Nov. 12, 2001
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The Notre Dame women’s golf team completed the first two rounds of the Texas A&M at Corpus Christi Islander Fall Classic in fourth place after rounds of 322 and 324 for a 646 total. That put the Irish 34 strokes off the pace set by second round leader, Baylor, as the Bears were 44-over-par with a 612 total after rounds of 300 and 312. The final fall tournament for the Irish is being played on the 5,930-yard, par 71 Kings Crossing Golf and Country Club.
Baylor goes into Tuesday’s final 18 holes with a 16-stroke lead over North Texas State (309-319-628) and a 29-stroke lead over the tournament host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The Islanders turned in a 36-hole total of 312-329-641 which gives them a five-stroke lead over the Irish.
Notre Dame is fourth with the 646 total and has a 13-stroke lead over McLennan Junior College to round out the top five in the 13-team field. McLennan JC had rounds of 324-335-659.
Individually, Baylor’s Nicole Johnson is the 36-hole leader and will go into the final round of play with a five-stroke lead. Johnson shot a five-over par total of 147 after rounds of 71 and 76. She leads Randi Gauthier (76-76-152) of North Texas State and Tara Bateman (75-77) of Baylor as they shot 10-over par totals of 153. Melanie Hagewood (Baylor), Jennifer Rogers (North Texas) and Michaelyn Morgan (Baylor) round out the top five.
For the Irish, junior Terri Taibl (Elm Grove, Wis.) and freshman Karen Lotta (Los Angeles, Calif.) will go into Tuesday’s final round 12 strokes behind Johnson the tournament leader. Taibl opened with an 83 but bounced back with a 76 for her 159-total. Lotta opened with a 79 and followed that with an 80 on the way to her 159.
Also in the top 15 for Notre Dame is sophomore Shannon Byrne (Arlington Heights, Ill.) who turned in a 20-over par total of 162 on rounds of 77 and 85. Senior Lauren Fuchs (Lexington, Ken.) is tied for 31st with rounds of 83-84-167 and Rebecca Rogers (So., Alpharetta, Ga.) tied for 35th with a 168 after back-to-back rounds of 84.
The final round of play will begin at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday and will be the final round for the Notre Dame women’s golf team this fall.
FINAL TEAM RESULTS (36-hole totals): 1. Baylor 300-312-612, 2. North Texas State 309-319-628, 3. Texas A&M Corpus Christi 312-329-641, 4. Notre Dame 322-324-646, 5. McLennan JC 324-335-659, 6. Eastern Michigan 328-332-660, 7. Wichita State 334-327-661, 8. Southwest Texas St. 340-332-672, 9. Loyola 346-339-685, 10. Centenary 343-361-704, 11. Nicholls State 375-353-728, 12. Texas-Pan American 351-383-734, 13. Chicago State 358-384-742.
TOP 10 INDIVIDUALS (of 71): 1. Nicole Johnson (Baylor) 71-76-147, 2. Randi Gauthier (North Texas) 76-76-152, Tara Bateman (Baylor) 75-77-152, 4. Melanie Hagewood (Baylor) 81-73-154, 5. Jennifer Rogers (North Texas) 74-82-156, Michaelyn Morgan (Baylor) 76-80-156, 7. Carrie Braun (Texas A&M-Corpus Christi) 78-79-157, 8. Kelli McKandless (Baylor) 79-79-158, M. Newman-Gillespie (Texas A&M-Corpus Christi) 77-81-158, Laura Walker (McLennan JC) 81-77-158.
NOTRE DAME INDIVIDUALS (of 71): t11. Terri Taibl 83-76-159, Karen Lotta 79-80-159, t15. Shannon Byrne 77-85-162, t31. Lauren Fuchs 83-84-167, t35. Rebecca Rogers 84-84-168.