University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Continue Season at Rio Verde Invite
3/5/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
Rio Verde Invitational: Formerly known as the East/West Rio Verde Invitational, the 2010 Rio Verde Invitational is in its seventh year of existence. The invitational is hosted by Western Michigan University and is played at the Quail Run and White Wing golf courses in Rio Verde, Ariz.
The two courses were newly redesigned by the Tom Lehman Design Group and are known for their rolling fairways, greens loaded with personality, and interesting visual experiences punctuated by 'right there' mountain views of Four Peaks and the Tonto National Forest.
The Gophers finished in fifth place in 2009, led by a 26th place finish by Michele Edlin. Minnesota finished with a 54-hole score of 916. Kansas took home the title last year with a three round score of 883 (294-295-294). Minnesota finished third in 2007, establishing a then career-high 54-hole score of 894.
Live scoring and results can be found at http://www.golfstat.com
The tournament field includes (Golfweek Ranking): Akron (118), Arkansas-Little Rock (86), Ball State (104), Bowling Green (194), Bradley (131), Cincinnati (132), Eastern Michigan (89), Kansas (78), Michigan (68), Minnesota (59), Missouri State (85), Northern Arizona (115), Ohio (180), Penn State (122), Southern Illinois (174), Toledo (116).
The Gophers: Minnesota's lineup will consist of juniors Michele Edlin, Mary Narzisi, Teresa Puga and Samantha Sommers and true freshman Jackie Shepherd. Edlin, Puga and Shepherd are the only Gopher players to appear in all of the team's tournaments.
Kiawah Island Classic Recap: 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. The Gophers' performance at Kiawah Island was one for the Minnesota record books. Teresa Puga led the Gophers with a 54-hole score of 219, which is a tie for the fifth-lowest individual score in Minnesota history. Minnesota's 54-hole score of 893 is the second-lowest in school history and their final round 292 is tied for sixth-lowest.
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.
Up Next: The Gophers will travel back to the Phoenix area for the 2010 Northern Migration Invitational starting on Monday, March 15th and finishing March 17th.
Players Mentioned
