(57 golfers competed)