EAST LANSING, MICH. – SUNY Cortland graduate student Danielle Bambola (Miller Place) shook off a slow start and registered a five-over par 77 – her best round of the tournament – to finish in 17th place at the NCAA Division III Women's Golf Championship.
 
The four-day national tournament was held at Michigan State University's Forest Akers West Golf Course and featured 131 golfers – 25 teams with five golfers each and six individual qualifiers, including Bambola. Of the 131 golfers, 81 of them advanced to the final day – 75 on the top 15 teams through three days, plus the six top individuals not on those teams.
 
Bambola finished the tournament with a 27-over-par score of 315. She opened with a 78 on Tuesday, followed by 80s on both Wednesday and Thursday and a 77 on Friday. She finished one stroke ahead of a group of three golfers tied in 18th place, and she was one stroke behind two golfers who tied for 15th. Makensie Toole of George Fox was the tournament medalist with a three-over par score of 291, 14 strokes better than runner-up Alexis Sudjianto of Carnegie Mellon. Methodist University won the team title with a final score of 1,231, five strokes ahead of Carnegie Mellon and eight ahead of George Fox.
 
Starting the day on the 10th hole, Bambola was four-over par after three holes after a double bogey on the par-3 10th and bogeys on the 11th and 12th. After two pars and a bogey, Bambola birdied the par-4 16th and parred the next two holes to finish her first nine holes with a 40.
 
Earlier in the tournament Bambola struggled on the front nine at Forest Akers West, but she came up big on that side Friday. She rebounded from a bogey on the first hole (her 10th of the tournament) and was two-under par over the next seven holes. She posted birdies on the par-4 fourth and par-5 eighth holes and was three-over for the day entering her final hole. A double bogey on the par-3 ninth closed out her scorecard at a 77, including a one-over par 37 over the front nine.
 
"I would attribute the results of this last round to the fact that it was literal once-in-a-lifetime experience for me and that I should go out there, relax and ACCEPT each shot for what it is and have a good time!" said Bambola. "It was a beautiful day for golf, and even though some of the rounds weren't my best, I had an amazing week that I will never forget."

Results

Audio interview with Danielle (and head coach Mike Discenza) (by Tom Vartanian)