Duke Moves Into Third At The NCAA East Regional

Friday, May 11

Baton Rouge, La.

All Day

Duke University

Day Two

Duke Moves Into Third At The NCAA East Regional

5/11/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf

By: Duke Sports Information

BATON ROUGE, LA.-- Day two of golf tournaments is said to be moving day and it held true for second-ranked and top-seeded Duke in the NCAA East Regional as the Blue Devils carded a team-best and season-low seven-under-par, 281, on Friday to move into third place at the 6,403-yard, Par 72 University Club in Baton Rouge, La. As a team, Duke owns a 36-hole total of 572, is four-under-par for the tournament and heads to Saturday's final round on pace to advance to its 10th straight NCAA Championship as the top eight teams receive invitations.

UCLA (564) posted a 283 on Friday and leads the regional by four strokes over Wake Forest (568). Duke (572), Furman (574), Purdue (575), Auburn (575), Louisville (575), Alabama (576), South Carolina (579) and Texas A&M (579) round out the top 10. Duke's round of 281 on Friday was a season best for the Blue Devils as their previous low was a 283 at the Mason Rudolph Championship.

“I am really excited about how the team did this today,” said Duke Head Coach Dan Brooks. “Our front side was good and around even, but it wasn't anything special. Other teams were throwing birdies at us and for a team that has played at a very high level all season they stayed very patient and kept believing. There was no panic and we were playing solid golf. None of the other teams wer slipping and we just had to wait for our birdies to come.”

As a team, the Blue Devils had four golfers shoot under par on the day led by junior Jennifer Pandolfi as she posted a 69, which was a career best in NCAA Regional or NCAA Championship action. Duke went off the 10th hole beginning at 1:20 p.m. on Saturday and had a solid start with six birdies over the first nine holes. The final nine is where the Blue Devils got rolling as the four-time NCAA Champions and reigning back-to-back champs collected 13 birdies and had at least one birdie on every hole from one through nine except for No. 2.

“Jennifer's play was excellent and I cannot say enough about her round today,” said Brooks.

A native of Navarre, Fla., Pandolfi came back from a 77 on day one to register six birdies and a round of 69 on the afternoon to move her into tied for 40th with a 146. Her six birdies in her round tied a season high and her round in the 60s was only her third of the season. Pandolfi began the day with four straight pars before suffering a bogey on No. 5, but came back to register two straight birdies and two pars to make the turn at one-under-par, 35. She sandwiched a bogey in-between two birdies to open the final nine and then totaled two more birdies on the fifth and sixth holes to get to four-under-par with three holes remaining. Pandolfi closed with two pars and then had a bogey on the final hole to finish. On the day, she hit 15 of 18 greens and had three greenies inside 15 feet.

“I came back after I hit some bad shots and I putted well today, which was the bottom line,” said Pandolfi. “My overall attitude was much better today. I hit the ball alright and just made some birdies, but I stayed with it and was determined. I got down on myself yesterday after a bad start.”

After posting her second straight over-par round of the spring on day one with a 73, sophomore Amanda Blumenherst carded a two-under-par, 70, on Friday and is tied for 16th overall with a 143. Leading the individual action is UCLA's Sydnee Michaels (134), while Nannette Hill of Wake Forest is second with a 136.

Blumenherst, who is from Scottsdale, Ariz., picked up eight pars over the first nine holes while adding a birdie on the eight to make the turn at one-under-par, 35. She continues to hit the edges of the cup on the greens, but rolled in two more birdies on holes No. 3 and No. 4 on her way into the clubhouse. Blumenherst had her only bogey on the 131-yard, par three fifth hole.

Continuing her stellar play in the regional was senior Anna Grzebien, who notched her second straight under-par round with a 71. A native of Narragansett, R.I., Grzebien owns a two-day total of 142 and is tied for 14th. Her two consecutive under par rounds marks only the second time all season and the first since the NCAA Fall Preview in September that she has done so. She opened the day with a birdie on her second hole and then had seven pars and a bogey on No. 16 to make the turn at even par. Grzebien collected six pars, two birdies and a bogey on the final hole to close out her day.

“I hit a lot of shots within 15 feet again today but didn't get the ball rolling for the second straight day,” said Grzebien. “I was hitting good shots and gave myself a bunch of opportunities. It was a steady round.”

Freshman Alison Whitaker continued her hot play with a one-under-par, 71, which was keyed by a birdie on the final hole of the day. Whitaker, who is from Melbourne, Australia, made the turn at even par with nine pars and then played the final four holes at two-under-par with two birdies. Her birdie on the final hole was helped by a solid three-iron within six feet. In the individual race, she is tied for 31st with a 145.

“I made a really good birdie from about 208 yards to the pin, which was a good way to finish,” said Whitaker. “My ball-striking today was exceptional but unfortunately the putts did not fall for the majority of it. I could have done some serious damage if some of them went in. I have been working on my long game so that was really rewarding.”

Jennie Lee, a sophomore product of Henderson, Nev., had the only over par round of the day at one-over-par, 73 and enters the final round tied for 40th with a 146. Lee opened her day with one par, two birdies and two bogeys over the first five holes and then made the turn at even par. Two bogeys on her 10th and 11th holes, which was holes No. 1 and No. 2, brought her to two-over-par, but Lee responded with two birdies and four pars over the next six holes to get back to even par for the day. Her second shot on the final day went into the bunker on the left and couldn't make the up and down to save par as she went on to suffer a bogey.

As a team, Duke played the par five holes at eight-under-par and are 12-over-par on the par fives in the first two rounds. The Blue Devils will tee off in the final round along with Wake Forest and UCLA beginning at 8:10 a.m. The NCAA Championship will be played from May 23-26 at the LPGA International Legends Course in Daytona Beach, Fla.

“There was no talk about what we needed to do, but we all knew,” said Pandolfi. “We came out here and played our games today.”

- d - u - k - e -

rank team scores
1 UCLA 281 283 564 -12
2 Wake Forest 284 284 568 -8
3 Duke 291 281 572 -4
4 Furman University 284 290 574 -2
T5 Purdue 285 290 575 -1
T5 Auburn 293 282 575 -1
T5 Louisville, Univ. of 286 289 575 -1
8 Alabama, U. of 287 289 576 E
T9 South Carolina 290 289 579 +3
T9 Texas A&M University 291 288 579 +3
T11 North Carolina 290 292 582 +6
T11 Louisiana State 287 295 582 +6
13 Virginia 295 288 583 +7
14 Florida State Univ. 292 298 590 +14
15 Birmingham-Southern Col. 297 295 592 +16
16 Charleston, Coll. of 292 303 595 +19
17 South Florida 306 294 600 +24
18 North Carolina St. 302 303 605 +29
19 Western Carolina U. 301 308 609 +33
20 Jacksonville St. 324 301 625 +49
21 Jackson State Univ. 329 325 654 +78

Start Finish Player Team Scores
T1 1 Sydnee Michaels UCLA 66 68 134 -10
T1 2 Nannette Hill Wake Forest 66 70 136 -8
T8 3 Cindy LaCrosse Louisville, Univ. of 69 68 137 -7
4 T4 Kathleen Ekey Furman University 67 71 138 -6
T5 T4 Aruka Felgueroso * Coastal Carolina 68 70 138 -6
T8 T4 Caroline Westrup Florida State Univ. 69 69 138 -6
T13 T4 Tiffany Joh UCLA 70 68 138 -6
T5 T4 Nicole Hage Auburn 68 70 138 -6
T1 9 Adrienne White Louisville, Univ. of 66 73 139 -5
T16 T10 Leah Wigger Virginia 71 69 140 -4
T8 T10 Danielle McVeigh Texas A&M University 69 71 140 -4
T16 T12 Ashley Knoll Texas A&M University 71 70 141 -3
T13 T12 Stephanie Oukeo Purdue 70 71 141 -3
T5 T14 Melissa Eaton Louisiana State 68 74 142 -2
T16 T14 Anna Grzebien Duke 71 71 142 -2
T16 T16 Blair Lamb Furman University 71 72 143 -1
T8 T16 Jenny Suh Alabama, U. of 69 74 143 -1
T34 T16 Amanda Blumenherst Duke 73 70 143 -1
T8 T16 Christel Boeljon Purdue 69 74 143 -1
T16 T20 Theresa Paik Furman University 71 73 144 E
T34 T20 Megan Miller Charleston, Coll. of 73 71 144 E
T25 T20 Karlin Beck Birmingham-Southern Col. 72 72 144 E
T51 T20 Mandy Goins Wake Forest 74 70 144 E
T34 T20 Maggie Simons Wake Forest 73 71 144 E
T34 T20 Rebecca Kuhn Louisiana State 73 71 144 E
T34 T20 Helena Blomberg Alabama, U. of 73 71 144 E
T16 T20 Sarah Sturm Alabama, U. of 71 73 144 E
T25 T20 Blythe Worley South Carolina 72 72 144 E
T16 T20 Lauren Hunt North Carolina 71 73 144 E
T13 T20 Kate Thomas North Carolina 70 74 144 E
T51 T31 Lene Krog * East Carolina Univ. 74 71 145 +1
T25 T31 Amanda Mathis * Mississippi St. U. 72 73 145 +1
T34 T31 Camila Mori South Carolina 73 72 145 +1
T34 T31 Jenna Pearson South Carolina 73 72 145 +1
T25 T31 Laura Crawford Wake Forest 72 73 145 +1
T25 T31 Benedicte Toumpsin South Carolina 72 73 145 +1
T51 T31 Maria Hernandez Purdue 74 71 145 +1
T59 T31 Margaret Shirley Auburn 75 70 145 +1
T51 T31 Alison Whitaker Duke 74 71 145 +1
T25 T40 Desiree Karlsson Western Carolina U. 72 74 146 +2
T34 T40 Whitney Simons South Carolina 73 73 146 +2
T25 T40 Rachel Smith Virginia 72 74 146 +2
T81 T40 Jennifer Pandolfi Duke 77 69 146 +2
T59 T40 Ryann O'Toole UCLA 75 71 146 +2
T59 T40 Marisa Milligan Auburn 75 71 146 +2
T34 T40 Jennie Lee Duke 73 73 146 +2
T72 T47 Christina Jones South Florida 76 71 147 +3
T16 T47 Lauren Doughtie North Carolina St. 71 76 147 +3
T25 T47 Steffi Kirchmayr Charleston, Coll. of 72 75 147 +3
T59 T47 Laura Goodwin Alabama, U. of 75 72 147 +3
T34 T47 Jean Chua Wake Forest 73 74 147 +3
T51 T47 Rhea Nair Alabama, U. of 74 73 147 +3
T72 T47 Sally Shonk Virginia 76 71 147 +3
T16 T47 Alexis Rather Louisiana State 71 76 147 +3
T72 T47 Abigale Schepperle Auburn 76 71 147 +3
T34 T47 Stefanie Endstrasser Purdue 73 74 147 +3
T34 T47 Ashley Freeman Texas A&M University 73 74 147 +3
T34 T47 Myrte Eikenaar Purdue 73 74 147 +3
T34 T59 Kayla Shaul Florida State Univ. 73 75 148 +4
T25 T59 Maiya Tanaka UCLA 72 76 148 +4
T59 T59 Candace Schepperle Auburn 75 73 148 +4
T81 T62 Jordan Hardy Birmingham-Southern Col. 77 72 149 +5
T59 T62 Corrine Carr Furman University 75 74 149 +5
T72 T62 Amanda Henry Louisville, Univ. of 76 73 149 +5
T51 T62 Shelley McGraw Birmingham-Southern Col. 74 75 149 +5
T81 T62 Katie Miller North Carolina 77 72 149 +5
T34 T62 Hannah Jun UCLA 73 76 149 +5
T72 T62 Sydney Crane North Carolina 76 73 149 +5
T34 T62 Ann Laney North Carolina 73 76 149 +5
T87 T70 Stephanie Derrey North Carolina St. 78 72 150 +6
T59 T70 Jenny Calkins Louisville, Univ. of 75 75 150 +6
T81 T70 Daniella Ronderos South Florida 77 73 150 +6
T51 T70 Jill Stupiansky Birmingham-Southern Col. 74 76 150 +6
T95 T70 Portia Abbott Jacksonville St. 79 71 150 +6
T59 T70 Caroline Martens Louisiana State 75 75 150 +6
T34 T76 Emily Rapp Charleston, Coll. of 73 78 151 +7
T59 T76 Gennifer Mendez South Florida 75 76 151 +7
T87 T76 Lauren Johnson Texas A&M University 78 73 151 +7
T87 T79 Kylene Pulley South Florida 78 74 152 +8
T72 T79 Emily Street North Carolina St. 76 76 152 +8
T59 T79 Malin Fryk Western Carolina U. 75 77 152 +8
T72 T79 Whitney Wright Florida State Univ. 76 76 152 +8
T87 T79 Christa Spedding Texas A&M University 78 74 152 +8
T87 T84 Kim Meck Louisiana State 78 75 153 +9
T59 T84 Lauren Cousart Florida State Univ. 75 78 153 +9
T59 86 Dinah Plyler Charleston, Coll. of 75 79 154 +10
T95 T87 Jessica Buchta South Florida 79 76 155 +11
T81 T87 Camille Williams Louisville, Univ. of 77 78 155 +11
T72 T87 Elin Mickelsson Western Carolina U. 76 79 155 +11
T95 T87 Manuela Tarazona Jacksonville St. 79 76 155 +11
T59 T87 Whitney Brummett Florida State Univ. 75 80 155 +11
99 T92 Sara Hunt Birmingham-Southern Col. 80 76 156 +12
T51 T92 Fiona Puyo Charleston, Coll. of 74 82 156 +12
T81 T92 Joanna Saleeby North Carolina St. 77 79 156 +12
T87 T92 Bianca Melone Western Carolina U. 78 78 156 +12
T95 T92 Shasta Averyhardt Jackson State Univ. 79 77 156 +12
T101 T92 Whitney Neuhauser Virginia 82 74 156 +12
T87 T98 Kathleen Strandberg North Carolina St. 78 79 157 +13
T87 T98 Kandy Carland Western Carolina U. 78 79 157 +13
T72 T98 Carly Truitt Virginia 76 81 157 +13
T101 101 Ashley Baker Furman University 82 76 158 +14
T104 102 Mercedes Huarte Jacksonville St. 83 76 159 +15
100 103 Mirielle LaBlanc Jackson State Univ. 81 80 161 +17
106 104 Ashley Cox Jacksonville St. 86 78 164 +20
T104 105 Alexandra Espinosa Jacksonville St. 83 82 165 +21
T101 106 Lauren Ragland Jackson State Univ. 82 84 166 +22
107 107 Nikeya Peay Jackson State Univ. 87 84 171 +27
108 - Melissa Irons Jackson State Univ. W W - -