Tulane Slides To 22nd In Day Two Of NCAA Women's Golf Championship

Mary Ellen Jacobs

Sophomore Mary Ellen Jacobs shot a two-over par 73, including firing even-par over the final 10 holes, but 25 over-par shots spelled doom for the Green Wave as the Tulane University women's golf team slid from 17th to 22nd in day two of the 2005 NCAA Division I Women's Golf Championship Wednesday at the par-71, 6,321-yard Sunriver Resort.

The conditions did not help the Tulane cause as steady rains in the morning made the course soggy, a whipping wind with gusts greater than 30 miles per hour wreaked havoc on drives all day, and the rain returned late in the day. The Green Wave posted eight birdies, but had 17 bogeys, six double bogeys, one triple bogey and a quadruple bogey.

"We're at the halfway point, and while we're pleased with our current standing, I was glad to see the girls battle the elements the way they did all day," head coach Sue Bower said. "The weather was a big factor all day, and it affected everyone so we can't use that as an excuse. We just have to come out and play tomorrow like it's a new day, and hopefully we can make a run over the final two rounds."

Jacobs entered the day tied for 57th, but after posting her best round of the championship to date, moved into a tie for 23rd with a two-day 149 (76-73). Fellow sophomore Alison Walshe, Tulane's day-one leader, carded a seven-over par 78 to finish the second round tied for 53rd with a plus-10, 152.

Senior Lindsay Hulwick was next for the Green Wave with a nine-over par 80 to go into the clubhouse tied for 109th with a two-day 159. Fellow senior Alexis Wooster had four birdies on the day, including birdies on her final three holes, to finish the day with an 81 and a two-day 162, and junior Liliana Alvarez carded an 83 to complete round two tied with Hulwick at 109.

"Mary Ellen had a good round today," Bower said. "For her to shoot a two-over in the conditions we faced today says a lot about her focus as well as her ability level. We'll need a few more rounds like that from her, and I'm confident that we can bounce back from today's performance and play well the rest of the way."

Pepperdine (291-295) and Auburn (290-296) ended the day tied for the team lead with 18-over par 586s, and the pair holds a four-stroke lead over third-placed UCLA (288-302=590). Day two saw a logjam form atop the individual leader board as Charlotte Mayorkas (71-73) of UCLA, Diana Ramage (73-71) of Auburn, Dewi Schreefel (70-74) of Southern Cal and Eileen Varges (74-70) of Pepperdine are all tied for first with one-over par 144s. The quartet holds a one-stroke lead over the foursome of Ohio State's Dana Je (75-70), Auburns Maria Martinez (72-73), Cal's Sophia Sheridan (73-72) and Virginia's Leah Wigger (73-72).

The 24-team, six-individual field will continue championship play with the third round on Thursday with the first teams teeing off at 11:00 a.m. (CDT), and the NCAA Championship concludes on Friday with the final round. Golf fans can follow all the action live on the internet at www.golfstat.com.

Team Scores: T1. Pepperdine 291-295=586 (+18), Auburn 290-296=586 (+18); 3. UCLA 288-302=590 (+22); 4. California 295-299=594 (+26); 5. Duke 292-303=595 (+27); 6. Ohio State 301-296=597 (+29); 7. Southern Cal 287-312=599 (+31); T8. Tennessee 300-303=603 (+35), Arkansas 296-307=603 (+35); T10. Arizona State 303-301=604 (+36), Oklahoma State 298-306=604 (+36); T12. Florida 301-304=605 (+37), Michigan State 304-301=605 (+37); 14. Washington 292-314=606 (+38); 15. Missouri 307-300=607 (+39); 16. Furman 307-301=608 (+40); T17. Texas A&M 305-306=611 (+43), Purdue 309-302=611 (+43), Stanford 300-311=611 (+43); 20. Virginia 304-308=612 (+44); 21. UC Irvine 311-304=615 (+47); 22. Tulane 305-312=617 (+49); 23. Tulsa 307-313=620 (+52); 24. Brigham Young 305-317=622 (+54).

Top Individual Scores: T1. Charlotte Mayorkas (UCLA) 71-73=144 (+2), Diana Ramage (Auburn) 73-71=144 (+2), T1. Dewi Schreefel (Southern Cal) 70-74=144 (+2); T1. Eileen Vargas (Pepperdine) 74-70=144 (+2); T5. Dana Je (Ohio State) 75-70=145 (+3), Maria Martinez (Auburn) 72-73=145 (+3), Sophia Sheridan (California) 73-72=145 (+3), Leah Wigger (Virginia) 73-72=145 (+3).

Tulane Individual Scores: T23. Mary Ellen Jacobs 76-73=149 (+7); T53. Alison Walshe 74-78=152 (+10); T109. Lindsay Hulwick 79-80=159 (+17), Liliana Alvarez 76-83=159 (+17); T120. Alexis Wooster 81-81=162 (+20).