Senior co-captain Noriko Nakazaki is four shots off the pace heading into the final two rounds of play at the Oak Point Golf Club.

Irish Open Season With 12th-Place Showing At Cougar Classic

Sept. 12, 2006

HANAHAN, S.C. – In the final round of the Cougar Classic, the Notre Dame women’s golf team fired a 17-over par 305 to finish in 12th-place with a 906 (301-300-305) total at the par 72, 6,092-yard Yeamans Hall Golf Club. Florida State carded Tuesday’s best round with a 285 (-3) to take the team title by one stroke, 873-874, over North Carolina and the rest of the 18-team field. Senior Noriko Nakazaki (Hanover Park, Ill./Hoffman Estates) led the Irish with a three-round score of 220 (76-72-72) to place in a tie for 14th.

Taking home medalist honors was North Carolina’s Lauren Hunt, who posted a 54-hole total of 210 (69-71-70) to best Florida State’s Caroline Westrup by two shots. Westrup fired the low round of the tournament during the third and final round with a six-under par 66.

Notre Dame sophomore Lisa Maunu (St. Thomas, Ontario/Collegiate Parkside Institute) carded a four-over par 76 on Tuesday to finish in a tie for 20th with a 222 (71-75-76). Freshman Annie Brophy (Spokane, Wash./Gonzaga Prep) matched Maunu with a 76, which gave her a 229 (74-79-76) for the tournament and placed her in a tie for 45th.

Also making her collegiate debut, along with Brophy, was Kristin Wetzel (Middletown, N.Y./Hilton Head Prep School), who registered a three-round total of 239 (83-75-81) to place in a tie for 73rd. Rounding out the Fighting Irish lineup was senior Stacy Brown (The Woodlands, Texas/The Woodlands) as she notched a 243 (80-78-85) to place 88th overall.

For full results of the tournament, log onto the official College of Charleston athletics web site at www.CofCSports.com.

The Fighting Irish return to action as they host the Lady Irish Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 23 and Sunday, Sept. 24 at The Warren Golf Course. For additional information please log on to und.com.

Cougar Classic (Yeamans Hall Golf Club – Hanahan, S.C., Par 72, 6,092-yards)

Final Team Scores (54-hole totals): 1. Florida State 873 (297-291-285), 2. North Carolina 874 (286-293-295), 3. Tennessee 876 (299-288-289), 4. LSU 878 (295-284-299), 5. Alabama 887 (297-285-305), 6. Furman 889 (292-296-301), 7. South Florida 892 (298-301-293), 8. Maryland 897 (298-299-300), 9. N.C. State 900 (305-294-301), 10. College of Charleston 901 (302-297-302), 11. Campbell 903 (301-304-298), 12. NOTRE DAME 906 (301-300-305), 13. UNC Greensboro 920 (305-312-303), 14. Mississippi State 922 (314-306-302), 15. Miami 927 (306-308-313), 16. Richmond 935 (310-311-314), 17. Georgia State 936 (304-313-319), 18. Kentucky 940 (308-314-318)

Top-6 Golfers (54-hole totals): 1. Lauren Hunt (North Carolina) 210 (69-71-70), 2. Caroline Westrup (Florida State) 212 (74-72-66), 3. Whitney Brummett (Florida State) 213 (70-70-73), 4. Melissa Eaton (LSU) 215 (73-69-73), 5t. Steffi Kirchmayr (College of Charleston) 216 (70-73-73), 5t. Marci Turner (Tennessee) 216 (75-67-74).

Notre Dame Scores (54-hole totals): 14t. Noriko Nakazaki 220 (76-72-72), 20t. Lisa Maunu 222 (71-75-76), 45t. Annie Brophy 229 (74-79-76), 73t. Kristin Wetzel 239 (83-75-81), 88. Stacy Brown 243 (80-78-85).