March 19, 2008
AUSTIN, Texas – The Notre Dame women’s golf team tied for fifth place at the Betsy Rawls Longhorn Invitational with a 36-hole total of 642 (317-325) at a soggy and windy par 72, 6,344-yard The University of Texas Golf Club. The Fighting Irish began the day in fifth place and that is where they would end up after posting a 37-over par 325 during Wednesday’s second and final round. New Mexico won the team title with a 623 (+47).
The tournament was shortened from 54 holes to 36 after inclement weather forced the cancellation of Tuesday’s scheduled round.
“The conditions made it very tough,” said Notre Dame head coach Susan Holt. “You knew the scores were going to be high today, but I was shocked with how high they were. There were some good teams here but it affected everyone. I just told our team to keep grinding. I feel like we made the best of the situation by tying for fifth. It could have been worse but we grinded it out.”
New Mexico, the 22nd-ranked team according to Golfstat, entered Wednesday’s play in first and the Lobos would hold on with a 320 to top the 18-team field featured five top-25 teams. The first-round total of 303 (+15) from New Mexico was the low round of the event. No. 5 Florida finished one shot in back of the Lobos, while Texas (630) and No. 6 Arkansas (632) rounded out the top-four teams. The 20th-ranked Irish and No. 24 TCU tied for fifth.
Arkansas’ Stacy Lewis, the top-ranked player according to Golfstat, edged out Florida’s Whitney Myers by one stroke to take the individual title with a seven-over par 151 (74-77). Myers’ four-over par 76 was tied for the top score of the day. Her teammate, Ornella Jouven, was the leader after Monday’s first round with a tournament-best even-par 72. She would finish tied for fourth with a 155.
Notre Dame freshman So-Hyun Park (Seoul, South Korea/Bradenton Prep) collected her fifth team-leading effort of the season by shooting identical rounds of 78. Her 12-over par 156 total placed her in a three-way tie for seventh. Park has finished in the top seven in seven of the eight tournaments this season.
Fellow Irish rookie Katie Conway (Wading River, N.Y./Shoreham Wading River) notched her third top-10 finish of the campaign as she registered a 13-over par 157 (77-80) to wind up among a three-way tie for 10th. Her five-over par 77 in the first round was the low Notre Dame round of the tournament.
Irish junior co-captain Lisa Maunu (St. Thomas, Ontario/Parkside Collegiate Institute) carded a 165 (82-83) total and finished in a five-way tie for 51st. Sophomore Annie Brophy (Spokane, Wash./Gonzaga Prep) tied for 61st after turning in a 168 (80-88). Rounding out the Notre Dame lineup was Kristin Wetzel (Middletown, N.Y./Hilton Head Prep) as the sophomore fired a 169 (85-84) and tied for 67th.
Full results of the Betsy Rawls Longhorn Invitational can be found at Golfstat.com and TexasSports.com. The Fighting Irish return to action April 6-8 at the Canes & Cards Classic in Miami, Fla. The tournament will be played at the Don Shula Golf Club.
“The course at Miami will be a fun course,” added Holt. “We should play well there and hopefully that’ll give us some momentum heading into the Big East tournament. You just kind of have to toss this tournament aside and move on and that’s what we’ll do when we go to Miami.”
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Betsy Rawls Longhorn Invitational
The University of Texas Golf Club – Austin, Texas, Par 72, 6,344 yards
Final Team Scores (36-hole totals): 1. New Mexico 623 (303-320), 2. Florida 624 (305-319), 3. Texas 630 (308-322), 4. Arkansas 632 (311-321), 5t. TCU 642 (321-321), 5t. Notre Dame 642 (317-325), 7. Ohio State 644 (321-323), 8. Iowa State 648 (320-328), 9. Oklahoma 651 (320-331), 10t. SMU 654 (323-331), 10t. Indiana 654 (320-334), 12. Wisconsin 655 (329-326), 13. Kansas 657 (325-332), 14t. Baylor 660 (329-331), 14t. Missouri 660 (320-340), 16. Nebraska 661 (319-342), 17. Kansas State 664 (329-335), 18. Texas (B) 674 (331-343)
Top-6 Golfers (of 90): 1. Stacy Lewis (Arkansas) 151 (74-77), 2. Whitney Myers (Florida) 152 (76-76), 3. Britney Choy (New Mexico) 154 (75-79), 4t. Mikaela Backstedt (New Mexico) 155 (76-79), 4t. Ornella Jouven (Florida) 155 (72-83), 4t. Alexandra Phelps (New Mexico) 155 ( 73-82)
Notre Dame Scores: 7t. So-Hyun Park 156 (78-78), 10t. Katie Conway 157 (77-80), 51t. Lisa Maunu 165 (82-83), 61t. Annie Brophy 168 (80-88), 67t. Kristin Wetzel 169 (85-84)