BROWNS SUMMITT, N.C. — LSU freshman Caroline Martens fired a 4-under par 68 to help keep the Lady Tigers golf team at even par Friday through 36 holes and in the lead with one day to play in the NCAA East Regional Golf Tournament at the Bryan Park Champions Course.
The Lady Tigers are in solid position to be one of the top eight teams to advance from this event to the NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championship set for Columbus, Ohio, May 23-26. Two other regional events (being played in Bryan, Texas and Auburn, Wash.) will also advance eight teams each to the final event. LSU is trying to make it back to the NCAA for the first time since 2001.
LSU moved into solo possession of the lead in the tournament with back-to-back rounds of even par 288. The Lady Tigers, the ninth-seed in the tournament and ranked 30th in the country, are two shots clear of Tennessee in second at 2-over par 578. First round co-leader with LSU, California, shot 7-over on the second round and stands at 7-over 583.
The tenth-seed, Florida State, made a big move up the board Friday, posting a 1-over par round of 289 and stands fourth at 10-over par 586, two shots ahead of Alabama in fifth. Wake Forest at 13-over is sixth, with top-seed Arizona State firing an under par round to get back into seventh at 15-over with the eighth and final qualifying spot belonging to North Carolina (the only team who played in the morning wave among the top eight) at 16-over par 592.
Four schools, South Carolina, Auburn, Virginia and Vanderbilt, are within four shots of the top eight.
LSU’s even par 288 on Friday wasn’t as artistic as Thursday’s opening round, but this even par total showed how important it is in college golf for all five members of the team to be able to help the team total.. With number one golfer Melissa Eaton, not at the top of her game in the second round, shooting a 4-over 76, Martens stepped up with the low score and sophomore Rebecca Kuhn came home with a second straight round of 1-under 71.
“I’m so proud of all the girls,” said LSU Coach Karen Bahnsen. “They really had to work for this (Friday). They showed a lot of character and that should give them more confidence to go further. It was a total team effort. They fought for everything they got and that’s what really pleases me.”
The 576 36-hole total equals the lowest 36 hole aggregate score in LSU women’s golf history. The Lady Tigers shot rounds of 287-289 in the first two rounds of the SEC Championships at Gainesville in 2001 on a course that was considered much easier than the Bryan Park Champions layout. It marks the third time this year and the eighth time in school history that LSU has posted a women’s team round of 288 or lower.
The Lady Tigers best previous 36-hole regional total was a 591 (299-292) in the 1999 regional at Columbia, S.C., when LSU finished third. LSU’s best regional finish was third in both 1998 and 1999.
Martens was three-for-three on sands saves, and had five birdies and just one bogey on the lowest round the Oslo, Norway, native’s career. “I had so much confidence out there,” said Martens. “It was my lowest tournament round and it was just so much fun.”
Martens with rounds of 73-68 finds herself right in the thick of the individual competition in solo fourth place at three-under 141. She is two shots out of the lead at five under 139 of Alabama’s Jenny Suh who has posted rounds of 69-70 on the par-72 layout.
Kuhn after her back-to-back 71s is at two-under 142 and is in a group tied for fifth. Also counting scores on Friday was two other sophomores Alex Rather (74) and Kim Meck (75).
LSU, Tennessee and California will lead off the final round as, unlike most tournaments, the top 12 teams are scheduled to play first in case any of the regional sites are hit with bad weather and unable to complete the round to determine the final eight that advance. LSU’s final round will begin at 7:10 a.m. CDT and live scoring of the event is available at www.golfstat.com
“We are going to try to stay with the same mindset and focus in on the target,” said Bahnsen of playing with a cushion to the eighth spot. “The drills we have been doing are showing plenty of positive feedback and its obvious the fun they are having together. They are working hard, but having a lot of fun doing it. We look forward to the final round and completing the task at hand.”
NCAA Women’s East Regional
Individual Top 5 (par 72-144)
1. Jenny Suh, Alabama, 69-70, 139 -5; 2. Mandy Goins, Wake Forest, 70-70 — 140 -4; 2. Marci Turner, Tennessee, 70-70 — 140 -4; 4. Caroline Martens, LSU, 73-68 — 141 -3; 5. Rebecca Kuhn, LSU, 71-71 — 142 -2; 5. Lauren Smith, Augusta State, 70-72 — 142 -2.
LSU Scores
4. Caroline Martens 73-68 — 141 -3
T5. Rebecca Kuhn 71-71 — 142 -2
T17. Melissa Eaton 70-76 — 146 +2
T31. Alexis Rather 74-74 — 148 +4
T35. Kim Meck 74-75 — 149 +5
The top 8 teams advance to the NCAA Championships
(Ties will be resolved)
NCAA East Regional
Bryan Park Golf Course
First-Round Results
May 11, 2006
Team
1
2
3
To Par
1. LSU
288
288
E
2. Tennessee
292
286
+2
3. California
288
295
+7
4. Florida State
297
289
+10
5. Alabama
295
293
+12
6. Wake Forest
296
293
+13
7. Arizona State
307
284
+15
8. North Carolina
296
296
+16
9. South Carolina
296
297
+17
10. Auburn
293
301
+18
t11. Vanderbilt
296
300
+20
t12. Virginia
303
293
+20
13. Maryland
305
294
+23
t14. Charleston
309
292
+25
t14. Augusta State
308
293
+25
t16. North Carolina St.
303
301
+28
t16. Yale
308
296
+28
18. Furman
298
308
+30
19. East Carolina
313
295
+32
20. Campbell
308
302
+34
21. Mississippi State
313
304
+41
NCAA Central Regional
Traditions Golf Club
First-Round Results
May 11, 2006
Team
1
2
3
To Par
1. Duke
294
300
+18
2. Southern California
293
304
+21
3. Pepperdine
303
304
+31
4. Nebraska
313
298
+35
5. Florida
301
312
+37
6. Northwestern
308
308
+40
7. Michigan State
306
311
+41
8. Kent State
309
311
+44
9. Texas
311
310
+45
10. Texas A&M
318
306
+48
11. Oklahoma State
314
311
+49
12. Baylor
318
310
+52
13. Tulsa
319
310
+53
14. TCU
319
313
+56
15. Ohio State
309
325
+58
16. Southern Methodist
316
319
+59
17. Birmingham-Southern
327
312
+63
18. Missouri
320
320
+64
19. Jacksonville St.
335
321
+80
20. Jackson State
343
345
+112
21. St. Francis ( Pa.)
355
361
+140
NCAA West Regional
Washington National Golf Club
First-Round Results
May 11, 2006
Team
1
2
3
To Par
1. Purdue
289
294
+7
t2. UCLA
288
303
+15
t2. Washington
288
303
+15
t4. Stanford
303
295
+22
t4. Georgia
296
302
+22
6. Arizona
303
300
+27
7. UNLV
304
301
+29
8. Arkansas
299
307
+30
9. Brigham Young
307
302
+33
10. UC Irvine
301
312
+37
11. San Jose State
305
309
+38
12. Georgia State
308
308
+40
13. Oregon State
306
313
+43
14. New Mexico State
303
320
+47
15. New Mexico
307
318
+49
16. Oral Roberts
317
311
+52
17. Long Beach State
307
325
+56
18. Denver
323
312
+59
19. Washington State
320
318
+62
20. Bradley
326
319
+69
21. Montana
330
319
+73
LSU’s All-Time NCAA Regional Appearances
2006 East
Browns Summitt, N.C.; Bryan Park Golf Club
2005 East
LSU – 10th (917)
Auburn – 1st (896)
Lubbock, Texas; Rawls Course
2004 East
LSU – 12th (930)
Duke – 1st (869)
Howey-In-The-Hills, Fla.; El Campeon Course
2002 East
LSU – 12th (898)
Duke – 1st (859)
Baton Rouge, La.; University Club
2001 Central
LSU – 6th (928)
Tulsa – 1st (904)
West Lafayette, Ind.; Birch Boilermaker
2000 East
LSU – 5th (903)
Duke – 1st (897)
Columbus, Ohio; Scarlet Course
1999 East
LSU – 3rd (893)
Georgia – 1st (884)
Columbia, S.C.; University Club
1998 East
LSU – 3rd (904)
Georgia – 1st (882)
Durham, N.C.; Duke Golf Club
1997 East
LSU – 12th (967)
Ohio St. – 1st (937)
Bloomington, Ill.; Prairie Vista
1996 East
LSU – 7th (925)
Duke – 1st (905)
Opelika, Ala.; Grand National Lakes
1995 East
LSU – 17th (938)
Wake Forest -1st (890)
Bartlett, Tenn.; Quail Ridge
1993 East
LSU – 15th (946)
Georgia – 1st (897)
Baton Rouge, La.; Santa Maria