The Golfstat rankings
were updated sometime following Day 1 of The Landfall Tradition and Duke fell
to No. 4 from No. 1 while Alabama remained at No. 2.
But at the Country Club of Landfall’s Dye Course Saturday it
remained Duke No. 1 and Alabama No. 2 as two of the premier programs in women’s
college golf continued their head-to-head battle with little to choose between
them.
The reigning Atlantic Coast Conference champion Blue Devils
carded a 3-under 285 over the 6,166-yard, par-72 Dye Course layout, which,
combined with their opening-round 277, left them atop the team standings at
14-under 562.
But Alabama matched that 3-under 285, which, combined with
the Crimson Tide’s opening-round 278, left them just a shot behind Duke at
13-under 563.
It’s another 11 shots back to Big Ten champion Michigan
State, ranked 16th, in third at 2-under 574 after a 4-over 292. The
Spartans are the only other team under par and they’re playing some great golf,
but it seems Duke and Alabama are in a league of their own at the moment.
No. 9 South Carolina is three shots behind Michigan State in
fourth at 1-over 577 after a 4-over 292 and No. 6 Oklahoma State had the round
of the day, a 12-under 276, to move into fifth place at 4-over 580.
It’s been a tough weekend for Penn State and Notre Dame. The
No. 38 Nittany Lions carded a 306 and are in 16th place at 604 while
the No. 19 Fighting Irish fell back to 17th in the high-caliber 18-team
field with a 315 that left them at 616.
Not sure if the tropical moisture streaming up the East
Coast is going to hit Wilmington, N.C., but it could be an interesting final
round between a couple of special teams that are both playing at a very high
level at the moment.
Duke was led by Ana Belac, a sophomore from Slovenia who
retained a share of the individual lead with Virginia’s Beth Lillie, a freshman
from Fullerton, Calif., at 9-under 135. Belac had taken the lead in the first
round with a sparkling 6-under 66 and added a 3-under 69 in Saturday’s second
round. Billie added a 5-under 67 to her opening-round 68.
Backing up Belac is Jaravee Boonchant, a freshman from
Thailand who is in a group of three players tied for fifth at 4-under 140.
Boonchant signed for a 1-under 71 after opening with a 3-under 69.
Also sneaking into the top 10 in the individual standings
for the Dookies was the No. 1 player in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking,
Leona Maguire, a senior from Ireland. Maguire added a 2-under 70 to her
opening-round 72 and is tied for ninth at 2-under 142.
Miranda Wang, a redshirt freshman from China, fell back a
little with a 3-over 75 after she had opened with a 2-under 70, but she is
still tied for 18th at 1-over 145. Junior Virginia Elena Carta, the
Italian woman who captured the 2016 NCAA individual title as a freshman and was
the runnerup in the 2016 U.S. Women’s Amateur at Rolling Green Golf Club, still
hasn’t fired her best shot at the Dye
course as she added a 77 to her opening-round 76 and is tied for 47th at 6-over 150.
Alabama was again led by its formidable 1-2 punch of
junior Lauren Stephenson, the No. 7 player in the Women’s World Amateur Golf
Ranking from Lexington, S.C., and sophomore Kristen Gillman, the No. 11 player
in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking from Austin, Texas.
Stephenson added a 1-under 71 to her opening-round 67 and is
tied for third at 6-under 138 with Furman’s Natalie Srinvasan, a sophomore from
Spartanburg, S.C. who fired a 4-under 68 Saturday after opening with a 70.
Gillman, who won the 2014 U.S. Women’s Amateur as a
16-year-old, joined Duke’s Boonchant in the trio tied for fifth at 5-under 140
as Gillman posted a 1-under 71 after opening up with a 69 Friday.
The third member of that trio tied for fifth was South Carolina’s
Ainhoa Olarra, a senior from Spain who
carded her second straight 2-under 70.
Michigan State’s Sarah Burnham, a senior from Maple Glen,
Minn., is alone in eighth place at 3-under 141 after adding a 1-over 73 to her
opening-round 68.
Penn State, coming off its second team win of the fall at
the Lady Blue Hen Invitational, was led by junior Jackie Rogowicz, the former
Pennsbury standout who is tied for 28th at 3-over 147 after adding a 75 to her
opening-round 72.
Junior Lauren Waller, the 2014 PIAA Class AAA runnerup as a
senior at Canon-McMillan, is tied for 55th at 151 after a 3-over 75.
Sophomore Madelein Herr, a former Council Rock North standout, is tied for 65th
at 152 after carding a second straight
76.
Junior Cara Basso, a Villa Maria Academy product who claimed
the Women’s Golf Association of Philadelphia Match-Play Championship last
summer, struggled with an 80 in the second round and was tied for 73rd
at 154. Sophomore Megan McLean, who starred at Voorhees High in South Jersey,
is alone in 96th place at 168 after carding an 86.
Joining Herr in the group tied for 65th at 152
was her former scholastic rival, Notre Dame junior Isabella DiLisio, the 2013 PIAA
Class AAA champion as a junior at Mount St. Joseph. DiLisio had a 78 Saturday
after opening with a 2-over 74.
The Fighting Irish were led by Maddie Rose Hamilton, a
junior from Louisville, Ky. who posted a 1-over 73 and is tied for 39th
at 5-over 149.
Mia Ayer, a sophomore from Waco, Texas, struggled with an 84
and is tied for 86th at 158. Emma Albrecht, a junior from Ormond
Beach, Fla. who is coming off an outstanding sophomore season, is tied for 89th
at 159 after an uncharacteristic 82. Abby Heck, a freshman from Memphis, Tenn.,
is tied for 93rd at 162 after improving from her opening-round 82
with a 77.
Notre Dame’s senior captain Alison Snakard, a Collegeville
resident and teammate of DiLisio’s on Mount St. Joe’s 2013 PIAA Class AAA
championship team, is competing as an individual in the Landfall. She is tied
for 86th at 158 after adding a 78 to her opening-round 80.
No comments:
Post a Comment