Round 1 Tee Times
Live Scoring
Otter Creek Golf Course
NCAA Central Regional Notes
May 4, 2010
Women’s Golf NCAA Central Regional
Thursday, May 6 – Saturday, May 8
Otter Creek Golf Course
Columbus, Ind.
Par 72 – 6,416 yards
Live scores available at www.GolfStat.com
Schedule of Events
Thursday, May 6 – 18 Holes – UNM tee times from 6-6:44 a.m. MDT
Friday, May 7 – 18 Holes – UNM tee times from 10:30-11:14 a.m. MDT
Saturday, May 8 – 18 Holes – Tee times from 6 a.m.-12:09 p.m. MDT
The 20th-ranked University of New Mexico women’s golf team participates in the 2010 NCAA Central Regional this week in Columbus, Ind. Competition is Thursday through Saturday at the Otter Creek Golf Course (par 72, 6,416 yards), which is south of Indianapolis. Indiana University is the host. Live stats will be available at www.GolfStat.com.
UNM will be paired with Florida State and Oklahoma State the first two days of competition.
This marks the 18th consecutive year New Mexico has qualified for NCAA postseason competition, or every year since regional play began in 1993. The Lobos gained the automatic berth last month by winning their third straight Mountain West Conference title.
The NCAA Women’s Golf Championships is divided into three regional sites. Each regional has 24 teams, with the top eight teams in each region advancing to the finals.
The Lobos are seeking their 15th trip to the NCAA Championships. The 2010 championships are May 18-21 at the Country Club of Landfall in Wilmington, N.C. UNC Wilmington is the host.
UNM finished 19th at the 2009 NCAA Championships in Owings Mills, Md.
THE COMPETITORS – Joining the 20th-ranked Lobos at the Central Regional are seven teams ranked in the April 28 GolfStat.com top-25: No. 2 Arizona State, No. 5 Southern Cal, No. 8 Purdue, No. 10 Michigan State, No. 14 Georgia, No. 16 Denver and No. 23 Florida State. Also competing are Baylor, Detroit, Illinois State, Indiana, Jackson State, Kent State, Louisville, Murray State, North Carolina State, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Oregon, San Diego State and Tulsa.
LOBO LINEUP – Head coach Jill Trujillo is taking seniors Jodi Ewart and Britney Choy, sophomores Rebecca Hellbom and Sarah Salvo and freshman Bethany Buchner. UNM has used the same starting lineup in every tournament this season.
LAST YEAR’S NCAA REGIONAL – Jodi Ewart shot even-par 72 to finish in third place, leading 22nd-ranked New Mexico to a sixth place finish at the NCAA Central Regional in Columbus, Ohio. By placing in the top eight, the Lobos advanced to the NCAA Championships for the 14th time.
Ewart was one of only two golfers in the 108-player field to shoot par on the final day. She ended the tournament at 1-under 215, three shots behind UCLA’s Maria Jose Uribe for the individual title.
The elements made for elevated scores for everyone in the final round. After playing the first 36 holes in 21-over, New Mexico shot a 27-over 315 on the par-72, 6,246-yard Scarlet Course at Ohio State for a final total of 912. Sixth place is UNM’s best regional finish since it ended fifth at the East Regional in 2001.
Top-ranked UCLA led wire-to-wire, finishing at 877.
UNM received a huge lift from freshman Rebecca Hellbom, who shot 77 and ended the tournament in a tie for 12th place at 226 (77-72-77). Hellbom, who had the fourth-lowest total score among the participating freshmen, punctuated her final round with a birdie on the par-4 closing hole.
Britney Choy (77-79-83) and Mikaela Backstedt (76-80-83) finished at 239 while Morgan Grantham ended at 243 (85-73-85).
UNM SUMMER CAMP JUNE 2-4 – The 2010 Lobo Girls Golf Camp is June 2-4 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the UNM Championship Golf Course. The cost is $140. Register online at golobos.com by filling out the brochure on the women’s golf home page. Call Becky Dover at 505.925.4527 or rdover44@unm.edu with any questions.
LOBOS WIN 3RD STRAIGHT MWC CHAMPIONSHIP – Last month at Seaside, Calif., Jodi Ewart shot a 1-under 71 to win her school-record fifth individual title and lead 21st-ranked New Mexico to its third straight Mountain West Conference championship. The Lobos finished with a 54-hole total of 898 (294-303-301), nine shots better than TCU at the Black Horse Golf Course (par 72, 6,009 yards) on the Monterey Peninsula.
Ewart won her third MWC individual title (2007, `08, `10) while New Mexico has won seven of the 11 conference championships since the MWC started in 2000.
Making two birdies on the back nine, Ewart was the only golfer in the 35-player field to break par in the final round. She finished with a 1-over 217 (71-75-71), while setting an MWC record for largest winning margin, four shots ahead of TCU’s Rachel Raastad (221). UNM sophomore Rebecca Hellbom shot 77 to finish third at 222 (71-74-77).
Ewart was also named MWC Player of the Year for the fourth straight season. She is the first student-athlete in any MWC sport to earn the award four times.
“I was just steady most of the day,” said Ewart of her final round. It’s a huge honor to be named MWC player of the year again because there have been so many great players the past four years.”
New Mexico began the day with an 11-stroke advantage over TCU and Colorado State. The Horned Frogs cut the Lobo lead to six shots midway through the round, but could get no closer.
“I couldn’t be more proud of the team,” said head coach Jill Trujillo. “We just grinded it out the last two days. The first round (294 and a 12-shot lead) turned out to be the clincher. That gave us a lead that we were able to maintain. I just can’t say enough about Jodi. It could be a long time before someone else comes along and matches what she has done in four years at UNM.”
Hellbom had a 1-shot lead over Ewart after nine holes, but Hellbom bogeyed 10, 11 and 12 and could never catch her teammate. It’s the second straight third-place finish for Hellbom, who has a superb 71.83 scoring average over her last six rounds. She joined Ewart on the all-MWC team.
New Mexico senior Britney Choy tied for 19th at 235 (73-82-80). Freshman Bethany Buchner shot 75 – her best round of the tournament – to finish in 23rd at 236 (79-82-75). Sophomore Sarah Salvo tied for 24th at 238 (88-72-78).