PIPESTEM, W.Va. — Marina Saviceva-Noti captured the individual title at the Pipestem Invitational, leading her team to a strong performance that saw them narrowly miss second place by three shots.
Day 1 proved to be an overall successful outing for the team. Saviceva-Noti, who finished with a +3 total of 75, and Gadea Melgarejo, who finished in second place with a +6 score of 78, both played well in perfect weather conditions. Saviceva-Noti's solid round included a back-nine surge, while Melgarejo continued to show resilience, even playing through injury.
However, Day 2 presented much more challenging conditions. The tournament's second day started with snow for the first 45 minutes, leaving the course much more difficult to navigate. Despite the rough conditions, Saviceva-Noti, who struggled during the front nine, bounced back with a strong back-nine performance to finish the day with an 81 (+9). Melgarejo, also contending with tough weather, posted an 83 (+11) but still managed to finish tied for second overall.
Head Coach Patrick Smith praised his players' resilience in the face of adversity. "Marina had a tough front nine today but found something on the back nine. She made lots of pars and I'm super proud of her getting the win. Gadea is playing through injury, and to put up a second-place finish is impressive," Smith said.
The team finished just 7 shots behind first place, securing third place overall. With only three shots separating them from second, the close competition highlighted the team's competitive spirit.
Round 1 Results
Round 2 Results
Full Results
