OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The seventh-ranked LSU women’s golf team rode the back of their senior for the second straight round and still are in position for a top 10 finish as the grueling 72-hole NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championship comes to a close here Friday.
Martens posted a two-over par round of 74 for the second straight day over the 6,400-plus yard Caves Valley Golf Club. Martens first 74 moved her up 20-plus spots on the leader board to 37th and her second 74 puts her in a tie for 28th place at 10-over par 226 (78-74-74). In reality, she is just three shots off the present number of seven over that stands in 15th place, the final spot for individual awards.
The Oslo, Norway senior who will play her final collegiate round Friday had four bogeys, two birdies (on the par five seventh hole and the par-four 16th. She is one of the tournament leaders in pars through 54 holes at 38 behind only two golfers.
The Tigers lost five more shots on its round of the last two days, following rounds of 302 and 304 with a 21-over 309 that leaves the Lady Tigers at 51-over 915 and in the 10th spot. The tournament has basically turned into a three-team race among the favored Pac-10 schools with defending champion Southern California, ranked No. 4 this year, one shot ahead of No. 1 Arizona State with two more shots back to No. 2 UCLA. There is a 13-shot difference between UCLA and No. 10 North Carolina in third and fourth.
Southern California shot 294 on the day and stands at 26-over 890 (301-295-294), with Arizona State shooting the best round of the event Thursday, a three-over 291, to stand at 27-over 891 (302-298-291). UCLA is at 29-over after a 16-over 304, falling 893 (296-293-304).
The rest of the group that will tee off in the final 12 team wave in the afternoon Friday are North Carolina (906), Denver (907), Virginia (908), Oklahoma State (909), Duke (911), Pepperdine (912), LSU (915) with Alabama and Purdue (tied for 11th) at 918. Pepperdine is the one team that moved into the top 12, replacing Wake Forest who fell to 13th, three shots out of 12th.
The Tigers counted a five-over 77 from sophomore All-SEC first teamer Megan McChrystal and 79s from freshman Tessa Teachman and sophomore Amalie Valle. For the second straight day, the Tigers had uncharacteristic mistakes that led to bogeys and double bogeys as the Tigers as a quintet had just seven birdies and 37 bogeys or worse or on 41 percent of the holes.
McChrystal through 54 holes is at 12-over 228 and tie for 34th (74-77-77), while Teachman is in a tie for 47th at 78-73-79 ?230, 14 over par.
“I’m very proud of Caroline,” said LSU Coach Karen Bahnsen. “It just wasn’t our day. But I’m proud of all the girls because they never quit and kept up in the top 10. We are going to go out (Friday) and do our best to beat this golf course and have a very strong final round.”
That’s exactly what the team did a year ago in Albuquerque when it moved up from near the bottom to 15th.
LSU will be trying to finish in the top 10 in the NCAA Division I tournament for the first time since 2000 and will be looking to continue to improve finishes in this current run of three NCAA Tournaments in the last four years after finishing 23rd in 2006 and 15th in 2008.
One highlight of the round came when Courtney Harter of Alabama posted a hole-in-one on the 185-yard par 3, 15th hole.
The Lady Tigers will be looking to stay in the top 10 of the tournament but will also be keeping an eye on its SEC brethren to possibly be the top team from the league in the championship. LSU will play with the Crimson Tide, three shots back, while Georgia will play in the morning entering with a score of 924 for 14th place, nine shots behind LSU. The fourth SEC team Tennessee is 16th at 926.
Tulane dropped from 16th to 21st in the third round with a 317 to finish at 934, 70 over par. Linn Gustafsson had the low round of the day with a four-over 76, but Janine Fellows remains low for the team after rounds of 76-76-77 ? 228 (12-over), good enough for a tie for 34th place.
The individual leader is Jennifer Song of USC who moved from fifth to first with a one-under 71 and stands alone up top at even par 216 (72-73-71) as no player is under par after 54 holes. Second day leader Maria Jose Uribe of UCLA after a 66 fired a 77 Thursday to fall back into a tie for second at two-over 218.
The Lady Tigers, Purdue and Alabama will tee off the 10th tee beginning at 11:10 a.m. CDT. Live stats for the round will be available at LSUsports.net through Golfstatresults.com. Streaming video coverage of the final three holes (16, 17 and 18) will be available as well on Golfstatresults.com and at NCAA.com. The telecast runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to conclusion of the event.
NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championships
Caves Valley Golf Club ? Owings Mills, Md.
Third Round Team Results (Par 288-864)
1. Southern California 301-295-294 ? 890; 2. Arizona State 302-298-291 ? 891 +27; 3 UCLA 296-293-304 ? 893 +29; 4. North Carolina 299-301-306 ? 906 +42; 5. Denver 294-304-309 ? 907 +43; 6. Virginia 305-302-301 ? 908 +44; 7. Oklahoma State 303-297-309 ? 909 +45; 8. Duke 308-301-302 ? 911 +47; 9. Pepperdine 312-298-302 ? 912 +48; 10. LSU 302-304-309 ? 915 +51; 11. Alabama 305-302-311 +54; 11. Purdue 306-301-311 ? 918 +54; 13. Wake Forest 303-300-318 ? 921 +57; 14. Georgia 316-307-301 ? 924; 15. Michigan State 307-303-315 ? 925; 16. Tennessee 307-313-306 ? 926; 17. UT Chattanooga, 316-307-305 ? 928 +64; 18. Arizona 310-305-314 ? 929 +65; 19. TCU 314-316-301 ? 931 +67; 20. New Mexico 311-314-307 ? 932; 21. Tulane 312-305-317 ? 934 +70; 22. Texas 314-311-313 ? 938 +74; 23. Ohio State 323-311-314 ? 948 +84; 23. UC Irvine 320-316-312 ? 948 +84.
Individual Top 10 (Par 72 ? 216)
1. Jennifer Song, Southern California, 72-73-71 ? 216 E; 2. Maria Hernandez, Purdue, 74-72-72 ? 218 +2; 2. Maria Jose Uribe, UCLA, 75-66-77 ? 218 +2; 4. Alice Kim, UC Davis, 74-75-70 ? 219 +3; 5. Stephanie Connelly, UCF, 72-74-75 ? 221 +5; 5. Lisa McCloskey, Pepperdine, 74-69-78 ? 211 +5; 5. Azahara Munoz, Arizona State, 78-71-72 ? 221 +5; 8. Amanda Blumenherst, Duke, 75-73-74 ? 222 +6; 8. Sydney Crane, North Carolina, 75-72-75 ? 222 +6; 8. Nannette Hill, Wake Forest, 72-71-79 ? 222 +6; 8. Pernilla Lindberg, Oklahoma State 74-72-76 ? 222 +6; 8. Calle Nielson, Virginia, 75-76-71 ? 222 +6; 8. Stephanie Sherlock, Denver, 70-73-79 ? 222 +6; 8. Jaclyn Sweeney, Arizona State, 76-77-69 ? 222 +6
LSU Scores
T28. Caroline Martens 78-74-74 ? 226 +10
T34. Megan McChrystal 74-77-77 ? 228 +12
T47. Tessa Teachman 78-73-79 ? 230 +14
T80. Amalie Valle 76-80-79 ? 235 +19
T93. Jacqueline Hedwall74-80-83 ? 237 +21