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The UCF Knights Women’s Golf team was one of many female Knights squads to find success last season as it was selected for its 8th NCAA Regional appearance in 11 years. UCF returns three accolade-winning players from last season alongside a female amateur champion as it chases one more AAC title before moving onto the Big 12 on July 1.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Knights as they start the spring portion of their 2022-23 season:
How College Golf Works
Each school has five golfers playing for the overall team score. While a school can enter more than five players in a tournament, if they do so the extra players have to be entered as individuals and will not count toward the team’s score.
A team’s total score comes from combining the scores of each of the golfers and subtracting the highest score.
The team with the lowest score after three rounds is the winner.
Last Season
3rd in AAC Tournament; Selected to Ann Arbor Regional
For the 8th time in 11 seasons... WE'RE IN ‼️#CHARGEON pic.twitter.com/dDjpoN36L6
— UCF Women's Golf (@UCF_WGolf) April 27, 2022
Thanks to a trio of All-AAC team players, UCF made it back to an NCAA Regional for the 3rd-straight time (2020 does not count since the NCAA golf postseason was canceled) and the 8th time in 11 years.
This came on the heels of the team’s 3rd-place finish as a team at the AAC Championship, Tunrada Piddon bringing home 2nd-place individually and the AAC Player of the Year award, and Zoe Allaux capturing the AAC’s Freshman of the Year Award.
The Knights’ postseason journey ended in Ann Arbor, Michigan after an 11th-place showing in the regional.
This Season
On that Monday grind… 6️⃣ days until UCF Challenge pic.twitter.com/uCGm7GXO89
— UCF Women's Golf (@UCF_WGolf) January 30, 2023
The Knights enter the spring season ranked 28th in the country by Golfstat.
So far, the Knights have finished in the Top 5 as a team in two of their four fall tournaments, a 2nd-place showing at the Mercedes-Benz Intercollegiate and a 5th-place effort at the Landfall Tradition. Additionally, the team defeated No. 26-ranked Florida and No. 43-ranked Michigan State in a Match Play event on Jan. 15.
If the Knights want to take home the AAC title in their final season in the conference, they will have to beat No. 16-ranked SMU (the team of No. 23-ranked player Mackenzie Lee), No. 27-ranked Houston, and No. 33-ranked Tulsa.
Who’s in Charge
Emily Marron - 11th season at UCF
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The pandemic notwithstanding, Emily Marron remains perfect in sending at least one Knight to an NCAA Regional since she began her tenure back in 2011.
Now, she looks to capture one more AAC title before she and the team depart for the Big 12.
Listen to our team preview interview with Coach Marron here:
Players to Watch
Tunrada Piddon
Congratulations to the 2022 #AmericanWGolf Player of the Year, Tunrada Piddon from @UCF_WGolf ! ⚔⛳ pic.twitter.com/qQxhu8zCcc
— American Golf (@American_MWGolf) April 26, 2022
Even if it were not for the fact Tunrada Piddon enters 2023 ranked No. 8 in the nation individually by Golfstat, the Thai native is still coming off a 2021-22 season that saw her break the program’s lowest 54-hole score record by three strokes (200) and its single-season scoring average record (71.71 strokes).
She also took home the AAC Player of the Year award and took runner-up honors in last year’s AAC Championship to SMU’s Kennedy Pedigo.
Jess Baker
@UCF_WGolf's Jess Baker is the 119th Women’s Amateur Champion
— UCF (@UCF) June 29, 2022
Recently taking home first place at the “British Amateur”, Baker now qualifies for the @usopengolf and other major tournaments, doing something no Knight has ever done before ️♀️https://t.co/QL6Kg74hFm
Over the summer, Jess Baker made headlines across the golf world by winning the British Women’s Amateur Championship in her native England.
Even after coming off a 2021-22 season where she never finished a tournament under par and coming in one stroke above the cutline, Baker showcased why head coach Emily Marron said the team calls her “The Match Play Queen.” The NCAA Championship is played in the Match Play format.
With her win, Baker earned automatic entries into four major women’s golf events, including the Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship which is held during the season from March 29-April 1.
Watch Baker’s recent interview on Golf Channel below:
so thrilled to have joined the golf channel on air yesterday! https://t.co/4RsFT2iNET
— Jess Baker (@jessbaker2100) February 3, 2023
Who’s New That’s Good
Pimpisa “Sandwich” Sisutham
"I fully see [Pimpisa] as having a big impact on our program and being a huge part of our success as soon as she gets here!" - @EmUCF_Knights
— UCF Women's Golf (@UCF_WGolf) November 10, 2021
Welcome to our #UCFamily, Sandwich #ChargeOn pic.twitter.com/7FuhdbCJgP
Tunrada Piddon isn’t going to be the only Thai on the roster this season. Also coming to Orlando from Thailand, Pimpisa Sisutham, nicknamed “Sandwich,” has already been making an impact in her true freshman season.
She has competed in all four of the Knights’ fall tournaments and netted a Top 30 finish individually in three of them.
Roster Breakdown
- 1 Freshman
- 1 Sophomore
- 2 Juniors
- 1 Senior
- 1 Grad-Student
- 6 International Players (England, France, Sweden, and Thailand)
2023 UCF Women’s Golf Roster
| Name | Year | Hometown | 2021-22 School | Fall 2022 Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Year | Hometown | 2021-22 School | Fall 2022 Stats |
| Zoe Allaux | So. | Narbonne, France | UCF | 4 tournaments; 1 Top 15 finish |
| Jess Baker | Jr. | Newcastle, England | UCF | 4 tournaments |
| Camille Banzet | Jr. | Strasbourg, France | UCF | 1 tournament |
| Anna Nordfors | Gr. | Gothenburg, Sweden | Campbell | 4 tournaments; 2 Top 30 finishes |
| Tunrada Piddon | Sr. | Bangkok, Thailand | UCF | 4 tournaments; 3 Top 10 finishes; Won Mercedes-Benz Intercollegiate |
| Pimpisa “Sandwich” Sisutham | Fr. | Bangkok, Thailand | N/A | 4 tournaments; 3 Top 30 finishes |
Schedule Breakdown
UCF Women’s Golf Spring 2023 Schedule
| Days | Date(s) | Tournament | Location | Host | 2021-22 Team Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Days | Date(s) | Tournament | Location | Host | 2021-22 Team Result |
| Sunday-Tuesday | Feb. 5-7 | UCF Challenge | Orlando, FL | UCF | 11th |
| Sunday-Tuesday | Feb. 19-21 | Moon Golf Invitational | Melbourne, FL | Louisville | 5th |
| Saturday-Sunday | Mar. 4-5 | Gators Invitational | Gainesville, FL | Florida | 8th |
| Monday-Tuesday | Mar. 13-14 | Briar's Creek Invitational | Kiawah Island, SC | College of Charleston | 4th |
| Saturday-Sunday | Apr. 1-2 | The Bruzzy | Ardmore, OK | North Texas | N/A |
| Monday-Wednesday | Apr. 17-19 | AAC Championship | Brooksville, FL | AAC and USF | 3rd |
NCAA Tournament
- Selection Day: April 26
- Regional Dates: May 8-10
- Championship Dates: May 19-24
- Championship Location: Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona
The Last Time...
UCF won a conference championship: 2017. Not since the days of Ashley Holder has the UCF Women’s Golf team hoisted the AAC Championship trophy.
UCF made it to the NCAA Championship: 2019. It was only the 2nd time in program history that the team advanced to the championship after the 1996 season.
Follow the Knights
Follow our UCF Women’s Golf Twitter list below for all the latest from the Knights, including the coaches, players, and news from around NCAA Golf.
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