HOWEY-IN-THE-HILLS, Fla. — LSU senior golfer Katy Harris posted another sensational round to move up to third in the individual competition of the NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championship being conducted at the El Campeon course of the Mission Inn Golf Resort.
Wednesday, Harris followed up an even par round of 72 with a 2-under 70 and stands at 2-under 142 after 36 holes of the 72-hole event. She is in a tie for third, four shots out of the lead.
LSU as a team got two strong rounds and that helped the team improve one shot and position on the second day. The Lady Tigers, 10th-ranked in the national poll, improved Tuesday’s 16-over 304 to a 15-over 303 and stands in 13th place at 31-over par 607.
The big moves on the day came from Duke, which moved from seventh to a tie for first with first-round leader Oklahoma State with a 36-hole total of 16-over 592. That’s one shot better than Georgia in third at 593, while Auburn moved from ninth to fourth one more shot back at 18-over 594. Tulsa made the biggest move of the day, shooting a 3-over 291 to go from 18th spot to seventh at 598, 22-over.
LSU is four shots out of 10th place and 15 shots out of the halfway lead.
Besides Harris’ big round, the Tigers got needed help from Shreveport junior Meredith Duncan. Duncan followed her 79 on Tuesday with a 1-under 73 to stand at 152, 8-over par as she moved up 33 spots from a tie for 83rd to a tie for 50th. Last year when Duncan finished seventh in the event, shooting two under the final two days, she was at 10-over after 36 holes.
The Tigers also counted a 79 from freshman Isabel Dornellas and an 81 shot by both Lindy Hitdlebaugh and Lesley McClurg.
“We got great performances out of Katy and Meredith and that really made the round what it was,” said LSU Coach Karen Bahnsen. “We’ve got to have all five girls focus in and come out and give us all they can, shot after shot. There was a chance to make a big move today and we really didn’t take advantage of it.”
Laura Moffat of UCLA remains the individual leader after a second straight 69 puts her at 6-under 138. Celeste Troche of Auburn at 4-under 140 is the only other contestant in front of LSU’s Harris, who is tied with Lindsey Wright of Pepperdine at 2-under par.
The tournament continues through Friday.
NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championship
At Howey-In-The Hills, Fla.
Team Results (Par 288-576)
1. Duke 299-293 — 592 +16
2. Oklahoma State 293-299 — 592 +16
3. Georgia 298-295 — 593 +17
4. Auburn 300-294 — 594 +18
4. UCLA 295-299 — 594 +18
6. Texas 298-299 — 597 +21
7. Tulsa 307-291 — 598 +22
8. New Mexico State 301-298 — 599 +23
9. Stanford 298-303 — 601 +25
10. Arizona 302-301 — 603 +27
10. USC 296-307 — 603 +27
12. Pepperdine 299-306 — 605 +29
13. LSU 304-303 — 607 +31
14. California 302-308 — 610 +34
14. Michigan State 310-300 — 610 +34
16. Kent State 304-309 — 613 +37
17. Arizona State 305-309 — 614 +38
17. Purdue 305-309 — 614 +38
19. San Jose State 303-312 — 615 +39
20. Washington 315-305 — 620 +44
21. New Mexico 318-307 — 625 +49
22. Ohio State 313-312 — 625 +49
23. South Florida 314-314 — 628 +52
24. South Carolina 308-323 — 631 +55
Top 10 Individual (Par 72-144)
1. Laura Moffat, UCLA, 69-69 — 138 -6
2. Celeste Troche, Auburn, 72-68 — 140 -4
3. Katy Harris, LSU, 72-70 — 142 -2
3. Lindsey Wright, Pepperdine, 70-72 — 142 -2
5. Maria Boden, Oklahoma St., 70-74 — 144 E
5. Jimin Kang, Arizona State, 74-70 — 144 E
5. Lorena Ochoa, Arizona, 73-71 — 144 E
8. Sasha Medina, New Mexico State, 72-73 — 145 +1
8. Virada Nirapathpongporn, Duke, 72-73 — 145 +1
8. Ursula Tuutti, New Mexico state, 72-73 — 145 +1
LSU Scores
T3. Katy Harris 72-70 — 142 -2
T50. Meredith Duncan 79-73 — 152 +8
T61. Isabel Dornellas 75-79 — 154 +10
T96. Lindy Hitdlebaugh, 78-81 — 159 +15
T106. Lesley McClurg 80-81 — 161 +17