Kan earns share of 17th at Lady Jaguar

   Purdue junior Aurora Kan, the 2010 PIAA champion as a senior at Chichester, finished in a tie for 17^th at the Georgia Regents University-Augusta 3M Lady Jaguar Intercollegiate in Augusta, Ga. to help the Boilermakers finish in a tie for eighth in a strong 15-team field.

   After the opening round Friday, tournament officials decided to go 36 holes Saturday and complete the 54-hole event in light of impending bad weather heading for the area for Sunday.

   Kan, a three-time Daily Times Player of the Year, had rounds of 77, 75 and 77 over the Forest Hills Golf Club layout for a 229 total that led the youthful Purdue contingent.  Purdue’s team total improved in each round as the Boilermakers opened with a 321, knocked that down to 309 in the second round and finished with a solid 300 for a 930 total.

   Sophomore Anna Appert Lund saved her best for last, a 2-over 74 in the final round and Purdue also got strong final-round showings from junior Johanna Tillstrom and freshman August Kim, both with 75s, and sophomore Vinh-Hoa Ngo, who had a 76.

   Appert Lund ended up in a tie for 23^rd overall, two shots back of Kan at 231, Tillstrom was in a tie for 34^th at 235, Ngo was in a tie for 42^nd at 238 and Kim was in tie for 46th at 239.

   Purdue finished two shots back of Big 10 rival Illinois, which claimed seventh place at 928 with rounds of 311, 300 and 317. Kan did not get to compete against one of her old high school rivals as Illinois redshirt junior Jackie Calamaro, the 2009 PIAA champion at Radnor, did not join the Illini for the trip to Augusta.

   But one of Calamaro’s Illinois teammates, redshirt junior Samantha Postillion, had a bustout showing in the Lady Jaguar, finishing second overall with rounds of 73, 71 and 77 for a 5-over 221 total. The 1-under 71 in the middle round tied a career-best score for her.

   Individual honors at the Lady Jaguar went to Mercer University senior Lacey Fears. She had rounds of 73, 70 and 74 for a 1-over 217 total that was four shots clear of Postillion.

   One of the players Kan defeated in a playoff for that 2010 PIAA title, West Chester East’s Gabby DiMarco,  was in Augusta, competing as individual for Kansas. DiMarco, a junior, had rounds of 87, 82 and 79 to finish in a tie for 69^th at 248.

   DiMarco’s Jayhawks (316-294-300),  led by their trio of players from Thailand, had a strong showing in the team race, finishing  third at 910. Freshman Pornvipa Sakdee (81-70-74) finished in a tie for eighth at 225, redshirt senior Thanruttra Boonraksasat (79-73-75) was another two shots back in a tie for 12^th at 227, and sophomore Yupaporn Kawinpakorn (77-81-72) was in a tie for 19^th at 230.

   Led by the third-place finish of freshman Simin Feng (74-75-73—222), Vanderbilt captured the team title with rounds of 299, 302 and 295 for an 896 total that was 10 shots clear of Mercer. Following Kansas in fourth was East Tennessee St. (309-299-303—911). Campbell (318-301-303—922) was fifth, host GRU-Augusta (318-299-309—926) was sixth followed by Illinois (928) in seventh and Purdue and Troy (320-307-303) in a tie for eighth at 930.