Virada Nirapathpongporn Leads Individual Action; Duke Tied 11th After Day One

May 20, 2003

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WEST LAFAYETTE, IND. - With very tough weather conditions to deal with on the first round of the 2003 NCAA Women's Golf Championship, the top-ranked Duke women's golf team struggled on Tuesday and finished with a 30-over-par round of 318. The Blue Devils are tied 11th in the team standings, while junior Virada Nirapathpongporn is tied for the individual lead with an even-par 72, at the Par-72, 6,300-Yard Kampen Golf Course.

Southern California leads the team play with a first day total of 305 followed by Oklahoma State (308), Ohio State (309), Florida (313), UCLA (314), Pepperdine (315), Stanford (316), Purdue (316), Texas (317), Auburn (317), Arizona (318), Duke (318), South Carolina (318), Georgia (320), Nebraska (320) and Arizona State (320) in the top 16.

The weather was the story on day one as winds gusts approximately 28 miles per hour and rain in the morning led to a first round scoring average of 81.08 for the 24 teams. Last year, the Blue Devils opened the NCAA Championship trailing Arizona by nine strokes and was able to come back and win their second National Championship.

Nirapathpongporn, a Bangkok, Thailand product, came out and bogeyed two of the first three holes before setting down and registering birdies on hole four and 11 to finish with a 72. Oklahoma State's Annie Thurman is tied with Nirapathpongporn for the individual lead. It marks the second straight year Nirapathpongporn has led the NCAA individual competition after day one as last year she fired a bogey-free round of 68 on day one.

The rest of the scores for the Blue Devils broke the 80 mark. Sophomore Niloufar Aazam-Zanganeh turned in an 80 and is tied 47th. The Lausanne, Switzerland product finished each nine with four-over-par scores and did not register a birdie on the day. Freshman Liz Janangelo collected a round of 82 on Tuesday, which marks only the second round of 80 or higher in her career. The last time the West Hartford, Conn., native shot in the 80s was in the final round of the NCAA Fall Preview at the same course. Janangelo is tied 75th individually.

Making her return home to Indiana, Leigh Anne Hardin posted a season-worst round of 84 and is tied 92nd. A junior from Martinsville, Ind., Hardin made the turn five-over-par and then wasn't able to get anything going on the back nine with seven bogeys. Senior Kristina Engstrom was able to finish the back nine with a team-best two birdies and a two-over-par score, but a rough first nine holes led to a score of 85 on Tuesday. Engstrom got in to trouble early with two triple bogeys in a row and a double-bogey to lead to a 11-over-par score after nine holes.

Duke Results
Virada Nirapathpongporn    37-35=72 (E, T1st)
Niloufar Aazam-Zanganeh  40-40-80 (+8, T47th)
Liz Janangelo                      40-42=82 (+10, T75th)
Leigh Anne Hardin               41-43=84 (+12, T92nd)
Kristina Engstrom               47-38=85 (+13, T102nd)

Duke Notes

- The round of 315 is a season-worst (310 in first round of ACC Championship on Apr. 18)

- The round of 315 is the worst NCAA Championship score for Duke since the first round of the 1996 Championship in Laquinta, Calif.

- Liz Janangelo (82), Leigh Anne Hardin (84) and Kristina Engstrom (85) all had season-worst rounds on Tuesday. Niloufar Aazam-Zanganeh (80) tied a season worst.

- Duke came in to the tournament winners of the last four tournaments

- Duke will tee off on Wednesday beginning at 8:00 a.m. off the 10th tee.

Duke Quotes

Dan Brooks, Duke head coach

"Obviously today was not a great day for us. We didn't score well. I'm not sure what went on in each of their games but their attitudes and spirits are good right now and that means a lot. This group will not be severely affected by one bad round. This is just one day. The thing you learn from golf is that you have to take things in stride. We knew coming in that we would have a best day and a worst day. We will hope this is our worst day."

Virada Nirapathpongorn, Duke

"I came out here with goals and that is all I really wanted to focus on. I went out there and stuck to my goals and focused at the task at hand. I just went out and stuck to my own game and I think that is the key. I have my own standard and my own goals and I will go after those. I can only do my best. I don't have certain level that I am expecting."

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