April 19, 2009

GREENSBORO, NC (theACC.com) – Wake Forest claimed its fourth ACC Women’s Golf Championship in convincing fashion with a 24 stroke victory (869) over North Carolina (893) at the 2009 ACC Women’s Golf Championship at Sedgefield Country Club.

The Demon Deacons started the final round with a 17-shot lead and extended the lead to 20-shots at the turn. The lead didn’t get much closer the rest of the day.

The title was the first for Wake Forest since winning back-to-back titles in 1994 and 1995.

“We are so excited about winning and I’m so proud and happy for the students because they have been working so hard. To be able to see the rewards of their hard work and to see four such stellar rounds was outstanding. The course was really, really hard and they wanted to win every day and they did.”

The individual race was much closer as four different players held at least a share of the lead at some point on Sunday. In the end, Wake Forest’s Natalie Sheary and Duke’s Amanda Blumenherst found themselves tied with two holes to go.

Blumenherst would bogey No. 17 to fall one shot back but made a clutch birdie on the par-5 18th to pull even with Sheary.

The players returned to the 18th for the first playoff hole, and both would find their way to the green in three shots. Both players came up a bit short on their first putts and it was Sheary who was able to convert her par putt for the individual title.

“I knew on the playoff hole that if I just played my game and didn’t try to go for it, I would be OK,” said Sheary. “The second time through, the 18th hole played a lot different than it did the first time. The wind really picked up and we both came up short and left ourselves with some long putts. I knew I had to two-putt after seeing Amanda putt and I was able to get it done.”

Both Sheary and Blumenherst finished the 54-hole tournament with matching scores of 1-over 214.

Wake Forest’s Jean Chua led the team with a final round 69 while sophomore Allie Bodemann chipped in with a 71 and Cheyenne Woods with a 73.

Chua finished the tournament tied for fifth at 6-over par while teammate Nannette Hill took fourth at 4-over.

North Carolina, who came into the final round in fifth place, fired a spectacular round of 3-over 287, tying Wake Forest for the low-round of the day and finishing second overall. The Tar Heels were led by Catherine O’Donnell’s round of 1-under 70, Kate Thomas’ 71 and Allie White’s 72.

The second-place finish was the sixth in ACC history for North Carolina.

Duke finished third overall after a round of 295 on Sunday. Blumenherst and Jennie Lee, who finished the tournament in third place, both carded rounds of 2-over 73 on Sunday.

NC State took fourth overall as Lauren Doughtie finished tied with Chua for fifth at 6-over par. Meghan Chapman, who was forced to withdraw on Saturday with an illness, came back on Sunday with a strong round of even-par 71.

Virginia’s Whitney Neuhauser fired the round of the day on Sunday with a solid 3-under 68. She started her day with a bogey at the first hole but responded with four birdies in her final five holes on the front side to turn in a 32. She then made nine-straight pars to finish with a 68.

As a team, the Cavaliers took fifth with a 54-hole total of 907.

Florida State finished the tournament in sixth place while Maryland took seventh, Miami eighth and Boston College ninth.