Dumez, Garcia help Texas Tech surge to top of leaderboard in Lady Puerto Rico Classic

   Texas Tech was good enough to finish fifth in the Big 12 Championship and receive a bid to the NCAA Norman Regional last spring.

   But after a good start at the Jimmie Austin Oklahoma University Golf Club, the Red Raiders were unable to take the next step and their season came to an end short of the ultimate goal, a trip to the NCAA Championship.

   In the second round of the Lady Puerto Rico Classic Monday at the Rio Mar Country Club’s River Course in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, Texas Tech, No. 32 in the latest Golfstat rankings, displayed the kind of form that might carry it that step forward this spring.

   The Red Raiders, behind a pair of 3-under-par 69s over the 6,164-yard, par-72 River Course layout by Gala Dumez, a freshman from France, and Sofia Garcia, a junior from Paraguay and No. 16 in the Women's World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), posted the low round of the tournament, a 5-under 283, to move past six teams, including Big 12 rival Oklahoma State, and take the lead heading into Tuesday’s final round.

   It was a 13-shot improvement from Sunday’s opening round of 8-over 296 and left the Red Raiders atop the leaderboard with a 3-over 579 total. The 14^th-ranked Cowgirls, who had grabbed the lead following an opening round of 3-under 285, struggled to an 8-over 296 in Monday’s second round, but are still in second place, just two shots behind Texas Tech at 5-over 581.

   No. 22 Virginia Tech, out of the Atlantic Coast Conference, added a 7-over 295 to its opening-round 288 to land in third place at 7-over 583, two shots behind Oklahoma State.

   Lurking in a tie for fourth place, a shot behind Virginia Tech at 8-over 584, were Big Ten powers Purdue, the tournament host, and Northwestern. The Boilermakers added a 296 to their opening-round 288 while the Wildcats posted a second straight 4-over 292.

   Purdue did earn a trip to the NCAA Championship at The Blessings Golf Club in Fayetteville, Ark. out of the same Norman Regional Texas Tech was at and Northwestern advanced to The Blessings out of the Cle Elum Regional. They are more than just top Big Ten programs, they are national programs and they keep proving it year in and year out.

   A couple of Southeastern Conference representatives, No. 21 Kentucky and No. 40 Georgia, account for the next two spots on the leaderboard. Kentucky added a 7-over 295 to its opening-round 291 and was alone in sixth place with a 10-over 586 total and the Bulldogs also posted a 295 Monday after opening with a 292 and were alone in seventh place in the 15-team field at 11-over 587.

   Dumez and Garcia had both opened with a 1-over 73 in Sunday’s first round and their matching 69s Monday left them among a group of five players tied for fifth place at 2-under 142.

   Backing them up was Anna Dong, a sophomore from China who posted a solid 2-under 70, seven shots better than her opening-round 77, and was among the group tied for 21^st place at 3-over 147.

   Rounding out the Texas Tech lineup were Amy Taylor, a junior from England, and Cecilie Nielsen, a sophomore from Denmark, both of whom carded a 3-over 75 Monday. Taylor had opened with a 1-over 73 and landed in the group tied for 24^th place at 4-over 148 while Nielsen had posted an opening-round 77 and was in the group tied for 49^th place at 8-over 152.

   Virginia Tech’s Alyssa Montgomery, a freshman from Knoxville, Tenn., matched the low round of the day Monday with a 4-under 68 to gain a share of the individual lead with Northwestern’s Irene Kim, a freshman from La Palma, Calif., at 4-under 140.

   Montgomery had matched par in the opening round with a 72. Kim added a 1-under 71 to her opening-round 69 to get her piece of the lead.

   Kim’s teammate, Kelly Sim, a sophomore from Edgewater, N.J., and North Carolina State’s Monika Hartl, a junior from Germany, were a shot behind the co-leaders in a tie for third place at 3-under 141. Sim added a 3-under 69 to her opening-round 72 while Hartl matched Montgomery’s 4-under 68 after opening with a 1-over 73.

   Joining the Texas Tech duo of Dumez and Garcia in the group tied for fifth place at 2-under 142 were Oklahoma State’s Lianna Bailey, a sophomore from England, Indiana’s Anni Eisenhut, a freshman from Germany, and Purdue’s Sifat Sagoo, a freshman from India.

   Bailey carded a second straight 1-under 71 and ran her streak of sub-par rounds to start the spring campaign to five in a row. Eisenhut, who had matched par in the opening round with a 72, posted a 2-under 70. Sagoo had led the field with her opening round of 4-under 68, but backed off with a 2-over 74.

   East Carolina’s Siranon Shoomee, a freshman from Sanford, N.C., added a solid 2-under 70 to her opening round of 1-over 73 and was alone in 10^th place at 1-under 143.

   Georgia’s Caterina Don, a freshman from Italy and No. 7 in the Women's WAGR, carded a 1-under 71 after opening with a 73 and was alone in 11^th place at even-par 144.