May 12, 2007
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Notre Dame senior Noriko Nakazaki (Hanover Park, Ill./Hoffman Estates) fired an eight-over par 79 during Saturday’s third and final round of the 2007 NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Central Regional at the par 71, 6,116-yard University of Michigan Golf Course. Nakazaki concluded the tournament with an eight-over par 224 (72-73-79) and in a three-way tie for 18th place. She finished six shots off the cut for the NCAA Championship finals.
Vanderbilt’s Jacqui Concolino defeated the 107-golfer field with a five-under par 54-hole total of 208 (67-68-73). Paola Moreno from Southern California finished four shots in back with a score of 212, which included the low round of the tournament, a five-under par 66 during Friday’s second round.
Nakazaki started on the back nine of the course on Saturday and registered three consecutive pars to open the day. Three straight bogeys followed, before she fired a par on No. 16. After bogeys on the next two holes, she made the turn with a five-over par 40.
The senior co-captain moved to the front nine and registered three straight pars. A bogey on No. 4 was followed by her only birdie of the day as she carded a two on the par-three third hole. She posted three consecutive bogeys before finishing the round with a par. Nakazaki shot a three-over par 39 on her final nine holes.
This marked the final tournament of Nakazaki’s record-setting Notre Dame career. She established the program’s career scoring mark with a 75.80 average. Nakazaki also broke her own Irish record for single season stroke average. Her final 2006-07 average of 74.71 now stands as the top mark in school history. Her average of 75.41 from last season was the previous standard.
“I’m disappointed for Noriko that her career finished with a round like she had today,” said Notre Dame head coach Susan Holt. “But that does not diminish anything that she has done here. She has had a great four years here at Notre Dame. I know she’s disappointed, but she didn’t need to do well to validate her career.”
Nakazaki’s three-round score of 224 this weekend is the top total for any Irish golfer in NCAA play. She also held that record with a 230 at the 2005 Central Regional, where she led the Irish to an 18th-place finish.
There are three regional sites for the NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championship. The top eight teams from each regional along with the top two individuals, who are not on an advancing team, will participate in the championships finals, which will be held May 22-25 at the LPGA International Legends Course in Daytona Beach, Fla. The finals are hosted by the University of Central Florida and the Central Florida Sports Commission.
Full results of the 2007 NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Central Regional can be found at www.golfstat.com. For additional information please log onto und.com.
NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Central Regional
(University of Michigan Golf Course – Ann Arbor, Mich., Par 71, 6,116-yards)
Top-5 Golfers (Final 54-hole totals): 1. Jacqui Concolino (Vanderbilt) 208 (67-68-73), 2. Paola Moreno (Southern California) 212 (70-66-76), 3t. Stacy Lewis (Arkansas) 213 (70-72-71), 3t. Belen Mozo (Southern California) 213 (68-74-71), 5. Taylor Leon (Georgia) 214 (68-74-72), 18t. Noriko Nakazaki (Notre Dame) 224 (72-73-79)