March 31, 2011
The University of New Mexico women’s golf team will spend the weekend at the 37th PING/ASU Intercollegiate in Tempe, Ariz.
The 54-hole tournament is Friday through Sunday at the ASU Karsten course (par-72, 6,230-yards) with 18 holes played each day. Tee times for Friday and Saturday begin at 9 a.m. MDT, with golfers teeing off on holes 1 and 10. Sunday’s play begins at 8:30 a.m. Live scoring will be available at GolfStat.com.
This is UNM’s final competition before the Mountain West Conference Championships April 14-16 in Litchfield Park, Ariz. The Lobos are the three-time defending MWC champions.
THE PING COMPETITORS – The 17-team field includes (11) Arizona State, (8) Arizona, (9) California, (44) Denver, (51) New Mexico, (46) Oklahoma State, (91) Oregon State, (20) Pepperdine, (45) San Diego State, (23) Stanford, (25) Texas, (35) TCU, (2) UCLA, (1) USC, (21) Vanderbilt, (31) Washington and (114) Washington State. The field features nine teams ranked in the top-25 according to GolfStat.
LOBO LINEUP – Head coach Manon de Roey and Sammi Stevens. Freshman Sofia Hoglund will compete as an individual.
UNM LAST YEAR AT THE PING – Senior Jodi Ewart and sophomore Rebecca Hellbom each shot 5-under 67 to propel 24th-ranked New Mexico to one of the best rounds in school history in the final round of the PING/ASU Intercollegiate.
The Lobos shot a 10-under 278, the second-lowest total and the second-best score in relation to par ever by a New Mexico team. UNM’s 278 was the lowest round by any team in a tournament that featured 12 of the nation’s top-29 schools.
After starting the final round in eighth place, UNM roared to a fourth place finish with a 54-hole total of 1-under 863 (291-294-278) on the par-72, 6,230-yard Karsten course. The 863 total ranks No. 4 by a Lobo golf team for 54 holes.
Ewart and Hellbom tied for the 4th-best round at UNM by finishing at 5-under. The 67 was a career-best for both golfers and one stroke shy of the Lobo mark set by Kailin Downs at the 2004 Mountain West Conference Championships.
The only schools to beat New Mexico were top-ranked UCLA, No. 2 Arizona State and No. 6 Southern Cal. UCLA shot 9-under 279 in the final round to rally past ASU by one shot. The Bruins finished at 856. USC was another stroke behind at 858.
New Mexico finished ahead of seven teams ranked higher in the March 31 Golfstat.com poll: No. 5 Alabama, No. 7 Arizona, No. 8 Purdue, No. 9 Pepperdine, No. 13 Stanford, No. 14 California and No. 21 Denver.
Hellbom, who came into the weekend with a season scoring average of 75.15, ended in a tie for third with a 7-under 209 (71-71-67). The 209 is her best 54-hole total at UNM and just one shot off the school mark set by Ewart at the 2009 Branch Law Firm Dick McGuire in Albuquerque.
“It was just really solid,” said Hellbom of the lowest round of her playing career. “I hit the fairways and made a lot of putts.”
Hellbom, who posted five birdies on a bogey-free card, finished two shots behind winner Stephanie Kono from UCLA. Kono birdied the last two holes for a 66 and a 9-under 207.
Ewart started on fire with four straight birdies between holes 3 and 6. She made a bogey at 8 before adding birdies at 10 and 13. Ewart tied for sixth at 211 (72-72-67).
Senior Britney Choy and freshman teammate Bethany Buchner tied for 42nd at 7-over 223. Sophomore Sarah Salvo finished in 77th at 234 (74-80-80) while sophomore Erin Miller, competing as an individual, tied for 78th at 236 (75-82-79).
RANCHO BERNARDO RECAP – On March 22, the Lobos finished in 16th place at the Battle at Rancho Bernardo. Playing at the demanding Rancho Bernardo Inn Golf Resort (par 72, 6,336 yards) in San Diego, the Lobos completed the 54-hole event with a score of 940 (312-317-311 / +76).
The 17-team field featured 16 teams ranked in the top-50 of the most recent GolfStat poll, including six of the nation’s top 10 schools. At No. 51, UNM was the lowest-ranked team in the field.
No. 7 Purdue (879) took home the team trophy followed by No. 3 UCLA (886) and top-ranked Southern Cal (887).
Freshman Sammi Stevens was the Lobos’ top finisher, placing in a tie for 44th with a total of 231 (72-81-78 / +15).
Sophomore Beth Buchner posted UNM’s low round on the final day, a 75, to finish in a tie for 62nd at 237 (83-79-75 / +21). Buchner was 5-over on the round after making bogey at No. 10, but came through with consecutive birdies at 13 and 14.
Freshman Manon de Roey tied for 65th at 238 (80-77-81 / +22). Junior Sarah Salvo tied for 71st at 241 (77-80-84 / +25) while junior Rebecca Hellbom tied for 75th at 242 (84-81-77 / +26).
Purdue’s Laura Gonzalez shot a 68 today to easily win the individual title at 209 (7-under). Only one other golfer in the 96-player field – Therese Koelbaek from UNLV at 1-under 215 – finished under par for the tournament.