OWINGS MILLS, Md. — One of the tenants of college golf and one of the reasons the seventh-ranked LSU women’s golf team has been successful came back to haunt the team in the final round of the 2009 NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championship at Caves Valley Golf Club.
The inability to get a fourth counting score cost LSU a possible top 10 finish and put the seventh-ranked Lady Tigers in 12th place at the end of the grueling 72-hole event over a course that few teams were able to tame. LSU equaled its second best round of the event, a 304 and finished at 67-over 1,219.
No. 1 Arizona State came from behind to win the team title by shooting 6-over combined over the final 36 holes to score going away at 30-over par 1,182 to win by eight shots over No. 2 UCLA and nine shots over third round leader and defending champion Southern California.
LSU’s four-day total was 67-over 1,219 (302-304-309-304) and in aggregate numbers was LSU’s fifth lowest NCAA Tournament 72-hole total.
LSU watched the individual winner play with them in the final round. Maria Hernandez of Purdue posted a one-under 71 on Friday to post a score of one-over 289 (74-72-72-71) and then watched those near her fall by the wayside. Maria Jose Uribe of UCLA, tied with Hernandez after 54 holes for second, shot 77 and third-round leader Jennifer Song of Southern Cal, double bogeyed the 18th hole to shoot 74 and fall to second at two-over 290 (72-73-71-74).
“We improved from the last two appearances (23rd in 2006, 15th in 2008) so it shows as a program we are moving in the right direction,” said LSU Coach Karen Bahnsen. “But the difference was in our inability to get a good fourth counting score especially the last three rounds. The girls really tried to fight through it and this will make them all better players in the long run and the next time situations like this come through that where they really have to battle.”
LSU over the final three rounds had to count an 80, 79 and 81 but it looked in the final round that LSU would be able to group together four good scores as Megan McChrystal, Jacqueline Hedwall and Caroline Martens started strong as LSU again played what is considered the tougher back nine first.
McChrystal rallied from a double bogey to finish the first nine at one over, as did Hedwall and Martens used a one-birdie, one-bogey nine that added seven more pars to one of the best par totals in the tournament to turn at even. Martens finished with 50 pars of 72 holes, one shy of tournament best by Jennifer Osborn of Arizona State with 51.
Tessa Teachman, in her first NCAA Tournament, unfortunately took herself out of being a counter for LSU early with a seven-over 43 on the first nine holes and two other double bogeys early in the final nine. That left things on the shoulders of Amalie Valle. Valle, the shortest hitter of all the Lady Tigers, struggled on a layout that is the equivalent in rise of going up 11 stories during the course of the round. A front-nine stretch of three bogeys and a double by Valle put Teachman’s scorer back into the mix as a possible counter and put LSU in peril of falling below some of the early finishers.
But the Norwegian sophomore never gave it up and birdied her final hole of the day to shoot 81.
Meanwhile, LSU for the first three-plus hours of the round was able to fight off Alabama and Purdue, playing alongside LSU in the battle for 10th before gradually easing by LSU who had a large enough cushion to remain safely in 12th place at the end of the day.
LSU did get very nice 74s from McChrystal and Martens and Hedwall found her game on the final day of the longest tournament in women’s college golf to shoot 75.
Martens closed out her career as one of just five Lady Tigers in the 30 years of the program to participate in at least three NCAA Division I Championships and has been the custom for the 25 years she has been head coach and her team has reached NCAAs, she presented a bouquet of flowers to Martens as she exited her final green.
“I am so proud of her,” Bahnsen said. “This championship was very difficult and she showed such leadership all week long and all year long. She showed a lot of heart this week and I was so happy that she was able to play some of her best golf. It has been a pleasure having her here the last four years.”
McChrystal also got home with enough to clinch the mark for the lowest single season stroke average in LSU history as her total of 302 put her for the season with an average of 72.69, ahead of the previous record single season mark of 73.12 by U.S. Amateur Champion Meredith Duncan in 2001-02. After two seasons, McChrystal is also LSU’s present career stroke average leader at a little under 74 strokes a round.
It was Martens though who seemed to have the most pleasure during her final four days as a Lady Tiger posting three consecutive rounds of two-over 74 over the final three days after an opening round of 77. The Oslo, Norway product was even through 11 holes before two bogeys on the par 5 3rd and par three 4th (her 12th and 13th holes) of the day moved her to two over.
Martens said her plans are to now see if she can get a pro career started now that her college days are over.
“I really want to try to make it as a pro,” said Martens. “I feel that if I have made it this far there is no reason not to try to go the whole way, and I think that if I didn’t try I would always regret it. So my plans … I will go and do LPGA Q-school in September in California and depending on how that works out I will do LET Q-school in Spain in January. And if the pro life does not work out I will go back to school and get a PhD in psychology. My motto is that as young as I am I have a long life ahead of me, why not live it to the fullest and do it all!”
Martens topped LSU on the individual board in a tie for 25th at 300 (78-74-74-74, 12-over), while McChrystal tied for 32nd at 302. Hedwall tied for 75th (312), Teachman 86th (314) and Valle 96th (316).
NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championships
Caves Valley Golf Club?Owings Mills Md.
Final Team Standings (Par 288-1152)
1. Arizona State 302-298-291-291 ? 1182 +30; 2. UCLA 296-293-304-297 ? 1190 +38; 3. Southern California 301-295-294-301 ? 1191 +39; 4. Oklahoma State 303-297-309-290 ? 1199 +47; 5. Denver 294-304-309-290 ? 1199; 5. Denver 294-304-309-299 ? 1206 +54; 6. Duke 308-301-302-296 ? 1,207 +55; 7. North Carolina 299-301-306-304 ? 1210 +58; 8. Virginia 305-302-301-304 ? 1212 +60; 9. Pepperdine 312-298-302-301 ? 1213 +61; 10. Purdue 306-301-311-298 ? 1216 +64; 11. Alabama 305-302-311-299 ? 1217 +65; 12. LSU 302-304-309-304 ? 1219 +67; 13. Michigan State 307-303-315-300 ? 1225 +73; 13. Wake Forest 303-300-318-304 ? 1225 +73; 15. Georgia 316-307-301-310 ? 1234 +82; 16. Arizona 310-305-314-306 ? 1235; 17. Tennessee 307-313-306-311 ? 1237 +85; 18. TCU 314-316-301-307 ? 1238 +86; 19. New Mexico 311-314-307-310 ? 1242 +90; 20. Tulane 312-305-317-312 ? 1246 +94; 21. UT Chattanooga, 316-307-305-320 ? 1248 +96; 22. 320-316-312-301 ? 1249 +97; 23. Texas 314-311-313-314 ? 1252 +100; 24. Ohio State 323-311-314-310 ? 1258 +106.
Individual Top 10 (Par 72-288)
1. Maria Hernandez, Purdue, 74-72-72-71 ? 289 +1; 2. Jennifer Song, USC, 72-73-71-74 ? 290 +2; 3. Pernilla Lindberg, Oklahoma State, 74-72-76-69 ? 291 +3; 4. Amanda Blumenherst, Duke, 75-73-74-71 ? 293 +5; 4. Azahara Munoz, Arizona State, 78-71-72-72 ? 293 +5; 6. Nannette Hill, Wake Forest, 72-71-79-72 ? 294 +6; 6. Calle Nielson, Virginia, 75-76-71-72 ? 294 +6; 8. Alice Kim, UC Davis, 74-75-70-76 ? 295 +7; 8. Maria Jose Uribe, UCLA, 75-66-77-77 ? 295 +7; 10. Lisa McCloskey, Pepperdine, 74-69-78-75 ? 296 +8.
LSU Scores
T25. Caroline Martens 78-74-74-74 ? 300 +12
T32. Megan McChrystal 74-77-77-74 ? 302 +14
T75. Jacqueline Hedwall74-80-83-75 ? 312 +24
T86. Tessa Teachman 78-73-79-84 ? 314 +26
T96. Amalie Valle 76-80-79-81 ? 316 +28