Sept. 12, 2009
EAST LANSING, Mich. – The Irish women’s golf team posted a 615 (39-over par) on the opening day at the Mary Fossum Invitational, which featured both the first and second rounds taking place. The Irish started competition by carding a 311 (23-over par) in the opening round and followed that up with a 304 (16-over par) in the closing 18 holes of day one. Sophomore Becca Huffer (Denver, Colo./Littleton) sits in a tie for 25th place after registering a 151 (7-over par).
The Irish, along with the University of Minnesota, are tied for eighth place at the Invitational. Both teams currently sit 36 strokes behind the first place Purdue Boilermakers, who carded a 579 (three-over par) on the opening 36 holes. Michigan State’s Laura Kueny is atop the individual leader board after posting a three-under par (141) on Saturday.
On the day, Huffer was able to card a total of 25 pars over the course of the two rounds, including 15 in Round 2. She closed her opening round strong as well, birdying holes 13 and 18.
Joining Huffer at the top of the Irish leader board is senior Annie Brophy (Spokane, Wash./Gonzaga Prep). Brophy was able to card an eight-over par (152) which puts her only a shot off of the pace of Huffer. Brophy showed consistency in day one, as she registered 28 pars overall along with four bogeys in both the first and second rounds of competition.
Junior Katie Conway (Wading River, N.Y.) and senior Kristin Wetzel (Middletown, N.Y.) rounded out the Irish’s scoring rounds in the opening 18 holes. Conway was able to record a seven-over par (79) with Wetzel posting an eight-over par (80) to round out the Irish’s opening round 311 (23-over).
In the afternoon round, junior So-Hyun Park (Seoul, South Korea/Bradenton Prep) was able to join Huffer (75), Brophy (76) and Conway (78) in posting a score for the Irish by turning in a three-over par (75) on her closing 18 holes. She was able to record 13 pars on the round with a lone birdie coming on the par-4 fourth hole.
The Irish will conclude play in the Mary Fossum Invitational on Sunday, as the team takes to the course for the final 18 holes of play. Live hole-by-hole scoring of the Invitational will continue to be provided through Golfstat. To access the site go to http://www.golfstatresults.com. Check back with und.com for a final round recap.
Mary Fossum Invitational – East Lansing, Par 72 – 6,348 Yards
Top-Five Team Scores (36-hole totals): 1. Purdue 579; 2. Michigan State 582; 3. Indiana University 587; 4. Northwestern 591; 5. James Madison 602.
Top-Five Golfers (36-hole scores): 1. Laura Kueny (Michigan State/141); t2. Ashley Bauer (Michigan/142); t2. Kellye Belcher (Indiana/142); t4. Laura Gonzalez Escallon (Purdue/143); t4. Vaishavi Sinha (Purdue/143).
Notre Dame Scores (36-hole totals): t25. Becca Huffer (76-75-151); t29. Annie Brophy (76-76-152); t42. Katie Conway (79-78-157); t58. So-Hyun Park (84-75-159); t64. Kristin Wetzel (80-80-160).
–ND–