University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers 16th with 18 Holes Left at NCAA Championship
5/20/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
Entering the day tied for 11th at the NCAA Championships, the Gopher women's golf team carded a score of 307 on Friday and currently sits in 16th place entering the final round. Teresa Puga leads Minnesota in a tie for 18th overall after firing the lowest score of the day with a two-under par, 70 in the third round. However, despite her success, the Gophers struggled as a team throughout the third round and will look to rebound during the tournament's final 18 holes on Saturday in Tyler, Texas.
Puga posted an ever-par 36 over her opening nine holes and used a pair of birdies and no bogeys on her back nine en route to her 70 and the day's best performance. A native of Spain, Puga stumbled out of the gate with a 77 in the first round but has since climbed her way back into the mix. After an even-par 72 on Thursday, the senior is currently 10 back of leader Austin Ernst from LSU.
Samantha Sommers is tied for 41st overall after a three-over 75 on Friday. The senior was even-par through the first 12 holes but fell victim to three bogeys over her finishing holes.
Michele Edlin came into the third round leading the Gophers in a tie for 24th but an 80 dropped her to 63rd place. Having pared her first eight holes, Edlin went on to bogey the next four to disrupt a solid round.
Mary Narzisi sits is tied for 105th following an 82 on Friday, while sophomore Jackie Shepherd is in tie for 124 after an 83.
With just one round remaining in the season's final event, Minnesota will look to make the most of their final 18 holes of the year on Saturday. The last round is set to start at 7:00 a.m. with live scoring available at www.ncaa.com and a live webcast of holes 16-18 will begin around 2:00 p.m. as well.
Central Regional champion UCLA currently paces the field by five strokes over defending champion Purdue. LSU is also in the mix, just seven shots out of first.Players Mentioned
