Arkansas came into the Lady Puerto Rico Classic ranked No. 8
by GolfWeek, but the powerhouse
Razorback program was missing its big gun when Gabriel Lopez of Mexico
qualified for the LPGA Tour in December and moved on to the next level.
So how do you replace the runnerup in the NCAA Tournament’s
individual chase last spring? Easy, just tap your Mexican Connection for the
next big thing from south of the border. Hello, Maria Fassi, who graduated from
high school in December and headed for Fayetteville.
Monday, Fassi fired a 5-under 67 over the Greg
Norman-designed River Course at Rio Mar Country Club in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico
to get a share of the top spot in the individual standings with first-round
co-leader Gabby Barker of Texas Tech at 5-under 139 after two rounds of the
Lady Puerto Rico Classic. You think some girls in Mexico growing up when Lorena
Ochoa was ruling the LPGA Tour might have been inspired to try to follow in her
footsteps? Me too.
More importantly, Fassi, who matched par with a 72 in
Sunday’s opening round, sparked a surge to the top of the team standings for
the Razorbacks, who broke the tournament’s team single-round record with a
7-under 281. Combined with an opening-round 289, it gave Arkansas a 6-under 570
total. Arkansas had the old record of 5-under 283.
Alana Uriell, a sophomore from Carlsbad, Calif., backed up
Fassi’s 67 with a 2-under 70 for the Razorbacks that, combined with an
opening-round 71, left her alone in fourth place at 3-under 141.
Left in the dust by the Arkansas surge were first-round
co-leaders, No. 4 Georgia and No. 26 Texas Tech.
Georgia’s Bailey Tardy, a freshman from Peachtree Corners,
Ga. added an even-par 72 to her opening-round 68 to stand alone in third place
at 4-under 140. She led the Bulldogs to a 294 total Monday as they went from
six shots ahead of Arkansas to seven shots behind in second place.
Barker, a sophomore from Caldwell, Idaho, fell back from her
opening-round 66 with a 1-over 73, but still has a share of the individual lead
with Fassi at 5-under 139. She helped the Red Raiders post a team total of 300
as they slipped to third place at 583, six shots back of Georgia and 13 behind
front-running Arkansas.
Iowa St., led by a 2-under 70 by Parinda Phokan, a freshman
from Thailand, is another two shots behind Texas Tech in fourth place at 585
with rounds of 294 and 291. Northwestern, led by a 1-under 71 by Kacie Komoto,
a junior from Honolulu, Hawaii, is another three shots back in fifth place at
588 with rounds of 290 and 298. Iowa St. is ranked No. 17 and Big Ten power
Northwestern is No. 5 in GolfWeek.
Rounding out the top five in the individual standings is
Kent State’s Wad Phaewchimplee, a junior from Thailand who is at 1-under 143
after rounds of 71 and 72.
Phokan and Komoto were joined in a tie for sixth at even-par
144 by Georgia’s Harang Lee (69-75), a junior from Spain, and Manuela Carbajo
Re (70-74), a senior from Argentina, and TCU’s Kelly McGovern (75-69), a junior
from The Woodlands, Texas.
Host Purdue, ranked No. 20 by GolfWeek, couldn’t gain any ground with a second-round 304, that,
combined with an opening-round 302, left the Boilermakers in a tie for 11th
at 606. August Kim, a junior from St. Augustine, Fla., carded a second straight
2-over 74 to lead the way for Purdue. Kim is in a tie for 19th at
4-over 148.
Purdue’s two Swedes, senior Anna Appert Lund (78-74) and
sophomore Linn Andersson (74-78), are at 8-over 152.
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