Oct. 2, 2011
The University of New Mexico women’s golf team returns to the course today at the Windy City Collegiate being played outside Chicago. The 54-hole tournament will be staged at the Glen View Club in Glenview, Ill. Northwestern is the host. The schedule is 36 holes on Monday and the final round Tuesday. Tee times begin at 6:30 a.m., MDT each day. Live scoring will be available at GolfStat.com.
A STRONG FIELD – The 15-team field includes six teams ranked in the Sept. 28 Golf World/NGCA Division I poll, including No. 8 and three-time Windy City defending champion Purdue, No. 12 Arizona, No. 17 Texas, No. 19 Oklahoma State, No. 20 UC Davis and No. 24 Wake Forest.
Six other participants are receiving votes in the poll: Ohio State (34), Northwestern (20), Iowa State (14), TCU (4), Tulsa (4) and UNM, which received three points, good for the 43rd spot in the rankings.
Kent State, Texas Tech and UNC Wilmington round out the field.
LOBO LINEUP – Head coach Jill Trujillo will take senior Rebecca Hellbom, junior Beth Buchner and sophomores Manon De Roey, Sofia Hoglund and Sammi Stevens.
LAST YEAR’S WINDY CITY COLLEGIATE – The Lobos women’s finished in eighth place at the Windy City Collegiate Classic in Highland Park, Ill. UNM shot a 23-over 307 in the final round to finish with a 54-hole total of 921 at the Northmoor Country Club (par-71, 6,108 yards). The Lobos began the day in a three-way tie for sixth.
UNM finished 45 shots behind No. 9 Purdue, which won its third straight Windy City team title at 876. Iowa State was second in the 11-team field at 883.
The Lobos started the final round like they could make a run at a top-five finish. UNM made the turn at 8-over, but dropped 15 shots on the back nine.
For the first time in her career, junior Sarah Salvo was New Mexico’s top finisher. Salvo carded a 3-over 74 in the final round to tie for 15th place at 225 (73-78-74). It’s also the highest finish of Salvo’s career.
Junior Rebecca Hellbom tied for 19th at 229 (77-74-78). She was 1-over through 12 holes in the last round, but played the last six holes in 6-over.
Purdue’s Numa Gulyanamitta won the individual title at 215 (72-73-70), two shots better than TCU’s Brooke Beeler and Prima Thammaraks from Iowa State.
Lobo sophomore Beth Buchner tied for 37th place at 234 (78-79-77) while freshmen Sammi Stevens (79-77-80) and Manon De Roey (78-80-78) finished at 236, tying for 40th place.
2011 McGUIRE REVIEW; HOGLUND MEDALIST – A clutch putt on the penultimate hole made University of New Mexico sophomore Sofia Hoglund the improbable winner of the 32nd Branch Law Firm Dick McGuire Invitational played at the University of New Mexico Championship Course (par 73, 6,187 yards).
Playing as an individual, Hoglund drained a breaking downhill 35-footer for birdie on the par-3 7th to seal her first collegiate victory. It was Hoglund’s lone birdie in a round of 77 (4-over), but enough to edge Baylor’s Hayley Davis by one shot. Davis started the final round six shots behind Hoglund.
“It was a tough day,” said Hoglund, who took a two-shot lead into the final round. “That putt would have gone past by six or seven feet if it didn’t hit the hole. Obviously, I’m very happy.”
Hoglund finished at 3-under 216 (71-68-77). Her best finish in five previous tournaments as a Lobo was a tie for 59th. Hoglund’s stroke average in 2010-11 was 81.71 for 14 rounds.
A native of Kokkola, Finland, Hoglund is the sixth Lobo to take home the title, joining Pat Park (1962-63), Kristi Albers (1984), Tracy May (1994), Kailin Downs (2003) and Jodi Ewart (2008).
As it turned out, Hoglund was nearly contested by one of her Lobo teammates. Fellow sophomore Sammi Stevens shot a par 73 (two birdies, two bogeys) to finish in third at 218 (1-under).
For Stevens, she set UNM personal bests for highest finish and lowest 54-hole total. It is also the first time the sophomore has finished under par in 12 collegiate tournaments.
“Sofia and Sammi were just tremendous,” said UNM head coach Jill Trujillo. “Hopefully, these types of performances will continue.”
As a team, UNM finished eighth in the 18-team field at 29-over 905 (305-298-302). Baylor held off TCU, Denver and Northwestern to claim the championship at 887 (1-over).
Lobo junior Beth Buchner tied for 33rd at 227 (77-72-78) followed by seniors Rebecca Hellbom (232, 60th) and Sarah Salvo (233, T61st), and sophomore Manon De Roey (234, T66th).
HEAD COACH Jill Trujillo – A 1990 UNM graduate and golf letterwinner from 1987-90, Jill Trujillo is in her fifth season in charge of the women’s golf program. Trujillo has led New Mexico to five team titles, including three consecutive Mountain West Conference championships from 2008-10, and NCAA postseason every year. She was named 2007-08 MWC Coach of the Year. Trujillo was head coach when UNM advanced to the 2007 NCAA Championships at Daytona Beach, Fla. The Lobos finished 22nd at the Championships in 2007, 19th in 2009 and tied for 16th in 2010.