COLUMBUS, Ohio — While the Duke women’s golf team put themselves in an almost unbeatable position to defend their NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championship, the LSU women’s golf team Thursday on their final nine holes of the third round at the Ohio State Scarlet Course reached what Coach Karen Bahnsen could only call their “witching hour.”
Duke posted a one-under par 287 round to take a 13-stroke lead after 54-holes with a 12-over 876. Southern California is second at 25-over 889 and Pepperdine is third at 30-over 894. Duke took control of the tournament Thursday by playing the par fives in eight-under par.
LSU after a strong first nine holes (playing the back nine) and hovering from sixth to ninth place, finally was unable to come up with an answer over holes 1-9 and finished with a 31-over par 319 and stands in a tie for 22nd place at 924.
“There were a lot of unrelated things that all happened at the same time like it was our witching hour,” said Bahnsen. “It was very frustrating, but we need to come back out (Friday) and finish this off the way we know we can play. It’s over, it’s a learning experience and we’ll be better off from this.”
The Lady Tigers went through the back nine first at just five over par, certainly staying with their SEC rivals Auburn and Florida whom they were paired with, and moving past a few of the other afternoon teams.
Then things happened. First of all, the weather turned decidedly windier and the direction switched to put the first-through-third holes on LSU’s final nine holes in a different direction than they had been played most of the week. The four players played those three holes in six over.
After Alexis Rather played her 14th hole of the day, Coach Karen Bahnsen called over Ohio State trainers on site and with drew the sophomore from the competition. Rather had suffered through the second round on Wednesday with the stomach flu and by the 14th hole Thursday had become dehydrated. She was taken to the campus medical facility, given an IV and released to rejoin the team, watching as they finished on the final green. She is expected to play the final round on Friday.
While most of the team didn’t know that Rather had been removed from the course after the par-5 fourth, it was like the hole was jinxed for the Lady Tigers as the team score for the hole was seven over par, putting the round on ice for LSU.
“You could not have seen it coming,” said Bahnsen. “Alexis’ illness had nothing to do with how we played the hole, it just all happened in the same place almost at the same time.”
LSU counted a four-over 76 from Melissa Eaton, a 78 from Kim Meck, an 81 from Rebecca Kuhn and an 84 from Caroline Larson. Meck is LSU’s individual leader in a tie for 50th at 12-over 228 (75-75-78). Kuhn now has 11 birdies in three rounds, second most in the event only behind Elizabeth Janangelo of Duke with 12.
The individual leader after 54 holes remains Eileen Vargas of Pepperdine at two-under 214 (68-71-75). She is three shots clear of four golfers, including Sandra Gal of Florida, at one-over 217.
The Tigers will tee off at 7 a.m. CDT in the final round of the only 72-hole tournament in women’s collegiate golf.
NCAA DIVISION I WOMEN’S GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS 54-hole Team results (par 288-864)
1. Duke 297-292-287 — 876 +12; 2. Southern California 291-300-298 — 889 +25; 3. Pepperdine 301-295-298 — 894 +30; 4 Purdue 301-295-300 -896 +32; 4. Arizona State 292-294-310 — 896 +32; 6. California 305-301-295 — 901 +37; 7. Georgia 306-305-291 — 902 +38; 7. Washington 305-304-293 — 902 +38; 7. Florida 293-307-302 — 902 +38; 10. Stanford 307-301-295 — 903 +39; 11. Auburn 301-298-305 — 904 +40; 12. Tennessee 303-290-315 — 908 +44; 13. Wake Forest 297-312-301 — 910 +46; 13. Arkansas 299-313-298 — 910 +46; 13. UCLA 301-306-303 — 910 +46; 16. Florida State 305-305-301 — 911 +47; 17. Arizona 296-319-297 — 912 +48; 18. Oklahoma State 311-299-308 — 918 +54; 18. UNLC 313-301-304 — 918 +54; 20. Nebraska 311-305-306 — 922 +58; 21. Kent State 312-307-304 — 923 +59; 22. LSU 298-307-319 — 924 +60; 22. Texas A&M 302-306-316 — 924 +60; 24. Alabama 307-317-310 — +934 70.
Top 10 Individual Results (par 72-216)
1. Eileen Vargas, Pepperdine, 68-71-75 — 214 -2; 2. Sanra Gal, Florida, 74-72-71 — 217 +1; 2. Jennie Lee, Duke, 73-72-72 — 217 +1; 2. Dewi Schreefel, Southern California, 73-74-70 — 217 +1; 2. Jennifer Tangtiphaiboontana, Stanford, 74-71-72 — 217 +1; 6. Da Sol Chung, UNLV, 76-72-70 — 218 +2; 7. Maria Hernandez, Purdue, 76-72-71 — 219 +3; 7. Elizabeth Janangelo, Duke, 77-71-71 — 219 +3; 9. Amanda Blumenheirst, Duke, 76-74-70 — 220 +4; 9. Tiffany Chudy, Florida, 69-75-76 — 220; 9. Amie Cochran, UCLA, 78-71-71 — 220 +4.
LSU Scores
T50. Kim Meck 75-75-78 — 228 +12
T59. Melissa Eaton 75-78-76 — 229 +13
T64. Rebecca Kuhn 73-76-81 — 230 +14
T102. Caroline Martens 75-78-84 — 237 +21
WD. Alexis Rather 78-81-WD