University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Move up to Fifth at Big Ten's
4/24/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
It was moving day for the University of Minnesota women's golf team today at the 2010 Big Ten Championships in Madison, Wis. The Gophers began the day in seventh place but used a combined score of 294, their best of the championships, to move up to fifth with 18 holes remaining at University Ridge Golf Club.
"We came into today's round wanting to focus on one shot at a time and with that we were able to play some great golf," said Gopher head coach Kris Wessinger. "We were able to move up a couple of spots and will now look forward to tomorrow's final round. We know we have a great chance to do something special."
Minnesota's 54-hole score of 894 would qualify as the second best in school history but more importantly, the squad is in great shape to shatter its best 72-hole score in the history of the program. The current low is 1,221 at the 2000 championships, also at University Ridge.
The Gophers are poised for their best finish in Big Ten's since 2001 when they tied for fourth place. Their best finish in the last five years came in 2005 with a seventh place finish. Minnesota is only two shots out of fourth place, currently held by Wisconsin, and 11 shots behind third place Michigan State, in hopes of securing just its third top-half finish at Big Ten's since 1997.
The Gophers' lineup of juniors Michele Edlin, Mary Narzisi, Teresa Puga and Samantha Sommers has been a mainstay since the foursome stepped on campus in 2007. They have helped the Minnesota program turn the corner and today, they may have turned yet another corner. Puga, a native of A Caruna, Spain, posted the low round of the day for the Gophers, a one-under par 71 that ties a Minnesota record for the best round in the Big Ten Championships. She is in a tie for sixth place with a score of 220.
Edlin, from Jackson, Minn., was one shot behind her teammate, as she carded an even par 72 and is in a tie for 23rd place. Her card on the day included six birdies. Sommers (St. Cloud, Minn.) has played steady all weekend, and will begin Sunday's final round in a tie with Puga for sixth place. Her 54-hole score of 220 is a personal best.
Narzisi, who hails from Omaha, Neb., struggled a little bit today, finishing with an 82. She is in a tie for 53rd place. Senior Christine Herzog (Detroit Lakes, Minn.) and freshman Jackie Shepherd (Delafield, Wis.) are in 63rd and a tie for 64th, respectively, heading into Sunday.
The Purdue Boilermakers, the winner of two of the last three Big Ten Championships, lead the event by 15 strokes over Ohio State. Purdue came into the Championships as the eighth ranked team in the nation according to the most recent Golfweek/Sagarin ratings.
Michigan's Ashley Bauer, who set a Big Ten and tied the course record with a seven-under 65 on Friday, continues to lead the championships by one stroke over Purdue's Laura Gonzalez.
The final round of the Big Ten Championships will begin on Sunday at 8:00 a.m. and can be followed live on www.golfstat.com.
Players Mentioned
