Sept. 15, 2012
EAST LANSING, Mich.- The Notre Dame women’s golf team concluded day one at Michigan State’s Mary Fossum Invitational in third-place through 36 holes with a team score of 12-over-par 588, and trails first-place Purdue by 10 strokes (578) and second-place Michigan St. (586) by a pair.
The tournament is being played at the par-72, 6,236-yard Forest Akers Golf Course.
In the opening round of play, the Irish combined for a one-under-par 298 team score. That put them 10 stokes behind No. 27 Purdue and one stroke behind No. 22 Michigan St.
Sophomore Ashley Armstrong (Flossmoor, III.) and junior Kristina Nhim (Cypress, Calif.) led the way firing a two-over-par 74.
Armstrong struggled on hole three and nine carding two double bogeys, but finished strong on the back nine with a pair of birdies on the two par fives. Nhim performed well on the front nine firing a one-under-par, however fell into trouble on the back nine carding a double bogey on the 12th hole along with two bogeys on the14th and 17th.
Sophomore Kelli Oride (Lihue, Hawaii) fired a 77 in her opening round. Oride had a pair of birdies to offset seven bogies.
Freshmen Lindsey Weaver (Scottsdale, Ariz.) and Talia Campbell (Dallas, Texas) made their collegiate debuts with both firing a three-over-par 75 in round one.
Weaver played even on the front nine with the help of a birdie on three, but slipped into trouble carding four bogeys on the final seven holes. The fourth hole held Campbell from breaking par on the front nine when she double bogeyed the hole. The freshman stayed composed nevertheless gathering a 38 on the back nine to give her a 75.
Notre Dame found its rhythm in the afternoon’s second round.
Oride led the Irish in the second round, shooting a career best two-under par 70. She fired six birdies to go with a pair of bogeys on the final 18 to give her a 36-hole score of three-over par 147. Oride started at 34th and moved to eighth after two rounds.
Armstrong finished her second round with an even par 72 and a 36-hole total of two-over-par 146. She tied for sixth trailing Weaver by one stroke.
Weaver opened fast in the second round starting out with four birdies, going three-under-par through the first five. She dropped five strokes from her first round to finish with a two-under par 70 in the second. She sits at two-under-par 142 for her 36-hole total.
Weaver is currently the top Irish player on the leaderboard after moving from 15th to fifth. She trails tournament leader, Krista Puisite of Texas State, by three strokes after Puisite fired a two-under par 142 after two rounds.
Nhim carded an eight-over-par 80 in the second round that gave her a 36-hole total of 10-over par 154.
Campbell shot a second round six-over par 78 to give her a nine-over par 153 for the first two rounds.
The Irish close out the Mary Fossum Invitational on Sunday, Sept. 16 beginning at 8:30 a.m.
Check UND.com for a post tournament recap and golfstatresults.com for hole-by-hole scoring.
TEAM RESULTS (36-hole totals): 1. Purdue 578; 2. Michigan State 586; 3. Notre Dame 588; 4. Texas State 603; 5. Miami 607; 6. Minnesota 609; 7.Kent State 613; 8. Wisconsin 617; 9.Michigan 619; 10. Eastern Michigan 620; 11.Toledo 621; 12. Bowling Green 622; 13. Michigan State (B) 627; 14. Louisiana Monroe 628; 15. Oakland 633, 16. Western Michigan 640; 17. Ferris State 651.
TOP 10 INDIVIDUALS (of 71): 1. Krista Puisite (Texas State) 142; t1. Paula Reto (Purdue) 142; t1. Kishi Sinha (Purdue) 142; 4. Caroline Powers (Michigan State) 144; 5. Lindsey Weaver (Notre Dame) 146; t6. Ashley Armstrong (Notre Dame) 146; t6. Margaux Vanmol (Purdue) 146; 8. Kelli Oride (Notre Dame) 147; t9. Laura Hendee (Miami) 148; t9. Linda Luo (Michigan)148; t9. Banchalee Theinthong (Minnesota) 148.
NOTRE DAME INDIVIDUALS (of 71): 5. Lindsey Weaver, 145; t6. Ashley Armstrong, 146; 8. Kelli Oride, 147; t26 Talia Campbell, 153; t30. Kristina Nhim, 154.