Oct. 3, 2011
Sophomore Sammi Stevens made three birdies on her final four holes to push the University of New Mexico women’s golf team up the leaderboard into a tie for fourth place after two rounds of the Windy City Collegiate Championship.
Playing at the Glen View Club (par 72, 6,333 yards) in Glen View, Ill., the Lobos (304-294) and host Northwestern share the fourth spot at 22-over 598. They trail 19th-ranked Oklahoma State (589) by nine shots entering Tuesday’s final round.
Teeing off of No. 10 with UNC Wilmington and 20th-ranked UC Davis, the Lobos began the second round in a tie for 10th place with Texas and three-time defending Windy City champ Purdue.
Stevens’ late flurry keyed UNM’s second-round 294 (6-over), the third-lowest score in the 15-team field today.
Stevens stood at 1 over on her second round after a bogey on the par-4 5th. She closed with birdies at 6 and 8 – both par 5s – and the par-4 No. 9, to finish with a 2-under 70. Stevens is tied for 11th place at 3-over 147 (77-70).
UNM’s total could have been even lower were it not for trouble on holes 1 through 5. As a team, the Lobos were a combined 18 shots over par on those five holes compared to 4 over on the other 13. New Mexico, however, was particularly impressive coming home, playing the final four holes (6 through 9) in 4 under par.
After Oklahoma State, it’s a tightly bunched leaderboard as only seven shots separate second-place Arizona (595) from 10th-place Tulsa (602).
The Windy City Collegiate features six teams ranked in the top-25 of the latest Golf World/NGCA poll. The Lobos were receiving votes, good for the 43rd spot in the rankings.
One shot behind Stevens is Lobo sophomore Manon De Roey at 4-over 148 (73-75), tied for 16th place. In round one, De Roey made birdies at 5 and 8 to close with a 73. No. 5, however, was unkind to her in the second round. She made a double bogey 6 which led to a 75.
Sophomore Sofia Hoglund, the winner of last week’s Branch Law Firm Dick McGuire Invitational in Albuquerque, is tied for 28th at 151 (77-74). Hoglund was a slow starter over her first nine holes (10-18) in both rounds. She dropped six shots on the front, but played the back in just 1 over.
Senior Rebecca Hellbom looked poised for a solid second round before struggling on the back. She made the turn in 34, but dropped seven strokes coming in for a 41. In the first two rounds, Hellbom lost nine shots to par in holes 3 through 9. She is tied for 34th at 152 (77-75).
Junior Beth Buchner is tied for 59th at 157 (80-77).
Tulsa’s Kristina Merkle has the individual lead at 2-under 142 (71-71).
UNM will start Tuesday’s final round on hole No. 1 at 7:15 a.m. MDT. The Lobos will play with Northwestern and Kent State.