After top-three finishes in three straight tournaments, the Minnesota womenâÄôs golf team stumbled in the final round of the Pinehurst Challenge in Pinehurst, N.C. and finished 11th out of 18 teams Tuesday . The team shot a 56-over par 920, breaking its program-record streak of three straight tournaments shooting under 900 . The Gophers came into the final round in sixth place and just four shots out of second place , but saved their worst for last and shot a 321 Tuesday. âÄúWe didnâÄôt play very well [Tuesday],âÄù Minnesota associate head coach Kristine Wessinger said. âÄúBut weâÄôve had a great spring so far, and one bad round isnâÄôt going to get us down.âÄù Florida State ran away with the event, shooting a 1-under 863, which was 33 strokes better than second place, Maryland. The Seminoles also had five players finish in the top twelve. Junior Teresa Puga led the way for the Gophers once again, shooting an 11-over 227 which landed her in a tie for 23rd . âÄúIn these next few events, I see her being able to break through and shoot under par more consistently,âÄù Wessinger said. âÄúSheâÄôs very close.âÄù Freshman Jackie Shepherd and junior Mary Narzisi ended the event in a tie for 44th by shooting a 17-over 233 . Coming off the best performance of her career at the Northern Migration Invitational , junior Samantha Sommers shot an 18-over par 234 to finish tied for 51st. Junior Michele Edlin rounded out the group by shooting a 21-over par 237, good for a tie in 58th. Playing as an individual, freshman Tori Stock shot an 8-over par in each round to end all alone in 64th. She was coming off her best tournament for Minnesota at last weekâÄôs Northern Migration, shooting a 236 (combined 20 over) as an individual. âÄúI was happy for Tori,âÄù Wessinger said. âÄúAll of her hard work over the winter is starting to pay off.âÄù Florida StateâÄôs Lacy Agnew earned medalist honors by shooting a 4-under 212. The Gophers will take a little time off before their spring season resumes with a trip April 10-11 to Bloomington, Ind. for the Indiana Invitational. âÄúThese next couple of events will be good,âÄù Wessinger said. âÄú[To] get home and have a couple weeks of practice âĦ will be a good opportunity for all of them to work hard.âÄù
Rough final round leaves Minnesota in 11th place
The team broke a streak of top-three finishes with the performance at Pinehurst.
by John Hageman
Published March 23, 2010
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