July 5, 2012
Kohler, Wis. – Three women’s golfers with ties to the Notre Dame women’s golf program – graduate Becca Huffer `12, sophomore Ashley Armstrong (Flossmoor, Ill.) and incoming freshman Lindsey Weaver (Scottsdale, Ariz.) – made their U.S. Women’s Open debuts on Thursday at Blackwolf Run in the field of 156 golfers.
Huffer and Weaver each fired an opening round 79 and are tied for 118th in the field and are 10 strokes behind the trio of Lizette Salas, Brittany Lincicome and Christie Kerr, as that trio shot three-under par 69 in the sweltering Wisconsin heat as temperatures reached 98 with high humidity for the afternoon rounds. Armstrong was one stroke behind the Irish duo as she opened with an eight-over par mark of 80.
All three Notre Dame golfers played in the afternoon groups with Weaver starting first at 12:30 on the 10th hole. She opened with a bogey on the par 5 10th hole but bounced back quickly with a birdie on the par 4 11th. From there, Weaver had four bogeys and one double on her first nine holes to open with a six-over par 42.
She quickly turned things around on the front nine, firing a one-over par 37 for an 18-hole total of 79. Weaver birdied the par 4 first hole and then notched her third birdie of the round on the par 5 second hole. A double bogey on the par four third ended the birdie run and she closed out her day with a bogey on the par 4 ninth hole.
2012 Notre Dame grad Becca Huffer is playing as a professional in the 2012 U.S. Women’s Open. She shot a 79 in Thursday’s opening round.
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Armstrong, who was an alternate after the qualifier in late May and was selected to play in the tournament on July 2, also started on the back nine at 2:31 p.m. She also had a six-over par 42 on her opening nine holes like Weaver, including a bogey on the 10th hole followed by a bogey on the 11th. She would add three more bogeys and a triple bogey on the par 5 16th hole to close out the back nine with a six-over par 42.
The 2012 BIG EAST rookie of the year responded to that with a 38 on her second nine holes to finish with an eight-over par 80 as she had seven pars and a pair of bogeys on holes five and seven to close out the round.
Huffer, a native of Denver, Colo., started her first U.S. Women’s Open at 2:42 p.m. on the first hole and got off to a slow start with a five-over par 41 on the front nine with a pair of bogeys, two double bogeys and a birdie. Playing as a professional, Huffer parred each of her first two holes before bogeying the par four third hole. She quickly got that stroke back with a birdie on the par four fifth hole and was even par after her opening five holes.
She closed the front nine with a bogey on six and back-to-back double bogeys on the par 3 eighth and the par four ninth for her 41. On the back nine, Huffer fired four bogeys to go with a pair of birdies to shoot two-over par 38 on the way to her 79.
Among the 28 amateurs in the field, Weaver is 17th and Armstrong is tied for 18th overall.
All three Irish golfers will get a break from the heat in Friday’s second round as they tee off early. Weaver will get started at 7:00 a.m. on the first hole with Armstrong following at 9:01 a.m. from the first tee. Huffer will start at 9:12 a.m. on the 10th hole.
The Notre Dame women’s golf program now has four players that have played in the U.S. Women’s Open as Armstrong, Huffer and Weaver join Nicole Zhang who played in the 2010 Open.