Oct. 17, 2006
CHULA VISTA, Calif. – A season-best round of 299 (+11) on Tuesday propelled the Notre Dame women’s golf team into a tie for fifth-place at the TaylorMade Aztec Fall Classic with a two-round total of 609 (310-299) at the par 72, 6,259-yard Salt Creek Golf Club. Fighting Irish senior Noriko Nakazaki (Hanover Park, Ill./Hoffman Estates) registered her top finish of the season as she tied for fifth with a two-round one-over par total of 145 (71-74). Denver won the team title with a six-over par 582 (279-303), which included the low round of the tournament, a nine-under par 279 during Monday’s first round.
BYU finished second, out of the 19-team field, behind the Pioneers with a 589 (296-293) total. The Cougars posted the top round on Tuesday with five-over par 293 and were the only team to break 300 during both rounds. Denver’s Stephanie Sherlock (69-72) and Emily Hoeper (66-75) both finished with identical three-under par scores of 141 to tie for first out of the 112-golfer field. Sherlock would win the playoff hole to take medalist honors. Hoeper’s first round tally of 66 (-6) was the low mark for the tournament.
Sophomore Lisa Maunu (St. Thomas, Ontario/Collegiate Parkside Institute) carded the best round of the day for the Irish with a one-over par 73. She finished in a tie for 31st with a 154 (81-73). Freshman Annie Brophy (Spokane, Wash./Gonzaga Prep) was one shot in back of her teammate with a 155 after shooting rounds of 78 and 77 to tie for 35th and help Notre Dame climb six spots on Tuesday after entering the final round tied for 11th.
Jane Lee (Atlanta, Ga./Peninsula (Calif.)), a junior, shot a four-over par 76 on Tuesday, which was a four-shot improvement on her first-round score, to finish with a 156 (80-76) and in a tie for 41st. Freshman Kristin Wetzel (Middletown, N.Y./Hilton Head Prep) shaved five shots off of her first-day total of 81 to end with a 157 (81-76) and tied for 49th. Joining her with a 157 (78-79) was her senior teammate Stacy Brown (The Woodlands, Texas/The Woodlands), who was playing as an individual entrant in the tournament.
Full results of the TaylorMade Aztec Fall Classic can be found at goaztecs.com. The Irish return to the course when they travel to Kiawah Island, S.C. for the Edwin Watts/Palmetto Intercollegiate on Oct. 30 and 31. For additional information please log on to und.com or call the Notre Dame athletics hotline at (574) 631-3000.
TaylorMade Aztec Fall Classic (Salt Creek Golf Club – Chula Vista, Calif., Par 72, 6,259-yards)
Team Scores (Final 36-hole totals): 1. Denver 582 (279-303), 2. BYU 589 (296-293), 3. UC Irvine 596 (301-205), 4. Xavier 606 (310-296), 5t. Notre Dame 609 (310-299), 5t. Montana 609 (303-306), 7. Fresno State 611 (307-304), 8. McLennan CC 613 (305-308), 9. San Diego State 614 (304-310), 10. Sacramento State 615 (309-306), 11. North Texas 628 (310-318), 12t. Cal Poly 629 (306-323), 12t. Wyoming 629 (315-314), 14. Portland State 631 (306-325), 15. Portland 632 (317-315), 16. Northern Arizona 634 (313-321), 17. CSU Northridge 635 (313-322), 18. UC Riverside 643 (316-327), 19. CSU San Marcos 675 (340-335)
Top-5 Golfers (Final 36-hole totals): 1. Stephanie Sherlock* (Denver) 141 (69-72), 2. Emily Hoeper (Denver) 141 (66-75), 3. Natalia Jimenez (BYU) 143 (70-73), 4. Selanee Henderson (UC Irvine) 144 (69-75), 5t. Laura Mengelkamp (Wyoming) 145 (76-69), 5t. Noriko Nakazaki (Notre Dame) 145 (71-74), 5t. Alexis Edwards** (BYU) 145 (74-71)
Notre Dame Scores (Final 36-hole totals): 5t. Noriko Nakazaki 145 (71-74), 31t. Lisa Maunu 154 (81-73), 35t. Annie Brophy 155 (78-77), 41t. Jane Lee 156 (80-76), 49t. Kristin Wetzel 157 (81-76), 49t. Stacy Brown ** 157 (78-79)
* – won playoff, ** – playing as an individual entrant