Piccio Wins Women's Trans Amateur Championship
Sunday, August 1, 2010 | Women's Golf
The University of Florida's Mia Piccio (Bacolod City, Philippines) won the Women's Trans Amateur Championship, defeating Agostina Parmigiani of Argentina 3 and 2 in the final round on Saturday.
The Women's Trans Amateur Championship, held at the Country Club of Lincoln in Lincoln, Nebraska, began July 26 with two days of stroke play with the top 64 players moving on to compete in match play competition. The players were seeded 1 through 64 based on the results of qualifying. Piccio was the qualifying medalist after finishing the two days of stroke play as the leader, earning her the number one seed in the match play bracket.
In the opening round, Piccio took on Hannah Collier and prevailed 4 and 3. Her Round of 32 opponent was Anna Christensen, a junior from the University of Denver, and she won 5 and 4. That afternoon, she faced Eleana Collins from the University of Virginia and came back from one down after nine holes to register a 3 and 2 win which clinched her place in the quarterfinals.
Piccio's quarterfinal match was against Southeastern Conference foe Emma Lavy, a member of the University of Arkansas golf team. Piccio surged in front early, going 3-up after five holes. She led by four at the turn and proceeded to secure a 3 and 1 victory. In the semifinals, Piccio encountered Ohio State's Rachel Rohanna. The top-seeded Gator birded holes 2, 3 and 5 to take command and shot a four-under par for the round as she triumphed 5 and 4 to advance to the final.
The final pitted Piccio against Agostina Parmigiani of Argentina in a 36-hole duel. Piccio continued her trend of starting quickly, using six birdies in the first 18 holes to give herself a six-hole cushion at the halfway point. She looked well on her way to a comfortable victory when Parmigiani suddenly caught fire, stringing together three consecutive birdies on the 27th, 28th and 29th holes (holes 9, 10 and 11) to close within three with seven holes remaining. However, Parmigiani would get no closer as Piccio went on to win 3 and 2, making her the champion of the 80th Women's Trans Amateur Championship.
She is one of 13 players in the history of the tournament to finish as a qualifying medalist en route to winning the event and is the first to accomplish this since Paige Mackenzie in 2005.
-UF-
