Feb. 22, 1998
Records Fall as Notre Dame Women's Golf Takes Third at Midwest Classic
Irish set team records for single round, 36 holes; King posts best 36-hole score in Irish history
SURPRISE, Ariz. - A record-setting and balanced effort helped the
University of Notre Dame women's golf team move up to a third-place finish
Saturday at the Midwest Classic, after firing a team-round of 295 (+7) at the
par-72, 5,818-yard Desert Springs Golf Club.
Notre Dame entered the day in fourth place (312), one shot behind Southern
Illinois, but improved 17 shots to claim the third spot, while SIU slipped to
fifth (614) after a final-round 303 in the play-six, count-four format. Penn
State jumped from ninth to fourth, posting a 290 to improve 32 shots from its
round on Friday.
Notre Dame's 36-hole total of 607 (+31) bests the team record of 628 (+44), set
last year at the Illinois Spring Classic. Notre Dame's second-round 295 (+7)
also ranks best in the 10-year history of Irish women's golf, breaking the
record of 302 (+14) set last fall at the Kentucky Invitational.
Friday's tournament results mistakingly had listed the tournament as a
three-day, 54-hole tournament when in fact the scheduled play concluded Saturday
after 36 holes.
Four Irish players turned in rounds of 75 or better Saturday, with senior
co-captain Katie King finishing in a four-way tie for third with a two-round
score of five-over 149 (75-54), just two shots behind medalist Laura Hammond of
Penn State and one shot behind Minnesota's Keri Sawvell.
King's 149 bests the Irish 36-hole record of 153 (+7) set by her classmate Tracy
Melby at the 1997 Illinois Spring Classic.
Sophomore Andrea Klee used a 73 on Saturday to forge a tie with Michigan State's
Meggan Schumaker for 10th place (151). Melby also carded a one-over 73 to finish
tied for 19th among the 54-player field (155).
Klee and Melby are the third and fourth Irish players ever to post a 73, with
King owning the top-two rounds in Notre Dame history: a 71 (-1) at last fall's
Kentucky Invitational and a 72 (-1) at the Illinois State Classic in the fall of
'96.
Notre Dame's fourth score Saturday came from sophomore Beth Cooper, who carded a
75 to improve 11 shots from her opening-round 86. Freshmen Becca Shloss (82-77)
and Mary Klein (78-82) rounded out the Irish contingent.
King moved six shots ahead of Melby in their friendly battle for the Irish
career stroke average record. King has totaled 6,793 strokes over 83 career
rounds for an 81.84 average. Melby has 6,799 strokes over the same 83 rounds for
an 81.92 average.
King's third-place showing represented the eighth top-five finish of her career
and third top-five showing. She was runner-up at the '96 ISU Classic and tied
for fifth last fall at Kentucky.
FINAL TEAM STANDINGS (36 holes): 1. Northwestern 304-296/600; 2.
Minnesota 307-294/601; 3. Notre Dame 312-295/607; 4. Penn State 322-290/612; 5.
Southern Illinois 311-303/614; 6. Michigan State 315-303/618; 7. Illinois State
314-308/622l 8. Michigan 319-305/624; 9. Northern Illinois 321-309/630.
TOP INDIVIDUALS (of 54): 1. Laura Hammond (PSU) 78-69/147; 2. Keri
Sawvell (MINN) 73-75/148; 3. Katie King (ND) 75-74/149; Liz Uthoff (SIU)
76-73/149; Denise Thiele (ISU) 76-73/149; Amylou Dueck (NW) 76-73/149; 7.
Kristen Beystehner (NW) 75-75/150; Colleen Kiely (NW) 76-73/149; Sharon Park
(MICH) 77-73/150; 10. Meggan Schumaker (MSU) 76-75/151; Andrea Klee (ND)
78-73/151.
OTHER NOTRE DAME SCORES: 19. Tracy Melby 82-73/155; 31. Becca Schloss
81-77/158; 37. Mary Klein 78-82/160; 41. Beth Cooper 86-75/161.
