June 22, 2014
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – One of golf’s well-known sayings is that players “drive for show and putt for dough.” Former Notre Dame standout Becca Huffer (’12) followed that idea to the letter and as a result, will cash in on her return to South Bend.
Huffer, a four-time all-BIG EAST Conference selection for the Fighting Irish from 2009-12, hit all 14 fairways in regulation, chalked up four birdies and an eagle, and needed only 28 putts to fire a final-round 68 (-4) on Sunday, finishing in a tie for 19th place at the Symetra Tour’s third annual Four Winds Invitational that was contested at South Bend’s Blackthorn Golf Club (par 72, 6,419 yards).
Huffer posted a 54-hole total of four-under par 212 (72-72-68) en route to her third top-20 finish in six tournaments this season. The Denver native also logged just 29 putts during her second round on Saturday, and now finds herself closing in on a top 50 spot on the Symetra Tour’s money list.
Another Notre Dame alum and four-time all-BIG EAST choice, Noriko Nakazaki (’07), also wound up in the money on Sunday, tying for 56th place at one-over par 217 (70-75-72). It was Nakazaki’s best finish of the 2014 Symetra Tour season, surpassing her 74th-place showing at last month’s Self Regional Healthcare Foundation Women’s Health Charity Classic last month in Greenwood, S.C.
Nicole Vandermade took the Four Winds Invitational title at 12-under par 204, one shot better than overnight leader Lee Lopez. The Symetra Tour is the official developmental golf tour of the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour, and while the Symetra Tour doesn’t have designated “majors” like other professional tours, the Four Winds Invitational is considered one of the premier tournaments on the circuit, due in part to its $150,000 total purse (second-largest on tour) and $22,500 first-place share.
For more information on the Notre Dame women’s golf program, sign up to follow the Fighting Irish women’s golf Twitter page (@NDwomensGolf) or register for the Irish ALERT text-messaging system through the “Fan Center” pulldown menu on the front page at UND.com.
— Chris Masters, Associate Athletic Media Relations Director