May 21, 2009

UNC Women's Golf Team Fourth At NCAA Championship
The University of North Carolina women's golf team carded a 306 in the third round for a 906 total and is in fourth place going into the final round of the NCAA Championship being played at Caves Valley Golf Club. Tar Heel senior Sydney Crane is tied for eighth place in the individual race after firing a three-over-par 75 on Thursday.

Crane, from Jamestown, N.C. has a six-over-par 222 total going into the final round. Freshman Allie White led the Tar Heels on Thursday by firing a one-over 73. White, from Lancaster, Ohio, has a 227 total and is tied for 31st place. Catherine O'Donnell, a freshman from Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., is two shots back at 229 in a tie for 41st. O'Donnell struggled a bit in the third round posting a 10-over 82. Junior Kate Thomas, from Murwillumbah, Australia, has a 233 total and is tied for 64th after carding an 80 while senior Lauren Hunt, from Little River, S.C., is two strokes back tied for 80th after posting a 78 on Thursday.

Southern California fired a five-over-par 293 in the third round for a 25-over 889 total to take over the lead of the 24-team field. Arizona State is just two strokes back in second place after firing a three-over 291 for an 891 total. UCLA, the leader going into the third round, shot 304 for an 893 total and is in third place, 13 strokes ahead of the Tar Heels. Denver is one stroke behind Carolina in fifth place with a 907 total while Virginia is sixth at 908, Oklahoma State is seventh at 909, Duke is eighth at 911, Pepperdine is ninth at 912 and LSU is 10th at 915.

UVa Moves up to Sixth Entering Final Round of NCAAs
The third-ranked Virginia women’s golf team moved up three spots to sixth place at the NCAA Championships thanks to a pair of outstanding third-round performances from Calle Nielson and Lene Krog. The Cavaliers enter Friday’s final day of play at Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills, Md. with a 54-hole total of 908. Virginia shot 13-over 301 Thursday, the third best team score of the day.

Reigning NCAA Champion USC shot 6-over 294 for a 54-hole total of 890 to charge up the leaderboard and grab a one-shot lead over Arizona State. UCLA will make it an all-Pac-10 pairing in the final group of the day. The Bruins slid back to third place, but are just three strokes off the lead at 893. North Carolina is in third place at 906 and Denver is fifth, one shot ahead of UVa, at 907.

USC’s Jennifer Song holds a two-shot advantage over Purdue’s Maria Hernandez and UCLA’s Maria Jose Uribe in stroke play. Song shot 71 Thursday and enters the final round at even-par 216.

Duke Continues To Move Up Leaderboard; In 8th With 18 Holes Left
For the third consecutive day, the Duke women’s golf team made its way up the leaderboard as the Blue Devils carded a 14-over-par, 302, on Thursday to move into eighth place at the NCAA Championship with 18 holes remaining at the 6,443-yard, Par 72 Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills, Md.

Duke entered the second round in 14th place and were in 12th following Wednesday’s 18 holes of action. The Blue Devils were making their way up the leaderboard throughout the day as at 3:55 p.m., Duke was in tied for sixth and at 4:18 p.m., the Blue Devils were in fourth place following an Amanda Blumenherst birdie. But for the third straight day, Duke had trouble closing as the Blue Devils gave back 11 strokes over the final five holes to finish with a 302, which is eighth. For the three days of play, Duke owns a total of 911 and is only five strokes out of fourth place.

Leading the team play is Southern California, who shot a 293 on Thursday, with a 54-hole total of 889. Arizona State is second with an 891, while UCLA (893) rounds out the top three teams. North Carolina (906) is fourth followed by Virginia (908), Denver (908), Oklahoma State (909), Duke (911), Pepperdine (912), LSU (915), Alabama (918) and Purdue (918) rounding out the top 12. 

Wake Forest Slips To 13th Through 54 Holes Of NCAA Championship
Wake Forest's round on Thursday of the 2009 NCAA Women's Golf Championships can only be described as a grind. The Demon Deacons started well but faded as the day went on and posted a round of 318 to slip back to 13th place through 54 holes.

The Deacs started out even-par through the first four holes and had climbed to fourth in the team standings but a few loose shots midway through the first nine started Wake in the wrong direction.

Individually, senior Jean Chua had the round of the day going for the Deacs, as she made three birdies and three bogies through her first 12 holes.