University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Finish Runner-up at Kiawah Island
2/24/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
The University of Minnesota shot a final round 292 (893 total) at the Edwin Watts/Kiawah Island Classic in Kiawah Island, S.C. to finish alone in second place, only one stroke behind Miami of Ohio. Miami began the day in a tie for seventh and leapfrogged the competition with a final round 289. The Gophers started the day in fourth place.
"We really played well today," Associate Head Coach Kristine Wessinger said. "We were able to focus on what we could control on the course and our goal today was to stay in the moment and enjoy each shot. Our players did a great job of accomplishing what they wanted and we came very close to coming out on top."
The Gophers lineup at the Kiawah Island Classic made sure that second place finish was just one significant accomplishment, as the overall team score, their final-round score and Teresa Puga's tournament score, all made it into the Minnesota record books. The Gophers' 54-hole total of 893 is the second-lowest in school history while their final-round score of 292 is tied for the sixth-lowest in school history.
Also, Puga's 54-hole score of 219 ties her for the fifth-lowest individual score in Minnesota history. It is not a career-low for the A Coruña, Spain native, however, as she carded a 218 as a freshman at the Las Vegas Showdown. Finally, the second place finish for the Gophers was the best finish since winning the Diablo Grande Intercollegiate during the 2008 spring season.
Puga finished in a tie for fifth place with her 3-over 219 (74-74-71) while fellow junior Mary Narzisi equaled her final round 71 for the Gophers, finishing in a tie for 41st place at 13-over 229 (81-77-71). Michele Edlin (75-74-75--224) and Samantha Sommers (80-73-75--228), also juniors, carded final rounds of 75 to finish out the scoring for the Gophers.
Edlin finished in a tie for 18th and Sommers, who established a career-low with her score of 228, finished in a tie for 35th. Rounding out the Gopher lineup was freshman Jackie Shepherd (74-80-78--232), who ended up in a tie for 65th place.
The Gophers will be off until March 5-7 when they will travel to the desert for the Rio Verde Invitational in Rio Verde, Ariz. It will be the fourth-straight season that Minnesota is part of the Rio Verde Invite, having finished fifth at last spring's event.
Players Mentioned
