University of Minnesota Athletics
Puga Shoots 76 in Second Round
5/7/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
Puga Tied for 28th Place at Regional: Teresa Puga carded a five-over par 76 in the second round of the NCAA West Regional at Stanford University Golf Course in Palo Alto, Calif. and is in a tie for 28 place. Puga fired an opening round 74 on Thursday.
Puga, playing the tournament as an individual, will tee off at 10:55 p.m. Central Saturday morning and her entire round can be followed live at www.golfstat.com.
At the conclusion of the regional, eight teams and two individuals not affiliated with the qualifying teams will advance to the NCAA Championships at the Country Club of Landfall in Wilmington, N.C.
2010 Big Ten's Recap: Although the University of Minnesota women's golf team didn't accomplish the ultimate goal of winning a Big Ten Championship this season, the squad did prove they are one of the best teams to play at the "U". The Gophers secured their best finish at the championships since 2005 by finishing seventh with a score of 1,208.
Minnesota's 72-hole score of 1,208 at University Ridge Golf Club in Madison, Wis. is the best 72-hole score in the history of the program and would have won the 2009 Big Ten's. The Gophers' highest finisher was junior Sam Sommers, who finished in fifth place. Teresa Puga secured her seventh top-10 finish by completing the championships in a tie for ninth.
Puga's Best Effort Thus Far: Puga continues to prove that she is one of the best, if not the best, player to ever tee-it-up for the Maroon & Gold. She already holds the best career stroke average mark in the history of the program at 76.09, thanks to a stellar sophomore season and an even better junior campaign.
Puga heads in to the NCAA West Regional with a spring average of 74.77, which is currently the best in the history of the program. She also holds the best fall season average (74.07 in 2008) and is well on her way to finish with the best season average in program history. She currently sits at 75.08 for the season.
Gophers' Career Season: The Gophers established many records individually, and as a team, in 2008-09 that have been broken again. Statistically, Minnesota averaged a combined score of 303.8 this season for a stroke average of 75.95, bettering last season's averages of 311.4 and 77.85, respectively, for the lowest season averages in school history. Prior to last season, the previous low was established by the 1987-88 team with a season average 77.97.
As a team, the Gophers finished in the top 10 in nine of the team's 10 regular season tournaments, five of which were also top-five finishes. Also, the Gophers established five of the program's top 10 54-hole scores this season, including a season-low 893 in the Kiawah Island Intercollegiate Feb. 21-23 and shot a program-best 72-hole score of 1,208 at the 2010 Big Ten Championships. The team also added seven of the lowest 18-hole rounds in the history of the program, including a season-low round of 289 in April at the Indiana Invitational.
Individually, Minnesota's 2009-10 roster includes five players that held a season average under 80. Sam Sommers shot a program-best 294 at the Big Ten Championships while Puga added a 297 which is tied for second-best on the Gopher list.
Players Mentioned
