TALLAHASSEE – The dream of every young girl who grows up with a golf club in her hands is to make a putt on hole No. 18 to win a championship.

For Florida State freshman Alexandra Gazzoli, that dream came true on April 19 as she sank a two-foot putt on hole No. 18 at the Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C. to give the Seminoles their first ACC women’s golf championship in school history.

“Growing up I would put myself in certain scenarios to make practice more interesting,” said Gazzoli as the Seminoles began practice preparations for the NCAA Lexington Regional Championship. “I have always enjoyed having to make a putt or get up and down to win the final point.”

Gazzoli made her final putt on the final hole of the championship to gain a 1Up victory over Carolina  Chacarra of Wake Forest and give the Seminoles the championship.

After falling behind on the very first hole of her match against Chacarra, Gazzoli remained unfazed. She never allowed the senior and three-time All-ACC honoree to take more than a two hole lead in the final match of the championship.

The momentum swung towards Gazzoli as she won two consecutive holes to tie the match at the turn.

Gazzoli took the lead on hole No. 10 and stayed ahead for the next four holes before Chacarra tied the match again with five holes left to play. The match stayed tied over the next four holes as the final pair of the championship approached the final hole.

After Gazzoli and Chacarra teed off on the 18^th hole and before Gazzoli’s championship winning putt, a bit of Seminole magic floated down over the course.

Just ahead of the last two players and up on the 18^th green, Florida State’s senior captain Kaylah Williams broke a tie to win her match, 1Up, against Wake’s Sarah Lydic. Her seven-foot putt tied the team score at 2-2 and her  emphatic response of pure elation set the stage for Gazzoli.

“Being able to see Kaylah’s reaction to winning her match from the fairway was so cool,” said Gazzoli. “With it being her last ACC’s I know how much it meant to her and how badly she, and everyone else, wanted to win the championship.”

With the team score tied a 2-2 and Gazzoli’s match against the Demon Deacon All-American all square after 17 holes, Gazzoli advanced her ball just off the green in two shots, deftly hit a chip shot that left her 15 feet from the hole, and her first putt put her in position to hole out and win the match.

Just two feet from a championship, Gazzoli addressed her ball, and calmly made the biggest putt of her life.

“For me, I would definitely say this is my favorite moment in my career,” said Gazzoli. “Being able to share the experience with our team made it so much more special.”

For Seminole head coach Amy Bond, Gazzoli’s championship-clinching putt brought an ACC Championship trophy to Florida State, and to her alma mater. Bond is a 1999 graduate of Florida State University.

               

“The putts fell when they needed to,” said Bond just moments after winning her first ACC championship. “Bless Alex for defeating a really good player and doing what she needed to do to help us bring home the trophy.”

 

                For Gazzoli, whose father, uncle and two brothers all graduated from Florida State, winning a championship while wearing garnet and gold made this experience that much more special.

 

“Florida State was definitely my dream school growing up,” said Gazzoli. “Being able to share the experience with my family and reach a goal of mine with the school I always wanted to attend means so much to me.”