BATON ROUGE — After posting a tournament best 2-over par 290 in the second round Saturday, the 13th-ranked LSU women’s golf team has an opportunity to accomplish something it has not done since 2001 — win the LSU/Cleveland Golf Classic at the University Club.
A victory would give LSU the tournament’s team title for the seventh time in school history.
The Lady Tigers enter the final round with a 13-stroke lead over the 12th-ranked Tulane Green Wave after recording a 10-over 586 in two rounds. LSU head coach Karen Bahnsen said it is important for her players to capture the tournament title on their home course.
“It would mean a lot because it’s at home, obviously, and they have a lot of family and friends here watching,” Bahnsen said. “That would mean a lot to them and would be very special to them.”
Freshman Rebecca Kuhn led the Lady Tigers with a 2-under 70 in the second round and is in second place at 2-under 142 heading into the final round Sunday. Senior Brooke Shelton and freshman Kimberly Meck are also in the top 10, sitting in eighth place and a tie for ninth, respectively.
“We played more steady in the second round,” Bahnsen said. “Every time they made a mistake, they rebounded and just stayed focused on playing the golf course. That’s what we’re working really hard on as a team, and they did a very good job of that.”
Many participants in the 16-team field took advantage of favorable scoring conditions to shoot some low numbers. In fact, 12 players fired rounds of par or better on the day.
Vanderbilt’s Chris Brady is the leading individual after shooting a 4-under 68 in the second round and is two strokes ahead of Kuhn with a 4-under 140 for the championship. Brady’s two-round total of 140 is the lowest women’s score at the University Club since LSU’s Meredith Duncan and Duke’s Leigh Anne Hardin posted the same score in the 2002 NCAA East Regional.
“I was hitting my approach shots close and giving myself a lot of birdie opportunities,” Brady said. “I’m not going to change my game plan. I really like the way I’ve played the golf course, and I hope to keep giving myself opportunities and keep playing aggressive.”
Vanderbilt head coach Martha Freitag believes Brady has the ability and focus to carry Saturday’s success into the final round.
“She’s in a good frame of mind,” Freitag said. “Chris is at her best when she is really totally engrossed with the shot at hand. If she just sticks with that and stays in the present moment over the shot she’s hitting it will be hard for anyone to catch her.”
Amanda Mathis of Mississippi State fired the round of the day and tied the women’s course record at the University Club with a 5-under 67. It is the first time that feat has been accomplished since Hardin shot a 67 during the NCAA East Regional in 2002 and the third time overall.
Mathis finished the day in sole possession of third place with a two-round total of 1-under 143. First-round leader Alison Walshe of Tulane fell into a tie for fourth place after recording a 3-over 75.
Final-round action begins Sunday with a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m. Live scoring will be provided by Golfstat.com and also is available on www.LSUsports.net.
LSU/CLEVELAND GOLF CLASSIC — SECOND ROUND
TEAM SCORES (Par 576)
1. LSU 296-290 — 586 +10; 2. Tulane 302-297 — 599 +23; N.C. State 303-301 — 604 +28; 4. College of Charleston 309-297 — 606 +30; t5. Mississippi State 312-295 — 607 +31; t5. Vanderbilt 305-302 — 607 +31; 7. Birmingham Southern 305-304 — 609 +33; t8. Kentucky 311-303 — 614 +38; t8. Ole Miss 307-307 — 614 +38; t8. UNC-Wilmington 311-303 — 614 +38; 11. North Carolina 313-302 — 615 +39; 12. Louisville 308-310 — 618 +42; 13. James Madison 313-306 — 619 +43; 14. Alabama 318-305 — 623 +47; t15. Augusta State 321-311 — 632 +56; t15. Kansas 325-307 — 632 +56
TOP 10 INDIVIDUALS (Par 144)
1. Chris Brady, Vanderbilt, 72-68 — 140 -4; 2. Rebecca Kuhn, LSU, 72-70 — 142 -2; 3. Amanda Mathis, Mississippi State, 76-67 — 143 -1; t4. Meghan Little, Louisville, 72-72 — 144 E; t4. Katie Miller, North Carolina, 73-71 — 144 E; t4. Alison Walshe, Tulane, 69-75 — 144 E; 7. Gretchen Zoeller, College of Charleston, 74-71 — 145 +1; 8. Brooke Shelton, LSU, 73-73 — 146 +2; t9. Lorraine Ballerano, N.C. State, 75-72 — 147 +3; t9. Ali Kicklighter, Kentucky, 76-71 — 147 +3; t9. Emily Klein, Birmingham Southern, 71-76 — 147 +3; t9. Kimberly Meck, LSU, 73-74 — 147 +3; t9. Adrienne White, Louisville, 73-74 — 147 +3;
LSU SCORES
2. Rebecca Kuhn 72-70 — 142 -2
t8. Brooke Shelton 73-73 — 146 +2
t9. Kimberly Meck 73-74 — 147 +3
t23. Melissa Eaton 78-73 — 151 +7
t23. Nicola Eaton 74-77 — 151 +7*
t26. Vicky Meyer 78-74 — 152 +8
t77. Rebecca Struthers 82-82 — 164 +20*
* — denotes player that is competing as an individual