AURORA, Ont. – The Auburn University Tigers shot a field-best 12-under on Tuesday to complete a come-from-behind victory at the inaugural Women’s Canadian Collegiate Invitational at Beacon Hill Golf Club in Aurora, Ont.
The Tigers began the final round trailing the Kent State University Golden Flashes by three strokes after opening the tournament with a collective score of 4-under in wet conditions. On Tuesday, the Tigers pounced on the course’s dry terrain to claim the team championship by six strokes, using a field-best 66 from sophomore Balma Davalos of Castellón de la Plana, Spain to cement their victorious charge up the leaderboard.
“She has improved so much,” praised Auburn’s head coach Melissa Luellen of her sophomore, Davalos, following the win. “She had a tremendous summer – shooting 22-under par in the European Individual Championship – and her confidence is the biggest difference. Her belief is really high right now and if you believe, you can do great things in this game,” she added.
Davalos got Auburn off to a hot start with three birdies through her opening four holes. She filled the cup with three more on Nos. 10, 16 and 1 while mixing in an eagle at the par-5 12th to negate a pair of consecutive bogeys on Nos. 13 and 14. Her efforts were supported by a 4-under performance from Molly Brown Davidson of Springville, Ala. and a pair of 1-under finishes by Anne Fernandez of Singapore and Anna Davis of Spring Valley, Calif.
Charlotte Cantonis of Tampa, Fla. carded a round of 74 to also help the Tigers clinch their win at the debut championship on Tuesday.
“We have a very young group here,” said Luellen, noting their oldest player at the tournament being Davis, a junior while two of her seniors were out competing at Q School this week. “For the young ones to pull together and shoot some great scores, I couldn’t be more proud.”
In the individual competition, Veronika Kedroňová of Roznov pod Radhostem, Czech Republic was able to convert on her 18-hole lead with a 2-under showing on Tuesday to claim the championship over Davalos by two strokes.
The Czech international kicked off her final round with a birdie at the first to get to 7-under par. A bogey at the third reeled her back a touch but would only cause a brief wobble for Kedroňová, who responded with four consecutive pars and a birdie at the par-3 eighth to hold onto her multi-stroke lead. After the turn, Kedroňová filled the cup with three more birdies, working around dropped shots at Nos. 11 and 16 to put the finishing touches on her first individual victory of the 2025 campaign.
“It’s amazing. I’ve been struggling a little in the last couple of months and this event was a good turnaround. I’m just so happy,” praised Kedroňová, who struggled to put into words the meaning of Tuesday’s win following her final round.
The victory secures Kedroňová a spot in the 2026 CPKC Women’s Open as well as next year’s Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship, presented by BDO. She will be joined in the latter by Davalos, Fernandez, Madison Messimer of Myrtle Beach, S.C., Leon Takagi of Tokyo, Japan and Jaclyn LaHa of Pleasanton, Calif. who all picked up exemptions into the 112th playing of Canada’s oldest female amateur event.
“I never thought I’d get to play in an LPGA Tour event this soon so I’m super excited to see how I’ll do,” said Kedroňová, who has previously teed off in Ladies European Tour events but none to the magnitude of the LPGA Tour.
Additionally, Clairey Lin of Langley, B.C. was able to clinch her third victory of the 2025 campaign with a comeback win at the Team Canada – NextGen Selection Camp. Lin, who started her round on Tuesday in a three-way tie for the top spot of the leaderboard, rallied around a 4-under front nine to secure her place on the 2026 Team Canada – NextGen team and win the event by a trio of strokes with rounds of 73-67-140.
To view the full leaderboard from the final round of the Women’s Canadian Collegiate Invitational, please click here. For the final leaderboard of the Team Canada – NextGen Selection Camp, please click here.
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