Arkansas Women's Golf Advances to East Lake Cup Championship

The No. 20 Arkansas women’s golf team secured a 4-1 victory over Eastern Michigan in the East Lake Cup semifinals on Tuesday, punching their ticket to the championship match at the East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Georgia. The Hogs will face Oklahoma State in the final after the Cowgirls eliminated No. 3 USC in a tight 3-2 contest.

Last season, Arkansas dominated Oklahoma State 5-0 in the NCAA Championship quarterfinals, a win that propelled the program to its first semifinal appearance in history.

A slow start leads to a late surge

The match didn’t begin with the dominance one might expect from a top-20 seed. Arkansas struggled through the front nine, trailing in three of their five matches as the pairings made the turn. The momentum shifted on the back nine, where individual resilience turned a precarious start into a commanding lead.

Sophomore Sara Brentcheneff provided the first spark. The Lyon, France native battled Karen Tsuru through a series of ties, regaining the lead on the par-3 11th. Despite missing a birdie putt on the 16th that narrowed her lead to two holes, Brentcheneff closed the door with a par on the 17th for a 3&1 win. This victory keeps her perfect in match play at Arkansas, moving her record to 3-0.

Dominance from Marin and Blonien

While Brentcheneff ground out her win, other Razorbacks were playing a different game entirely. Senior Maria Jose Marin delivered a decisive performance of the day, dismantling Baiyok Sukterm with a 5&4 victory. Marin took a slim one-hole lead into the turn before winning four consecutive holes from 10 through 13. The Cali, Columbia native ended the match on the 14th green, improving her match play record to 5-2.

Arkansas Women's Golf Advances to East Lake Cup Championship — Photo: swark.today

Junior Natalie Blonien mirrored this dominance, though her path was slightly more volatile. After a double-bogey on the par-4 13th left her only 1-up, Blonien surged back by winning the next three holes. Her par on the 16th didn’t just secure a 4&2 win over Laura Gorgees Baeta; it provided the official winning point for Arkansas.

The battle for the peninsula green

The most dramatic swing of the day belonged to sophomore Ebba Liljeberg. At one point, Liljeberg was down by three through seven holes. She fought back to cut the lead to one, only to be pushed back to a two-hole deficit after double-bogeying the 13th—the most difficult hole on the course during Tuesday’s play.

The turning point occurred on the 15th, the course’s famous peninsula green. Liljeberg stuck her tee shot to within five feet, while her opponent, Constanza Quiroga, hit her shot into the water. That single hole flipped the momentum. Liljeberg eventually tied the match on the 17th and secured her first collegiate match play win on the 18th after Quiroga bogeyed.

The sole blemish on the day came from sophomore Swetha Sathish. Facing Eastern Michigan’s top golfer, Savannah de Bock, Sathish held an early lead through five holes but eventually fell into a 4-hole deficit. A double-bogey on the 15th sealed a 4&3 loss.

Arkansas and Oklahoma State face off in final

The victory sets the stage for a high-stakes final on Wednesday.

The matchups for Wednesday’s final are as follows:

Time	Arkansas Player	Oklahoma State Player
11:20 a.m.	Sara Brentcheneff	Ellie Bushnell
11:40 a.m.	Swetha Sathish	Summer Lee
12:00 p.m.	Ebba Liljeberg	Louise Depadt
12:20 p.m.	Maria Jose Marin	Marta Silchenko
12:40 p.m.	Natalie Blonien	Tarapath Panya

The championship will be broadcast live on the Golf Channel from 2-5 p.m. CT. With Brentcheneff and Marin finishing their semifinal matches at 2-under and 4-under respectively, the Razorbacks carry significant scoring momentum into the final.